Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Cost and Hours:
€3.50; July-Aug Tue-Sun 9:00-12:00 & 17:00-21:00, closed Mon;
Sept-June Tue-Sun 9:00-17:00, closed Mon; Cankarjevo nabrežje 3, tel. 05/671-0040,
Aquarium
Small and a bit overpriced, Piran's modern aquarium is well-presented, convenient (right
off Tartini Square), and another decent rainy-day activity. You'll stroll through a few rooms
with tanks clearly labeled in English and filled with Adriatic sea life.
Cost and Hours:
€7,mid-June-Augdaily9:00-22:00,shorterhoursandclosedMonoff-
May 1 Square (Trg 1 Maja)
This square, deep in a warren of cobbled lanes in the middle of the Old Town's peninsula,
marks the center of medieval Piran, where its main streets converged. Once the administrat-
ive center of town, today it's the domain of local kids and ringed by a few humble eateries.
The stone rainwater cistern dominating the square's center was built in 1775 after a severe
drought. Rainwater was captured here with the help of drains from roofs and channeled by
hardworking statues into the system. The water was filtered through sand and stored in the
well, clean and ready for townspeople to draw—or, later, pump—for drinking.
Harborfront Stroll
Wandering along the harborfront, with its chunky breakwater, is a delight: almost no pesky
mopeds or cars, and virtually no American or Japanese tourists—just Slovenes and Itali-
ans. Children sell shells on cardboard boxes. Husky sunbathers lie like large limpets on the
rocks.Walkaroundthelighthouse atthetipofthetownandaroundthecorner,checking out
the cafés and fish restaurants along the way.
Swimming
Piran has clear, warm, enticing water. And, while the town is too small and skinny to have a
“beach” in the conventional sense, tourists find plenty of ways to go for a swim. Here are a
few ideas, listed in geographical order from Tartini Square:
The big concrete pad in front of
Hotel Piran,
with a half-dozen ladders descending dir-
ectly into the deep, may be the easiest choice. Coin-op showers, two nearby cafés (one in
the hotel itself, and the adjacent Teater Café), and rentable beach chairs (€10 buys you two
chairs and an umbrella) make this spot especially handy. It's a public beach, so you can
spread out a towel on the concrete and lounge for free.
If you continue past Hotel Piran along the embankment
promenade
(lined with restaur-
ants), you'll see plenty of swimmers and sunbathers trying to get comfortable on the big
