This post is a continuation of a series documenting our travels to the beautiful country of Slovenia in the European spring of 2026. We had started in the capital Ljubljana where we had spent 2 days enjoying it’s compact but pretty City centre ( A Morning Walk Through Ljubljana City Centre – Serene Slovenia, Part 1 ) and visiting the Castle on the hill above ( A Visit to Ljubljana Castle & the Tivoli City Park – Serene Slovenia, Part 2 ).
We had then spent an amazing 3 days in Bled enjoying all the pretty little lake ( A Walk around Lake Bled in the rain – Serene Slovenia, Part 3 ) and its surroundings had to offer ( A sunny morning at the Vintgar Gorge – Serene Slovenia, Part 4 ). We had also done a memorable day trip to the even more remote Lake Bohinj and enjoyed a cable car ride up to the Vogel Ski station there ( Lake Bohinj & A Cable Car ride up to Vogel, A Day trip from Bled – Serene Slovenia, Part 6 ).
Ljubljana’s central location meant that we had returned to the capital for a night’s stay in the same hotel, the City Hotel. We had seen the Ljubljana Cathedral which we had missed visiting in our initial 2 day stay before retiring early ( A Pletna boat ride to Bled Island & the Ljubljana Cathedral – Serene Slovenia, Part 7 ).
I woke up early well before dawn the next morning for my usual walk around the City Centre as I had not seen the centre all lit up. I left the better half at the hotel to enjoy some more sleep time as me and the ultra wide had fun clicking photos of the City Centre lit up and without crowds. Since I have described the walk earlier will just post the photos here.
Peaceful City Centre of Ljubljana just outside our hotel
Preseren Square all lit up and pretty
The triple bridge and the castle lit up in Slovenian flag colours above
The Triple bridge and Preseren square looks serene without the day time crowds
The Robba Fountain and the Town hall with the clock tower behind
The Robba fountain from the other side with the Cathedral towers and dome in the background
The Town Hall of Ljubljana all lit up
The usually bustling Town Hall square all to myself early in the morning
The river is also free of the tour boats early in the morning
The University square of Ljubljana
The Fontana Evropa in front of the University of Ljubljana
The lights go off as the sun rises in the sky at Ljubljana
Pretty colours of the sky with perfect reflections from the triple bridge
The Dragon Bridge early in the morning
Early morning colours from the Dragon Bridge in Ljubljana
Enjoying my morning walk in Ljubljana on the Dragon Bridge in Ljubljana
The Ljubljana Cathedral dome framed by the City’s mascots – Dragons
Sun peeks out from behind the buildings in Ljubljana City Centre
I returned from my morning’s exertions with a big smile on my face. It had been a perfect morning to walk around the City Centre with beautiful spring weather and clear skies. The better half was ready by the time I returned and we yet again packed our duffel of clothes for 3 days in Piran leaving our big backpack in luggage storage at the City Hotel. We had the amazing breakfast spread on offer at the City Hotel and I made sure that I kept room for the amazing fresh Slovenian flavoured yogurt and local Cheese that I had missed on our first day.
With our tummies satiated we checked out of our room and kept the backpack in the luggage storage and headed to the Ljubljana bus station for our bus to Piran. Piran is a picturesque little coastal town on the Adriatic Sea where we would be spending the next 3 nights. Piran, while a popular vacation destination for the Slovenians is relatively overlooked in most itineraries involving this already underrated country. With its beautiful Venetian style architecture and small, narrow cobblestoned lanes and relatively low crowds it was the stop that I was looking forward to the most in this trip.
A photo at our room at the City Hotel, Ljubljana before we check out
We walked to the Bus station having bought the tickets the previous evening at the ticket counter for the 9.30 am bus to Piran. We waited at the allotted platform and soon the bus arrived and we got our tickets scanned and took our seats.
On the bus to Piran from Ljubljana
The 3 and a half hour journey to Piran was uneventful and the bus dropped us at the Piran Bus station which is a short walk away from the Old town where we would be staying. We walked to the Guesthouse Pachamama located in one of the tight lanes just off the main Tartini square and kept our luggage as our room was getting cleaned. It was lunch time so we decided to have lunch till our room was ready.
