'''Koper''' (Italian: ''Capodistria'') [http://www.koper.si] is Slovenia's only commercial port.

Understand

Koper can trace its name back to the Roman town of ''Caprea''. In 1278, the town voluntarily joined Venice and was later renamed ''Capo d'Istria'' — hence the Italian name. However, much of Koper's Italian inhabitants fled after WW2 when the town was assigned to the Free Territory of Trieste, administered by and later incorporated into Yugoslavia. The Communists built an unattractive sprawl of factories and warehouses to the south, but mercifully left the old town almost entirely untouched, and it's this that draws the (comparatively few) tourists who venture this way.

Get in

Koper is easily reachable with bus and train. The train and bus stations are adjacent and located about 1 km south of the Muda Gate to the old city. The nearest airport is in Trieste (64 km), although Ljubljana's (124 km) is also an option.

From Ljubljana, there are hourly buses and 5-6 trains daily, both taking around two hours. There are also direct services to Trieste in Italy between 3 and 6 times a day costing about ?3. The journey between Trieste and Koper takes between 30 and 60 minutes.

Get around

Koper's Old City can easily be covered on foot.

See

Koper's main sight of interest is the Venetian-era old city, which is in much worse shape than that of Piran, but hence also feels more real. Repairs and restoration are slowly under way.

The center of the old city is '''Tito Square''' (''Titov trg''), an austere ''piazza'' surrounded by slowly crumbling ''palazzi''. From here, the cobbled '''?evljarska ulica''' leads south and '''Kidri?eva ulica''' leads west to the marina.

  • '''Praetorian Palace''', Titov trg 3. Dating back to the 15th century and the only fully restored building in the plaza, this is Koper's symbol and it now houses the tourist office.
  • '''Cathedral of the Assumption''', Titov trg. Undergoing some much-needed renovation.
  • Do

    There are no beaches to speak of, although you can pay a few euros to bathe in the sea just north of the marina.

    Buy

    There are two big shopping centers. One is Mercator [http://www.mercator.si] and the other is Supernova [http://www.alpine.at/de/index.php?main=/de/nl/ausland/hb/gui/3328.html] [http://www.spar.si]. There is also a big department store called '''Blagovnica So?a'''.

    Eat

  • '''La Storia''', Pristani?ka ulica 3. Cozy trattoria within Hotel Koper, with a pleasant terrace in the summer. Serves a wide ranges of pizza and pasta dishes, but try the "trio" sets that get you three small portions for the price of one — the ''gnocchi'' are excellent. €5-7.
  • Pizzeria Atrij
  • Pizzeria ?toria
  • Pizzeria La Storia
  • Restavracija Manta http://restaurant-manta.si
  • Pizzeria Park
  • Drink

  • Lord Byron Pub, Repi?eva ulica 2
  • Sleep

    Budget

  • Dija?ki dom Koper, Cankarjeva ulica [http://www.hihostels.com/dba/hostel092503.en.htm]
  • Hostel Museum, Muzajeski trg [http://www.hostel-museum.tk]
  • [http://www.hihostels.com/dba/hostel092525.en.htm/ Youth Hostel Port], Anakaranska 7
  • Mid-range

  • '''Hotel Koper''', Pristani?ka ulica 3. The only hotel in the old city.
  • Garni hotel Pristan, Ferrarska ulica 30 [http://www.pristan-koper.si]
  • hotel ?usterna, Istrska cesta 76 [http://www.terme-catez.si/si/rezerviraj/hoteli/zusterna]
  • hotel Vodi?ek, Kolodvorska cesta 2 [http://www.hotel-vodisek.com]
  • Bio motel Vodi?ek, Vanganelska cesta 2 [http://www.hotel-bio.si]
  • Get out

    The rest of Slovenia's short coastline is easily accessible from Koper. Public bus service is available every 20 minutes to:

  • Izola
  • Piran
  • Portoroz