EXPLORE SLOVENIA
Slovenia, at the Top of the Adriatic
Slovenia has only about 47 kilometres of coastline, on the Gulf of Trieste at the northern end of the Adriatic, and a yacht can cover all of it in a couple of days. Marina Portorož, the main base, lies between the salt pans of Sečovlje and the Venetian lanes of Piran, with the cliffs of Strunjan and the old towns of Izola and Koper a short way up the shore. Most charters spend a few days here, then carry on south into Croatian Istria or west towards Trieste and the Gulf of Venice.
One Gulf, Three Countries
ON THIS GULF, ITALY, SLOVENIA AND CROATIA ARE A SHORT SAIL APART.
Slovenia’s sea is the south-eastern corner of the Gulf of Trieste, a shallow bay that Italy, Slovenia and Croatia share. Its coast runs from the Italian border near Ankaran to the mouth of the Dragonja, which marks the border with Croatia, and wraps around three smaller bays: Koper, Strunjan and Piran. Koper and Izola both began as islands, while Piran fills the tip of a narrow peninsula.
For around five hundred years, until 1797, these towns belonged to the Republic of Venice, and the winged lion of St Mark is still carved over gates and on palace fronts. Austrian, Italian and Yugoslav rule followed before Slovenia became independent in 1991. Italian is an official language alongside Slovene in the coastal towns, so street signs, and often menus, come in both.
Because the Slovenian shore is so short, a charter here is less about covering distance than about combining places. Piran, the salt pans, the Strunjan cliffs, Izola and Koper fit easily into a few days. From Piran, Trieste is about 14 nautical miles across the water, the first Croatian harbours of Istria are a short run to the south, and Venice lies roughly 55 nautical miles to the west.
Ashore, the day runs to the timetable of the café and the gostilna, the traditional inn. Breakfast might be coffee on Tartini Square, lunch a grilled sea bass with a glass of Malvazija, and a free day can go inland to the Karst, where the Škocjan Caves and the white horses of Lipica are less than an hour’s drive from the marina.
From Piran to the Karst
Five stops on the coast, each within a morning’s cruise of Portorož, and one day inland: the places that fill a few days of sailing in Slovenia.
The Karst
Piran
Portorož and the Sečovlje Salina
Strunjan Landscape Park
Izola
Koper
The Karst
Piran
Portorož and the Sečovlje Salina
What to Do Along the Way
Swim Below the Cliffs
Much of the Slovenian shore is built up or lined with concrete bathing terraces, so the best swimming is from the boat. Below the Strunjan cliffs, the yacht stops at the edge of the protected strip and guests swim or paddle towards Moon Bay, where the water is clear over a pebble and rock floor. At the tip of Piran, the sea off Cape Madona is protected as a natural monument and suits snorkelling on calm days, and the small beach at Fiesa, between Piran and Strunjan, is a quieter alternative to the town beaches.
Watch the Salt Harvest
From June to September, the salt-makers of Sečovlje rake crystals from the pans of Lera by hand, much as their predecessors did in the Middle Ages, and visitors can follow the work along the park’s trails. In Fontanigge, further south, the Museum of Salt Making shows how a family lived and worked on the pans, and the wetland around it is one of the best places on the coast for watching wading birds. Finish with a mud or brine treatment at the Lepa Vida spa, set among the salt pans.
Cross to Italy or Croatia
With such a short coast, crossing a border is part of most Slovenian charters, and all three countries on the gulf are in the European Union and the Schengen area. To the north-east, Trieste is a short crossing from Piran, with the sea-facing Piazza Unità d’Italia and, on a headland outside the city, Miramare Castle, begun in 1856 for Archduke Maximilian. To the south, the old harbour towns of Croatian Istria follow one another down the coast: Umag, Novigrad, Poreč and Rovinj. The crew handles the paperwork for the yacht in each country.
Ride the Old Railway Line
The Parenzana railway once carried wine, olive oil and passengers between Trieste and Poreč, and its route through Slovenian Istria is now a cycle path. The section from Izola to Portorož runs through former railway tunnels and across the Strunjan valley, and it makes an easy ride of an hour or two with views of the sea. The crew can arrange bike hire, and a coffee stop in Strunjan or Izola fits naturally along the way.
Spend the Evening on Tartini Square
As the day cools, Piran’s main square fills with families, couples and children on bicycles, and the cafés around the edge set out their tables on the stone. Summer brings the Piran Musical Evenings, a chamber music festival held since the late 1970s in the cloister of the town’s Minorite monastery, known for its fine acoustics. Later, follow the seafront out towards the Punta, where the lights of Trieste show across the water.
What to Eat and Drink
Order Fish from the Gulf
Seafood on the Slovenian coast is cooked simply. Sea bass and sea bream go on the grill and come to the table with a splash of local olive oil and garlic, squid is grilled or fried, and many restaurants show you the day’s catch so you can pick your fish. Look out for brodet, a stew of several kinds of fish served with polenta, and for sardele v savorju, fried sardines marinated with onion, vinegar and herbs in a style that came from Venice, eaten cold as a starter.
Try Fuži with Truffles
Fuži are the pasta of Istria: small pieces of egg dough rolled diagonally around a stick into hollow quills. On the Slovenian coast they are most often served in a light, creamy sauce with truffle shaved over the top. The white truffle is at its best in autumn, while black truffles appear on menus for much of the year, so ask what the kitchen has that week.
