Little Piran (Pirano in Italian) sits on the tip of a narrow peninsula, the westernmost point of Slovenian Istria. Piran Bay and Portorož (population 3000), Slovenia's largest beach resort, lie to the south. The centre of Piran's Old Town is Tartinijev trg , an oval-shaped, marble-paved square that was the inner harbour until it was filled in 1894.
Sergej Mašera Maritime MuseumMUSEUM
Just southeast of Tartinijev trg in the lovely 19th-century Gabrielli Palace on the waterfront, this museum's focus is the sea, sailing and salt-making – three things that have been crucial to Piran’s development over the centuries. The antique model ships upstairs are very fine; other rooms are filled with old figureheads and weapons, including some lethal-looking blunderbusses.
Aquarium PiranAQUARIUM
About 100m southwest of Tartinijev trg along the harbour, Piran's aquarium might be small, but there's a tremendous variety of sea life packed into its more than two dozen tanks.
Cathedral of St GeorgeCATHEDRAL
Piran is watched over by the hilltop Cathedral of St George, mostly dating from the 17th century. If time allows, visit the attached Parish Museum of St George , which contains church plate, paintings and a lapidary in the crypt. The cathedral's free-standing bell tower (Zvonik)dates back to 1609 and can be climbed. The octagonal baptistery (1650) has imaginatively reused a 2nd-century Roman sarcophagus as a baptismal font. To the east is a reconstucted stretch of the 15th-century town wallcomplete with loopholes.
BUS
Up to seven buses a day make the run to/from Ljubljana (€12, 2½ hours, via Divača and Postojna). Some five buses go daily to Trieste (€10, 1¾ hours) in Italy, except Sundays. One bus a day heads south for Croatian Istria from late June to September, stopping at the coastal towns of Umag, Poreč and Rovinj (€10.30, 2¾ hours).
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