Koper is one of Slovenia’s coastline cities. This Adriatic town which was long ago part of the principality of Venice has retained her Italian influence and architecture. Surrounded by hills, the wine region of western Slovenia is only a drive away.
Koper is a fantastic little city to explore while visiting some of the Slovenian wine region which is only an hour away. I came to Koper in June of 2020 after a wine tour with a woman I met on a Facebook group and her friend from the north of Slovenia. They had some other trip planned and left me in Koper for an overnight the following day. It unfortunately was a rainy day in Koper, but I was able to see some of the sights and enjoyed some fantastic wines at a few of the charming cafes. The rainy weekend didn’t deter tourists from the stone street city center, the crowds raced around taking pictures while weaving through the Venetian styled maze streets.
The decorative buildings hug the streets in some cases and cross over them with bridges of wooden walls adorned in flower boxes in others. The stone streets open into courtyards, one where the church and palace are and another big one with a massive fountain.
Each side street I explored was luring me with the scent of magnolias. While in Koper I saw two of the largest magnolia trees I’ve ever seen. The flowers were in full bloom and the whole city was embraced with their creamy scent. The city has a lot to see, there are cliffs, hilltops and plenty of places to swim off the concrete walls. The hillside’s brightly colored houses are terraced into the hills on both sides of the city’s coast. There is a walkway, or bike path around the town that continues on for what looks like miles. I found an hourly bike rental with baskets for Onawa.
After exploring the coast line in the misty rain and seeing all the old town streets I met with the new friends who dropped me off the night before. They took me to the top of a mountain nearby where we could see amazing views. We continued up the mountain to Korte where we had an amazing dinner at Gostilna Korte before heading back to Ljubljana.
Tips:
Take a taxi, or drive to Hrastovlje early to see the fortress and keep walking to the top where there is another ruin to explore and lovely green.
Plan some time for mountain exploring because the hills and mountains in the area have so much pretty to see.
There are free buses that drive anyone between Koper, Piran and Portorož.
Take a wine tour in the neighboring wine region on the big red wine bus.
