Piran hotels and tours

Piran Destination Guide

Piran - Slovenian tourist capitalis far the most developed slovenian municipality and one of the most important congress, casino, nautical and tourism centers. The wealth of Piran is not only the extraordinary natural heritage which upset the imagination of tourists worldwide, but the spirit of equality, tolerance and mutual respect, which was historically built by two nations on the same piece of land. Piran people have emigrated from different places in Slovenia and other countries. Among them were woven strong friendly ties and co-existence despite many differences to preserve indigenous culture and those values that today reinforces the united Europe.

Piran is a treasure house of culture and art, the city of numerous events, concerts and exhibitions. The municipality, which invigorates diversified international educational activity and a wide range of business opportunities. It is a city of holidays and extraordinary challenges.

The formation of Piran still upsets the imagination of scientists, despite many attempts to explain the birth of the city as the origin of its name. Some historians believe that the name Piran comes from a Greek word pyr (fire). Legend says that in the past the people of Piran were burning large fires on the spots where today stands a lighthouse.
The fire light supposed to protect the ships of the Greek fleet from wrecking, and guided them towards its colony Aegidi, today Koper.

Sečovlje Salina Nature Park

Sečovlje Salina Nature Park covers about 650 ha along the Slovenian-Croatian border in the extreme south-western part of Slovenia. The area consists of two saltpans: Fontanigge, where salt-harvesting was discontinued in the 1960s, is well-knowntoday for its biodiversity and the remains of the rich history of salt-making operations whereas in the other part of the reserve called Lera salt is still made using traditional methods. At Lera there is an information centre, a gift shop with saltpan products and souvenirs and an art gallery. At Fontanigge, the medieval tradition of salt-making is on display in the Museum of Salt-Making. Although salt is made throughout the year, you may find the nature park most interesting in summer when salt crystallizes from brine and at Lera pyramid-shaped piles of salt shine against the blue of the sky.

Škocjan Caves Regional Park

As a site of outstanding importance to the world natural heritage the Škocjan Caves were inscribed onto UNESCO's World Heritage List in 1996. In 1999, the Škocjan Caves were added to the list of Ramsar Sites as the first underground wetland in the world. The Škocjan Caves are famous for its spacious underground chambers and canyon of the Reka River. The cave system consists of 11 caves, sinkholes, natural bridges and other Karst phenomena. The Marrtel Chamber is one of the largest underground chambers in Europe. The underground canyon of the Reka river spans over 2 km and is one of the largest and longest underground canyons in Europe and worldwide.

Skocjanski zatok Nature Reserve

Skocjanski Zatok Nature Reserve is the largest brackish wetland in Slovenia. The area is famous for high diversity of bird species and offers home and shelter to various animal and plant species. The reserve consists of a brackish lagoon surrounded by halophytes and reed beds and a freshwater marsh with wet meadows, extensive reed beds and thermophilic shrubs in the area known as the Bertoska Bonifika. It has been fully restored in recent years so you can observe life at the reserve from observation spots along the circular education trail, laid out along the borders of the freshwater marsh. Skocjanski Zatok provides numerous opportunities for education and research.

Tartini House Gallery

Tartini House is one of the oldest houses that encircle the Tartini square and it is also the birtplace of Guiseppe Tartini. Municipal documents from the year 1384 mention it as the Gothic building ˝Casa Pizagrua˝; later its exterior was renovated in the classical style. On the 1st floor there is the Tartini Memorial Room, containing the objects left to the family Tartini by the artist. The most interesting exhibits are: the death mask, the master's violin, the music score pages, the copper engraving depicting Tartini's dreams and an oil portrait painting of Tartini. Among the manuscripts, the most interesting is a letter to a violinist, Tartini's pupil, Maddalena Lombardini, in which Tartini explains the rules of the violin bow technique.

Tarini square

Tartini square is the largest square and also the center of Piran. It was named after a famous violinist and composer Guiseppe Tartini.

Town wall

The town walls were completed between the years 1470 and 1534. The external side of the walls indicates a typical defensive setting. A few years ago, some parts of the towers and the connecting walkways were renovated, so that the walls are today accessible and can be visited.

The Piran town walls were built gradually, the largest one in the time when the way of waging battles was changing dramatically, due to the use of gunpowder, which required new ways of defence. Seven town gates, former entrances to the town walls are still preserved.

First Raspor Gate in Gothic style was built as a part of the town walls. Second Raspor Gate was built in the year 1470. It encloses a compact part of the third walls with seven towers, and has typically pointed arch with still visible stone hinges.

Marcana Town Gate was built in 1534, in renaissance style.

Milje Gate from the 13th century is one of the oldest preserved gates in the town.