Tartini square on a beautiful sunny day in Piran
With the entirety of our luggage ( for Piran ) approaching Guesthouse Pachamama
Being right across the Adriatic from Italy, Piran (& all of Slovenian Istria) has a lot of Italian influence in the food and architecture and is bilingual with Italian and Slovene both spoken by the residents here. The towns here have 2 names a Slovenian name and an Italian name ( Piran is Pirano in Italian). Indulging in the Italian influence we went to the Pizzeria Pino which had great reviews and we were feeling like having a pizza for lunch. We ordered a Regina ( Tomato sauce, cherry tomatoes , stracciatella, basil, olive oil ) and iced tea for the better half and a Mortadella (Mozzarella, Mortadella, Stracciatella, crushed pistachios ) Pizzas and a Morreti beer for myself. The Pizzas were excellent – freshly made with delicious toppings and we enjoyed our lunch to the fullest.
Enjoying a Morreti Beer on a sunny afternoon in Piran
Enjoying our lunch at the Pizzeria Pino
The better half has her favourite Pizza toppings
The delicious Regina Pizza
My superb Mortadella Pizza at the Pizzeria Pino
With a delicious lunch downed we returned back to the Guesthouse Pachamama where our room was ready and we quickly freshened up and I took out my camera gear and we set out for our first walk in Piran.
The beautiful Tartini square in Piran with the Bell tower in the background
We decided to go to the famous light house of Piran which is right at the tip of the narrow town that extends into the Adriatic. We stopped at the 18th century Our Lady of Health Church right at the base of the lighthouse. The small church which was free to enter had a small temporary art exhibit which we saw before heading out. We later learnt that the altar from here which was spoilt by constant exposure to the sea breeze was moved to a nearby museum.
The Lighthouse at the tip of Piran
Our Lady of Health Church in Piran
The current lighthouse is an 18th century structure but a lighthouse has been present at this location from the 15th century guiding the ships sailing in the Adriatic. Luckily for us it was open ( extremely unpredictable hours!) when we visited and we bought our tickets and went up the tight spiral staircase and finally up a trap door to reach the top of the bell tower in the lighthouse.
Tight spiral stairs leading up to the bell tower of the lighthouse
We huffed and puffed up the ladder and gingerly onto the wooden floor of the top level. We were happy and disappointed at the same time. Happy because of the amazing views all around and sad because it had grills on the windows which make photography painful. We scattered around the tight little space and took photos and enjoyed the amazing views from the extreme tip of this beautiful town.
Piran from the lighthouse bell tower
The clear waters of the Adriatic from the lighthouse of Piran
Grills on the windows make it less than ideal for photos
A selfie in the tight space on top of the lighthouse of Piran
The other bell tower (which we would climb later) in the background from the lighthouse
We then descended again down the treacherous ladder and stairs down to safety of the outer gallery of the lower level of the lighthouse which also has a lighthousekeeper’s residence which was in use till the 1970s. We walked around the sunny gallery and gawked at the deep colour of the Adriatic before visiting the lighthouse keeper’s residence converted into a small museum.
The deep colour of the Adriatic from the gallery of the lighthouse in Piran
Using the mini tripod to take a photo of us at the lighthouse
Visiting the erstwhile lighthouse keeper’s residence in Piran
We then said goodbye to the Lighthouse and decided to walk back to the Guesthouse Pachamama from the other side which is lined by waterfront bars. We stopped for a quick photo op at the rocks and the Pirate graffiti on the basketball court before returning to our room to rest our legs for some time.
The lighthouse of Piran – You can see the tight space which we had climbed
The better half poses on the rocks at the waterfront in Piran
The pirate themed graffiti on the basketball court in Piran
After a quick afternoon siesta we woke up refreshed and headed up to the Parish Church of St George located on the hill above Piran. The main attraction of this Church is its Bell tower which is a replica of the St Mark’s Campanile in Venice that we had climbed a decade ago (How time flies!). We wanted to climb the tower today as the weather was unpredictable for the next 2 days and we wanted to make full use of the sunny weather.
The quirky lobby of the Guesthouse Pachamama in Piran
Our room at the Guesthouse Pachamama
We walked up the narrow streets of Piran towards the Bell tower which can be seen from all over Piran. The lack of crowds on that beautiful sunny day justified my choice of staying in Piran for 3 days, I knew I was going to enjoy it thoroughly.
