Where to stay in Piran, from the car-free old town to Portorož's spa hotels

Hotels in Piran’s old town

Old-town hotels are small and a few steps from everything. Art Hotel Tartini, a three-star with touches by the Slovenian artist JAŠA, is 50 m from Tartini Square, with rooms overlooking the bay or the square. Hotel Zala, in a quiet part of the old town, has 18 double rooms with work by Slovenian artists and, from June to October, a rooftop bar looking over St George’s. PiranArt Boutique Hotel sits on a quiet street near the sea and welcomes pets, and Miracolo di Mare serves breakfast in a garden and runs a free shuttle to a nearby garage.

The best known is Hotel Piran, with more than a century of history and 103 rooms and suites, five steps from the sea according to its own listing. You can drive up to unload, and reception validates your exit from the Amfora garage.

Driving? What changes

Almost all of these hotels ask you to leave the car at the Amfora garage, in the Fornače area. From there you walk down or take the bus, which runs every 10 to 15 minutes, or hop on the electric minibus, which drops you at Tartini Square for €1. Driving into the centre is only free for 15 minutes, and then €6 for each hour or part of an hour in season. If that sounds like a hassle, look at the other two areas.

Portorož, Fiesa and Strunjan

Portorož, 3 km away, has the big hotels. The five-star Palace has the Rose Spa, a private beach and saltwater pools, and it has its own page, the Palace Portorož. Between Portorož and Piran stand the Grand Hotel Bernardin, also five-star, with 241 rooms and a beach area, and the four-star Histrion, with Termaris, the coast’s largest complex of heated seawater pools. Town bus lines 1 and 2 take you to Piran for €1.

On Fiesa bay, Barbara Piran Beach sits by the sea and Slovenia’s only brackish lake, a walk from Piran. And in Strunjan, the Salinera resort, with three and four-star sections, lies next to the landscape park, with a grass beach and a free garage.

To sleep close to everything, search places to stay in Piran on Expedia and filter by area before price.

Where I’d stay

For one or two nights without a car, the old town of Piran. For a beach week, with children or a car, Portorož. And if you want peace and nature, Fiesa or Strunjan. Before booking, always check how to park and whether the hotel is inside the car-free zone.

To sleep close to everything, search places to stay in Piran on Booking.com and filter by area before price.