Piran stands on a narrow peninsula by the Bay of Piran and has the best-preserved the medieval town centre on the Slovenian coast. Its long connection with the Venetian Republic marked its architecture, seafaring, language and everyday life. The compact houses, narrow streets and stone passages climb from the shore towards the church of St George and the remains of the town walls.

Tartini Square arose on the site of the former inner harbour, which was filled in at the end of the 19th century. The square is named after the Piran violinist and composer Giuseppe Tartini, and his birthplace stands on the square. Among the most striking buildings are the municipal palace, the Venetian House, the courthouse and the church of St Peter.

Above the town rises the church of St George with its bell tower, baptistery and parish museum. The church is dedicated to the patron saint of Piran, and the terrace in front of it opens a view of the peninsula, the Gulf of Trieste and, in clear weather, the Italian and Croatian coasts. A preserved section of the town wall on the slope of Mogoron further reveals the dense layout of the old centre.

At the end of the peninsula lies Punta with the church of Our Lady of Health and the lighthouse on Cape Madona. Along the shore operate the Sergej Mašera Maritime Museum Piran, the Piran Aquarium and the Museum of Underwater Activities. The 1st of May Square, or the Old Square, is the older centre of the town, surrounded by a well, Baroque houses and the narrow streets of the former quarter.

For centuries Piran built its economic strength on salt. The Sečovlje and Strunjan salt pans provided the town with an important source of income, and the salt-making families lived part of the year in houses beside the salt fields. Traditionally produced Piran salt, fish, olive oil, malvasia and refošk remain the foundation of the local cuisine. Browse the accommodation in Piran, choose restaurants by the mandrach or on the town squares, and discover activities along the town walls, at sea and in the salt pans.