The narrow streets of Piran leading up the hill towards the Church
No crowds as we approach the bell tower
We first went to the lawn in front of the St George’s Parish Church which used to be a graveyard but is now a popular spot for locals and tourists to enjoy great views over the town on one side and the Bay of Trieste all around.
At the St George’s Parish Church – The Walls of Piran in the background
The restored Renaissance styled facade of the St George’s Parish Church
Enjoying a beautiful evening at the lawn in front of St George’s Parish Church
Pirate and Ninja graffiti on the modern walls around the Church
Tartini square from the lawn in front of St George’s Parish Church
Another selfie with Pretty Piran in the background
We then went to the bell tower and bought tickets and started our climb up. There is a combo ticket for the Church and the Tower but the church was closed at that time which meant we would buy individual tickets for the church later. The restored bell tower has 150 well maintained and wide wooden steps which were a pleasant change from the treacherous narrow spirals in most such towers.
The modern wooden staircase of the restored bell tower of the St George’s Church
We finally reached the top viewing gallery of the 46 metre tall tower and the views were simply majestic – and there was no grill hampering the photos! Plus for most of the time on top of the bell tower we were the only one’s enjoying that view. We had asked the lady at the ticket counter what the closing time was. We had an hour to go before closing time & we had decided we would stay there till the tower closed. With such a beautiful views all around the hour just flew by!
The view towards the lighthouse ( right at the tip of town) from the bell tower
Tartini Square and the harbour beyond from the bell tower
Photos of us enjoying our full hour on top of the bell tower of St George’s Church in Piran
Finally the sun started to go down and it was time for us to descend down to ground level. So we said goodbye to the bells who were the only company we had for the last hour and retraced our steps down. The lady at the desk was happy that we had finally come down – she had asked us to close the wooden doors on her way down saving her the climb up.
The sun starts it’s descent as we say goodbye to the bell tower
Back at ground level we decided to head to the Guesthouse via a different route for a quick stop before heading out again towards the lighthouse. The sunsets in Piran were supposed to be beautiful and that was the best spot to enjoy them.
Owl mosaics on a house in Piran
Random pretty lanes of Piran as we head towards the lighthouse to enjoy the sunset
We reached the rocks in front of the lighthouse just in time to enjoy yet another beautiful sunset while on vacation. For the next hour as the sun slowly descended the sky turned into a riot of colours making it a grand spectacle and a photographers joy. I’m now going to post far too many photos of the sunset from Piran – Pardon my indulgences!
Photos of a beautiful sunset in Piran from the rocks near the lighthouse
The lighthouse and the colourful skies of dusk in Piran
Picture postcard sunset at Piran
After enjoying that amazing sunset we started walking back along the waterfront . It was almost dinner time for us and we decided to stop at the Okrepčevalnica Riva at the waterfront. We knew that the restaurants at such locations don’t usually serve the best food but we indulge in it once in a while just to enjoy the view.
Piran being a coastal town has good seafood and I enjoy my Calamari so I ordered a plate of it & a beer to go with itwhile the better half who wasn’t as hungry decided to order a bowl of Tomato soup and a plate of fries. The food was just decent but the views were great (you can’t get everything!).
Beer with a view at the Okrepcavalnica Riva
The better half’s tomato soup and fries
Enjoying a waterfront dinner in Piran
We would walk back to the Tartini square and take a bench and enjoy one of the most beautiful & peaceful squares in Europe that I have been to ( And I have been to a fair few by now!). Just sitting on a bench and enjoying the beauty all around is how we prefer our vacation evenings in Europe to be now (Getting old!) but there was just something special about Tartini Square and Piran.
Beautiful Tartini Square all lit up in Piran
Our time at Tartini square ended our first perfect day in this beautiful coastal town on the Adriatic. We hoped that the predicted inclement weather would stay away as we planned to go up to and visit the walls of Piran and walk the coastal trail on the other side of town.
That is however a topic for my next post, some other time, some other day,
Till then,
Čau!
OMG,i think this is one of your best posts ever. Ljubljana sunrise was super special, but Piran stole the cake. Every single picture is magical.
Thanks ma’am… Piran was very enjoyable