#1. Piran
Piran is a resort city on Slovenia’s Adriatic coast, known for its long pier and Venetian architecture.
Tartini Square is flanked by the Gothic red Venetian House and the frescoed Tartini House. The latter is the birthplace of violinist Giuseppe Tartini. The 19th-century town hall has a stone lion, a symbol of the former Republic of Venice. St. George’s Cathedral, nearby, has 17th-century paintings and marble altars.
Gabrielli Palace houses the Maritime Museum, displaying model ships, fishing tools and paintings tracing the city’s seafaring past. To the south, Secovlje Salina Nature Park is a conservation area encompassing salt pans and a museum dedicated to salt work.
The park shelters migratory birds as well as snakes, turtles and Etruscan shrews. At Punta Piran, Cape Madona is an area of the Adriatic Sea with diverse marine life, including coral species. A coastal path heads southeast to Fiesa, a small bay surrounded by hills and with 2 freshwater lakes.