Dolphin Gate is the most beautiful preserved Gothic gate in the town. It was built in the 1483, by the mayor Dolphin and is distinguished by the characteristic coat of arms with three dolphins.

Field Gate probably dates from the 15th century.

St George Gate in Baroque style is attached to the Court House.

Aquarium

As Piran was throughout its history linked to the sea, there is a matter of course evolved the two institutions, which were studying the sea and the life within. These are the Marine Biology Station and Aquarium. Aquarium was founded in the year 1964, when the Aquarium Society of the Slovene Coast obtained the permit to restore the premises of the old Maritime and Fishery School building. It commenced with full activity only in the year.

In it there are several basins which are mainly lit by artificial light but on some nevertheless some natural light transpires through the windows. In the basins around 200 guests from the deeps of the submersed world can be admired; of which around 140 various kinds of sea organism. There to be acquainted with are common octopus, common snapper, sea-bream (dentex, braize), wrasse, ormer, bass, in our parts rare red mullet and many more of the sea animals.

Of course there are also algae, e.g. Sargasso alga, Poseidon alga and cistosirae. In the special room there is a big floor pool, in which shark, spiny dogfish, grey mullet, bass, roach etc. are swimming. Among others there you can peruse lobster, crabs, eels, tiny sea-urchin, and various kinds of sponges.


Forma Viva Portoroz

Forma Viva is a unique collection of stone sculptures under the open sky, situated in a park on the Seča peninsula near Portoroz. It involves a series of international encounters of eminent sculptors, in a form of sculptor symposiums. It all began in the year 1961 upon an incitement of two Slovenian artists, namely Jakob Savinšek and Janez Lenassi. In the forty years of uninterrupted activity, have the sculptors from over 30 countries left to the Coast and Slovenian cultural treasury over 120 stone sculptures, of which the majority lies in the Seča park, and some also in parks of Koper, Izola and Piran.

The Church of St Trinity in Hrastovlje

The Church of St Trinity is situated in a small village Hrastovlje and was built in a Roman style in the early 12th century. The most famous painting is the Danse Macabre fresco, which is a late-medieval allegory on the universality of death. The church is included in the list of the World's sights of interest. La Danse Macabre (the dance of death) consists of the personified death leading a row of dancing figures from all walks of life to the grave, typically with an emperor, king, youngster and a beautiful girl - all skeletal. They are here to remind people of how fragile their life is and how vain the glories of earthly life were.


Tonina House

St. Peter, known under the name of Raven after World War III, is a clustered village on the southwest hillsides of the hills of Savrinsko Hills. In the settlement of Goreli, which is a part of the village, stands the homestead of St Peter or Tonina's house, among the other stone houses and the pool. The monument was named after a wealthy peasant woman Tona Gorelli, of whom there still exists some oral folklore. It is built of stone which in hot summer days shelters for excessive heat, and in winter attracts warm sunrays. In addition to the reconstructed olive oil mill with its press on the ground floor, you may also see characteristic rural rooms (a country kitchen and a living room). Another attraction worth visiting in the village is the Church of St Peter, with the remains of the Renaissance altar built in the wall of the nave.

Portoroz

Sea, salt, ˝burja˝ wind, Mediterranean odours, palms and evergreen plants, relaxation, entertainment and wellness are the words that introduce Portoroz, a sea resort in the heart of Europe. Since the 13th century, Portoroz has been known as a health resort. Here the monks of St Laurence treated and healed the patients with salty sea water. The curative effects of these treatments in cases of rheumatism, dropsy, scrofula, obesity and festering wounds were widely known. Today, Portoroz is a modern tourist resort with numerous hotels, its own marina, airport, casino, congress and wellness centres, excellent culinary offer and many different possibilities for active enjoyment of free time. Every year, numerous events take place in Portoroz, attracting Slovenian and foreign guests.


Fiesa

Between Piran and Strunjan lies a small bay called Fiesa. This cute little town is interesting because of its two fresh water lakes, near the seafront. The smaller is natural and the bigger is artificial. Both of them are protected, as they are important for preservation of flora and fauna of this piece of land. In the last couple of years the bay has turned into a holiday vacation settlement, together with hotels, camping, vacation homes and villas. Along the shore line there is a path that will lead you to Piran.


Istrian Wine Road

Istrian Wine Road, Slovenian Istria, Savrinski Hills - these all are different names for the same which lies directly in the hinterland of Slovenian coast. This area represents the only true Mediterranean landscape in Slovenia, with the inherent climate, vegetation and cultural landscape that is enjoyable and interesting for sightseeing throughout the year. You will try some of the best wines, which are now the trend in the world - rich, full and of course red. Here is produced excellent olive oil, one of the best in the world and from here, the first cherries and early vegetables are sent to markets further inland.






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