Its largest urban centre and port is Koper, but Piran, Soline and Portorož are all worth mentioning as well.
Piran
This magic peninsula town has the reputation of one of the best coastal cities in Slovenia, and it is a statement well based. If you want to go beyond sunbathing and swimming, here you will find history, culture, entertainment and beautiful nature. Take a sunset stroll on the fortress walls, enjoy a beautiful view from the bell tower (which is a must do!) and pamper yourself with fresh seafood in local restaurants. Visit the only shell museum in Slovenia or take a longer walk along the promenade or some of the numerous trails. In any case, Piran is part of every winning scenario.
Soline
Once upon a time, salt-pans and salt-workers were quite a common view in the Adriatic Sea. Nowadays, there are only few that keep this tradition alive for more than 700 years. In Slovenia the salt pans exist only in Strunjan and Sečovlje where you can still see traditional manual gathering of salt in salt fields. You can visit the museum and buy original products like Piran Salt with protected designation of origin and learn a great deal about the history, present and the future of this region.
Portorož
Enterprising Benedictine monks offered the muds and salt water baths in the distant 13th century to the fatigued travellers. Portorož has come a long way since then, offering today many spas, baths, wellness, saunas, fitness and beauty facilities providing thus a perfect opportunity to relax your body and mind. The already mentioned great cycling route Parenzana passed here as well. It once connected Portorož with Trieste and Poreč. The town and its surrounding area are also famous for its first-class casinos. Come on and try your luck!
About the wine Refošk
Slovenia has more than 28,000 wineries making between 80 and 90 million litres annually (and imagine that, all wine is produced for the domestic use while only 5% is exported). About 75% of the country's production is white wine. Among the most famous ones is refosco, a family of dark-skinned grape varieties considered autochthonous in these regions. There are several famous varieties to this family: Refosco dal peduncolo rosso, Refosco d'Istria, Teran.
Some even go so far and say the Habsburgs build the Parenzana railway from Trieste to Poreč because they liked the wines from the region (Refosco, Malvasia and Teran). It might be true since it is often referred to as a wine railroad.
Photo by: Jaka Ivančič
