Should you visit Piran or Portorož?

Short answer, from someone who works in the middle of it: stay in Piran if you want the historic, car-free old town, winding stone alleys, a Venetian square and a quiet, lived-in feel. Stay in Portorož if you want a sandy-ish beach, big hotels, spa and wellness, a marina and more nightlife. They are only about four kilometres apart, so many visitors sleep in one and spend the day in the other.

What is Piran like?

Piran is a medieval town on the tip of a narrow peninsula, almost entirely closed to cars. It is tiny: you can walk across it in about fifteen minutes. The pleasure here is Tartini Square, the town walls, the bell tower, and getting lost in alleys barely wide enough for two people. Bathing is off the rocks and sea wall, not a wide sandy beach. It is in these old-town alleys that you will find Nika Horjak Ceramics, on Goriška ulica 2, a short walk from Tartini Square.

What is Portorož like?

Portorož, whose name means "port of roses", is the resort next door: rows of hotels, a developed beach, spa and wellness houses, a marina, casinos and a longer list of restaurants and bars. It is livelier and more modern, and better if you are travelling with people who want beach days and hotel comforts rather than cobblestones.

Piran or Portorož, side by side

How do you get between them?

Easily. A local bus runs between Portorož and Piran every few minutes, and the seaside promenade is a flat walk of about forty minutes. That is why the honest advice is: you do not have to choose. Sleep where your trip calls for, and give yourself at least one slow morning in old-town Piran.

Where do you find the studio?

Nika Horjak Ceramics is at Goriška ulica 2 in Piran's old town, two minutes on foot from Tartini Square. Whichever town you stay in, the studio is an easy stop; if you are weighing up the coast, our guides to one day in Piran and how to get to Piran may help too. And if your visit is short, the online shop ships worldwide. The kiln and I are here most days.