Slovenia is one of the smaller countries with 20,000 km2 (approximately 150th out of 200 countries). Nevertheless, it has a more diverse surface than much larger countries. Thus, Slovenia is also a maritime country with access to the Adriatic Sea. At these 43 kilometers you can find from natural parks to beaches, towns and cliffs (3rd shortest Coast in Europe and 7th in the world). Below I try to cover as many features of the Slovenian coast as possible. We will start at the southern border with Croatia and slowly progress to the northern border with Italy (municipalities of Piran, Izola, Koper, Ankaran). I will try to describe both nature and settlements with catering and hotel facilities. I will update the description over time.

Piran (municipality)

Sečovlje salt pans

The border with Croatia is currently still in dispute and is a matter of arbitration. But it basically runs on or around the Dragonja River. The Slovenian coast on the south side begins with the Sečovlje Salina Landscape Park. With the alluvium, the Dragonja River created the basis for the formation of the Sečovlje salt pans, which were first mentioned in 804. Over time, the owners changed and technological solutions were updated until it became an unprofitable activity 60 years ago. Today, most of the salt pans in the south are abandoned, where an interesting ecosystem has emerged and about 300 different species of birds have been observed so far. In a small part of the slat pans, they still operate manuly, where they preserve the traditional way of obtaining salt, which can also be seen in the museum of saltworks. If you want to walk around the park and see the salt pans there is an entrance fee (7 €, 5 € children and 16 € family). In the northern part of the park, there is the Lepa vida health resort, where salt mud and brine are used as medicinal ingredients. In the north, with the channel of St. Jernej salt pans finish.

In the hinterland of the salt pans is the Portorož sports airport, where panorama flights or tandem jumps from a plane are possible. There is also the rural settlement of Sečovlje.

Seča

The hilly Seča peninsula continues into a rural settlement in the hinterland. On the south side there is a path along the canal of St. Bartholomew, where we can walk along the moored boats in the canal. At the top of the peninsula is a parking lot (payable in season). Nearby is the Fonda fish farm where you can get fresh sea bass, the Ribič restaurant with quality seafood and a beach bar in the shade to enjoy a cold drink overlooking the sea. The footpath along the coast continues all the way to Lucija. At the top of the peninsula is Forma Viva, where you can enjoy stone sculptures outdoors. In the hinterland, there is the pub and restaurant of Stazione Parenzana, where they serve their own beer, good pieces of meat, burgers and more. On the north side of the peninsula is the entire length of Camp Lucija with its beach and Takamaka bar.

Lucija

On the coast in Lucija is Marina Portorož, where you can moor your boat or rent a house on the water and go eat at the Laguna restaurant. In the hinterland is the Sun Park, where the Gokart trail once stood. Even deeper is the Pinjole Hotel. Basically, Lucija is a sleeping settlement with all the infrastructure. There are also a couple of pizzerias / restaurants (Marina, Vesuvio, Golden Anchor, Porto, Sant Lucia)

Portorož

Portorož is a place with an extensive hotel offer. In the south there are 20 tennis courts, where the Portorož open is also played. From there, 500 meters of grassy and sandy beach (Meduza, city) continues, ending with a park. Behind the beach is a series of bars (Paprika, Pergola, Cacao, Alaya, Coco), restaurants (Fish Canteen, Stara Olka, Rizibizi, Bungalow, Paco 1, Fritolin, Oštaria, Spiagga, Figarola) and shops. On the other side of the road is a series of hotels, starting with the Boutique Hotel (Restaurant & Lounge Roses) and the huge Metropol (Casino, Flower, Lucia). In between is the bus station and the Auditorium in the background. Then there is Kempinski in a beautiful building with restaurants Sophia and Fleur de sel. Then Portorož, Slovenia-Istrian tapas, the Riviera and ends with the Hotel Marko. In the second row are the hotels Apollo, Mirna, Neptun and Tomi (COB Restaurant).

There are now two former salt warehouses along the coast (Grando and Monfort) where the ship Laho is moored. Along the park and on the other side of the road are educational institutions, where in the hinterland through the settlement we ascend to Beli križ (inn Beli križ and Boem), there is a bunch of parking lots. We now come to the Bernardin Peninsula, where there is another hotel complex. I would mention the News Caffe bar here. Next to the lighthouse and lagoon is the Histrion Hotel (Mesečev restaurant, Taverna Mediteran, Barka), then there is Vile Park (Veduta) above the arcades and the last in line is Bernardin (Grand and Pečina restaurants) built into the hill, ending Portorož.

Piran (settlement)

Piran is a beautiful medieval town on the peninsula, named after the lighthouse (fire ancient Greek Pyr). Fornače is on the southern border of Piran, there is a beach, parking along the coast and a parking house in the background. There is a bus station along the coast, opposite the Pri Mari inn. Slowly we reach the mandrac, which stretches all the way to Tartini Square, the central space in the city (Hotel Tartini, bars Tartini, Piran and Žižole, La bottega dei sapori, Tartini House, St. Peter’s Church, Venetian House, municipality and TIC). On the opposite side there is the Museum of Underwater Activities (spacesuit), the Maritime Museum and the Museum of Shells, and the Sarajevo ’84 inn with ćevapi, pizzeria Petica, Pirat, De Guiseppe and Park, Porta Marciana, Neptune, Tartini one street inland.