Taste the Karst’s Ham
Kraški pršut, the ham of the Karst, is made from a large leg of pork, dry-salted with sea salt alone, never smoked and left to mature for at least twelve months in the dry, windy air of the plateau. It is protected by an EU geographical indication. Order it thinly sliced, with Karst cheese, olives and bread, either in a coastal gostilna or at a farm inn on a day trip inland.
Bring Home Piran Salt and Istrian Oil
Salt from the Sečovlje pans is sold as Piranska sol, a name the EU has protected since 2014. Its finest form is solni cvet, the delicate flakes skimmed from the surface of the pans, and it makes a good present to take home. Olive oil from Slovenian Istria, much of it pressed from the local Istrska belica olive, is green, bitter and peppery, and it shares the protected name Istra with the oil of Croatian Istria. Restaurants often leave a bottle on the table for bread and fish.
Drink Malvazija, Refošk and Teran
The vineyards of Slovenian Istria climb the hills behind Koper, and two grapes dominate them. Malvazija makes a fresh white with a gentle scent that suits seafood, and Refošk a dark, juicy red. On the Karst, Refošk grown on red, iron-rich soil becomes Teran, a deep purple wine with bright acidity that is the classic partner for pršut. Several wineries welcome visitors, and the crew can book a tasting on a free afternoon.
Finish with Coffee and Ice Cream
Café culture on this coast owes a lot to Venice and to Trieste, a coffee port since the days of the Habsburgs. Take a morning espresso under the Loggia in Koper or on Tartini Square in Piran, then come back in the evening for an ice cream as the square fills up and the light fades over the water.
Seasons on the Gulf of Trieste
The charter season on the Slovenian coast runs from May into early October. The Gulf of Trieste is shallow, with an average depth of under 20 metres, so its water warms fast in early summer and cools quickly again in autumn. Three winds shape the sailing. On summer afternoons a sea breeze from the west or north-west, which sailors here call the maestral, fills in and usually fades by evening. The bora, or burja, is a cold, gusty north-easterly that pours down from the Karst, strongest and most frequent in the cooler months, and the jugo, from the south-east, brings cloud, rain and a rising sea.
Best for cliff walks and quiet old towns
Spring days are mild, the Karst turns green and the coastal towns have plenty of space. The sea is still cool, at around 14°C in April and 17–19°C as May ends, which makes spring better suited to walks on the Strunjan cliffs, rides along the Parenzana and a visit to the Škocjan Caves than to long swims. Now and then the bora still blows in, cold and hard, for a day or two.
APRIL AND MAY
Best for a fast-warming sea and evening light
The shallow gulf warms quickly through June, from around 20°C at the start of the month to 23°C or more by its end, and by late June the sun does not set until almost nine in the evening. The maestral blows on most afternoons, good for a sail across to Trieste or down the coast of Istria. Salt crystals start to form in the Sečovlje pans in the middle of the month, and the beaches are busy without yet being full.
JUNE
Best for the warmest water and summer concerts
High summer brings the warmest sea of the year, usually 24–26°C and sometimes more near the shore on still days, and warm nights that keep the squares busy until late. Holidaymakers fill the beaches of Portorož, the Piran Musical Evenings bring chamber music to the monastery cloister, and berths and restaurant tables need booking ahead. Summer thunderstorms can bring short, sharp squalls, so the crew keeps an eye on the afternoon sky as well as the forecast.
JULY AND AUGUST
Best for warm water and a quieter coast
The sea holds on to much of its summer warmth, at around 22–23°C, while the beaches empty once schools go back. The salt harvest winds down by the middle of the month, the grape harvest begins in the vineyards behind Koper, and the maestral still fills in on many afternoons. Towards the end of the month, the first autumn spells of bora and jugo grow more likely.
SEPTEMBER
Best for the Barcolana and autumn food
The water cools to around 18–19°C, still fine for a brief swim on a sunny day, and the light over the gulf turns soft. On the second Sunday of the month, the Barcolana regatta fills the Gulf of Trieste with sails: in 2018 it entered the record books as the largest sailing race in the world, with 2,689 boats. Calm, clear days alternate with spells of bora and jugo, the olive harvest begins, and white truffles appear on the menus.
OCTOBER
cliff walks and quiet old towns
a fast-warming sea and evening light
the warmest water and summer concerts
warm water and a quieter coast
the Barcolana and autumn food
PLAN YOUR CHARTER
More on Slovenia by Yacht
- Yacht Charter in SloveniaHow a crewed charter from Portorož works, and how it links up with Istria and Trieste.
- Routes from PortorožWeek-long plans that start on the Slovenian coast and carry on into Istria or across to Italy.
- Where to Eat and DrinkThe gostilnas, cafés, wine bars and beach club we like in Piran, Portorož, Izola and Koper.
- Yachts for SloveniaCrewed sailing yachts, motor yachts and catamarans available on the northern Adriatic.
Start in Portorož, Then Choose a Direction
The Slovenian coast fills two or three unhurried days: an evening in Piran, a morning at the salt pans, a swim below the Strunjan cliffs, lunch in Izola and a walk through Koper. Add a day inland for the Škocjan Caves and Lipica, then decide which way to sail.
To the south, the harbour towns of Croatian Istria, from Umag and Novigrad to Poreč and Rovinj, are within a day or two. To the north and west, Trieste is a short crossing, and Grado and Venice lie further round the head of the Adriatic. Some guests split their week between two countries, and a few manage all three.
Send us the week you have in mind, the size of your group and whether Croatia, Italy or both appeal. We will put forward yachts based in Portorož and a route that works with the winds of that time of year.