Piran, Istria - Slovenia

It’s Wednesday night and it’s our last night in Piran. We arrived here on Monday around midday by FlixBus from Rovinj (around 2 hours) crossing into Slovenia just 15 kms south of the Town.

Piran is a lovely town, known for its stunning Venetian architecture, charming seaside vibe, and beautiful views of the Adriatic Sea. Like our previous stop - Rovinj in Croatia - and the whole of the Istrian Peninsula, Piran was under Venetian rule for over 500 years, giving it a strong Italian influence in its architecture, food, and culture.

A walk along the medieval walls of Piran gives incredible panoramas of the orange rooftops and the sea. The Old Town is car free, other than for delivery vans on the seaside perimeter, making it very relaxing and easy to explore entirely on foot.

The main square - Tartini Square - features colorful historic buildings and outdoor cafes, colorful but in more muted tones than Rovinj. Rovinj is bold and bright, bigger and busier. Piran, much smaller in size and population, seems more understated in every way. We loved them both 😍

While Tartini Square, sitting directly opposite the boat filled harbour, provides a centre point for the town, it’s the seafront and the narrow and weaving cobbled stone lanes that provide the real atmosphère in the town and bring it to life. As it was in Rovinj, but on a smaller scale, you don’t really need a map to explore the town. It’s compact and the landmarks of the harbour, the coastline, the medieval walls, the main square, church and the clock tower make it impossible to get lost.

As well as enjoying the Old Town, The French and I were keen to get active. On Tuesday we did a 19 km walk north to the town of Koper, passing through several small coastal towns and dozens of fabulous swimming spots as well as olive groves as we veered slightly inland to go up and over a few headlands.

Yesterday we took a shorter walk in the other direction past Portoroz, a more resort style town with large hotels and upmarket shopping, and the salt warehouses. The salt plains still operate today where workers still use 700-year-old medieval methods and tools to harvest salt by hand.

During our walks we also had the last of our many swims in the crystal clear Adriatic sea. And tonight the last of the many glorious coastal sunsets we’ve enjoyed since the first in Dubrovnik. What a treat 😎

A friend asked if we had noticed any differences between Croatia and Slovenia now that we’ve crossed the border. It’s a good question.

The answer is, so far, we haven’t. The languages are very similar and as we are not familiar with either, other than a few simple greeting words, it has felt the same to us. And English is widely understood, which makes for easy travelling as well as laziness in trying to pick up a few more words 😔

Culturally, the sense is that, due to history and geography, these Istrian towns in Croatia and Slovenia have more in common with each other than elsewhere in their own countries. More on that below *

As we move inland to Ljubljana (morning bus tomorrow) and then on to Lakes Bled and Bohinj, we may notice more differences …🤔. As much as we’ve loved the coast we are looking forward to what’s next. 😊

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* I wanted to explore this a little …. some commentary from the www.

‘The Istrian Peninsula shares deep historical, geographical, and cultural ties across both its Croatian and Slovenian sections.

Venetian Legacy: Both Slovenian coastal towns (like Piran and Koper) and Croatian coastal gems (like Rovinj and Poreč) feature distinct Venetian Gothic architecture, narrow medieval streets, and piazzas from centuries of rule by the Republic of Venice.

Shared Empires: Both regions cycled through Roman, Byzantine, Austro-Hungarian, and Yugoslav control before the modern borders were established.

Multilingual Heritage: Both parts retain a visible Italian influence, with bilingual signs and recognized Italian-speaking minority communities.

Climate and Geography: Both regions enjoy a warm Mediterranean climate with hot summers and mild winters, supporting olive groves, vineyards, and coastal tourism. The landscape transitions similarly from azure waters and salt pans on the coast to rolling green hills, vineyards, and medieval hilltop villages inland.

Gastronomy: Both Croatian and Slovenian Istria celebrate identical culinary treasures, most notably world-class olive oil, local wines and subterranean truffles harvested in the damp oak forests.

Régional Identity: Locals on both sides of the border often share a strong regional "Istrian" identity that blends Slavic traditions with Mediterranean and Italian flavors.Read more