Portorož, the port of roses where the empire's nobility spent its summers

The port of roses

The name translates as «port of roses», and the town is proud of its rose garden on the promenade, with over 120 varieties and its own rose, the Portorož rose, since 2010. But according to the tourist board the name has another origin. In the 13th century a church of St Mary of the Rosary stood by the sea, which the Bishop of Koper, Paolo Naldini, described as the largest and most beautiful in the area, and the harbour took its name from it, Portus Sanctae Mariae de Rosae.

A resort for the nobility

Tourism arrived with health. In 1887 the first modern spa opened with a landscaped healing park, and Emperor Franz Joseph and the European aristocracy came here, followed after the Second World War by actors and celebrities. By 1911 Portorož already had 20 hotels and guesthouses and 47 villas, in Art Nouveau, Neoclassical and Modernist styles, and some still stand. The Palace hotel, with its Art Nouveau façade and large park, remains the emblem of that era; I cover it separately in the Palace Portorož.

What to see in Portorož besides the beach

The centre is the promenade by the sandy beach, lined with trees and wooden piers looking towards the marina. The tourist board points to several quiet corners away from the bustle. The garden in front of the Palace hotel, with its pond and benches. And the Seča peninsula, about 15 minutes’ walk away, where you climb to Forma Viva, an open-air sculpture park with the widest view of the bay. At the tip of Seča there is also a family-run cactus garden with over 1,500 species, which you enter by ringing the bell at the gate.

From Portorož the path of about 3 km to Piran also starts, easy and almost always by the water. To the south, the Sečovlje salt pans keep hand-made salt production alive.

Once your dates are set, check which hotels are still free in Portorož before prices climb.

Buses to Piran and where to stay

Two town bus lines link Portorož with Piran, Lucija and Strunjan for €1 a ride, with a rechargeable card costing €3.50. Long-distance coaches also reach Portorož’s main bus station, among them FlixBus from several countries. For sleeping, Portorož has the big hotels, with pools and wellness centres; I compare them with Piran’s in hotels in Piran. For beaches, the rest of the coast is in beaches in Slovenia.

Once your dates are set, check which hotels are still free in Portorož before prices climb.