Along the coast if we continue to the top of the peninsula is the Piran Aquarium and again a bunch of bars (Caffe Tater, Da Noi, Pavel 1/2, Three Widows, At the top of Cape Madonna, at Punta is the Piran lighthouse from 1872. On the other side of the cape is the beach. Inside the peninsula is the old medieval town center, with narrow cobbled streets and sloping multi-storey houses. Behind that are the remains of the city walls. The settlement ends with a cemetery.

Fiesa

From Piran we arrive by the see to Fiesa. Here we find a beach with a playground, hotels Fiesa and Barbara and lakes in the background (once clay was dug here, today a protected ecosystem). In the hinterland is the Fiesa campsite.

Pacug

Across the hill we reach the village of Pacug. There are post tourist facilities. The coast can be easily accessed only at the beach of the Children’s Resort, which is reached by a steep road. We leave the settlement again with a steep road to the bank.

Strunjan

At the beginning is the Salinera beach with a hotel, and a little further on is the Mirta and Oleander hotel and the Strunjan camp. Strunjan also has a landscape park, where there used to be salt pans and they also preserve the tradition here. It continues to the Stjuža lagoon. From here is the beach Strunjan (southern part for dogs, FKK beach further north), hotel Svoboda and in the background a huge parking lot. Here the terrain begins to rise above the vineyards and at the top it reaches the Strunjan Cross. Among the vineyards is also the Church of the Apparition of Mary. From there is Moon Bay with a rocky beach and the highest cliff on the Adriatic coast. The Ronek peninsula completes Mesečev zaliv, the settlement of Strunjan and the municipality of Piran.

Izola (municipality)

Dobrava

Dobrava continues along the klifand inaccessible coast. After a few hundred meters we reach the place where the Belveder camp and the Clif hotel are on the cliff, and there is a beach at the foot.

Simon’s bay

Part of the settlement Jagodje along the coast is called Simon’s Bay. From the parking lot along the coast there is a walking path to the beach of Simon’s Bay. To the east is the Simon’s Bay Archaeological Park, where the remains of a Roman villa with mosaics ais re located.

Izola (settlment)

Upon entering Izola from the west, we are on Delfin beach and soon reach the Marina, which stretches to the old town. On the shore is the Lonka parking lot. The old town was once an island (Isola it. Island). Along the coast there are again a few bars and restaurants and on the north west side of the peninsula we come to a white lighthouse, where in the background is a beach (disabled, dogs) and a park. Inside, again a medieval Mediterranean town, where the church of St. Maurus dominates the top of the hill. When we get to the east side of the peninsula, this is an ugly industrial part of Delamaris and the shipyard, which is expected to be renovated and revived soon.

Naselje zapuščamo ob pokopališču. Sledi kamp Jadranka. Nadaljuje se z obalno peš potjo proti Kopru, kjer na notranji strani brežina rata hitro strma in na vrhu hriba je Splošna bolnišnica Izola.

Koper municipality and settlment)

From the Izola side we come along the coast past the sunken ship Rex to the beach Žusterna with a parking park and swimming pool. We turn north towards the old town. There is a park in the interior again, followed by parking lots, an industrial zone, shopping centers until we reach Škocijanski zatok (nature reserve), a remnant from the times when Koper was an island, today this area is protected and up to 260 different bird species can be found here. .

The old town starts with the Grand Koper Hotel (good pizza). There is a city swimming pool on the coast. Again old sloping houses along narrow cobbled streets. Probably the most interesting is Tito’s Square with the Praetorian Palace, the Church of the Assumption of Mary and the Loggia. In the northeast, the city flows into the Port of Koper, an ugly industrial area.

Ankaran (občina in naselje)

Ankaran starts with the second pier of the Port of Koper. From there, the shell cemetery (created by deepening the bottom for the port) and the pier of St. Catherine, where there is paid parking, continue. Continuing is the Mediterranean coastal meadow, another protected natural area that represents a riparian wetland ecosystem of exceptional value. We slowly approached the settlement of Ankaran. Along the coast is the beach, camp and apartment complex Adria. There is also a hotel in the former convent. sv. Nikoaja. In the village, the inn Bandima specializes in meat. At the exit of the settlement there is the Valdoltra orthopedic health resort with a beach (platform and green area). A little further is the beach and bar Študent with a lively atmosphere. A little further on is the remnant of a public bread oven. Inside is Ressl’s Grove, a forest learning trail that stretches across St. George’s Hill. The largest olive grove in Slovenia is in the vicinity.

Debeli rtič

Debeli rtič is a thumb-shaped cape. On the south side, the Youth Health Resort and Resort with the Debeli rtič beach is accessible to the disabled. Along the perimeter of the peninsula we find a green forest area at the edge of a flysch cliff. Inside the peninsula, however, are vineyards and the ruins of a World War II observation tower. Not on the north side we find the holiday village and Lazaret beach. The last beach before the Italian border is grassy – the natural beach of St. Jernej in the bay of the same name, where there is a paid parking lot nearby.