Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The big city a half-hour to the north of Piran, Koper, is a gloomy industrial burg (pop.
25,000) that is emerging as a popular cruise port. I wouldn't bother coming here unless
you're arriving by cruise ship—in which case, you can follow my instructions below.
Ships put in right in front of the Old Town. You'll exit the terminal building into a tidy
collection of tourist stalls and a small TI kiosk (TI tel. 05/664-6403,
www.koper.si
)
. Across
the street, you'll see fragments of Koper's stout town wall. The bus stop directly in front
of the port gate serves a hop-on, hop-off tourist train that does a loop around the Old Town
perimeter (€2/ride, four stops, but basically pointless). Free Wi-Fi is available in the port
area.
While
Koper
itself is worth a quick stroll, most cruisers will want to move on to more
enticing destinations farther afield. The easiest (and probably best) choice is
Piran,
well-
connected by bus; also consider riding a bus to
Trieste,
or hiring a guide for a busy day
drivingalloverSlovenia(
Ljubljana, Lake Bled,
thefamous
caves,
andmore).Eachoption
is described below.
Koper:
While this big city lacks charm, its main square is worth a quick peek, and it has
afine harborfront promenade. Toexplore, turnright as youexit the port,then turnleft at the
speed bump just past the big, blocky wall. Climbing up the stairs and turning left, you can
walk to the view terrace overlooking the cruise port. From here, do a 180 and follow brown
Center/Centro
signs directly away from the port. After a long block, you'll pop out in Kop-
er'smainsquare,
Titov trg.
Onthissquare,you'llfindaclimbable,204-stepbelltower;aTI
(inside the crenellated castle, Praetorian Palace/Pretorska Pala
č
a; daily 9:00-20:00, less off-
season,
www.koper.si
)
; a loggia with café tables; and a Mecator supermarket with an ATM
by the front door. After exploring here, head to the most scenic stretch of Koper's water-
front:FacingthepalacewiththeTI,turnrightdownKuri
č
evaulica.You'llheadthroughthe
atmospheric Old Town (and pass another ATM on your right) until you reach a little square
with a loggia. Just beyond this is the waterfront; if you follow it to the left, you'll find a
broad and nicely manicured promenade.
To Piran:
Slovenia'smostcharmingcoastaltowniseasilyreachedbybus(departsevery
20-30 minutes Mon-Fri, hourly Sat-Sun, 45 minutes, €3.10 one-way). The bus to Piran
leaves from a stop that's about a 10-minute walk from your ship. Exiting the port area, turn
left and walk alongside a long, multicolored building on your left. At the end of this build-
ing, watch for the covered bus stop across the street, on your right. This is where you can
catch the bus to Piran. If, instead, you prefer to explore Koper's downtown core a bit, you
can follow the instructions above, looping through the main square and following Kuri
č
eva
ulicadowntothewaterfront.Whenyoureachthewater,turnleftandheadalongPristaniska
ulica, with the cement-colored market on your right-hand side. When you reach the round-
