Kaki Plac

The brackish waters and marshes of Sečovlje Saltpans Natural Park (five minutes’ drive) are home to hundreds of bird species, including flamingos, cranes and egrets, as well as hares and deer. A museum explains the various stages of salt production, while a thermal centre has treatments such as salt-pan mud wraps and sea salt scrubs. Nature Reserve Strunjan (15 minutes) occupies a lush promontory featuring a vertiginous cliff (formed by the accumulation of various types of rock), a lagoon and salt pans, among other habitats. On a peninsula stretching into the Gulf of Trieste, historic Piran (20 minutes) has a pretty old town with narrow cobblestoned alleys and pastel-coloured buildings with shuttered windows. It looks a little like Venice, which is not surprising as the town was part of the Venetian Republic for five centuries. Stop for a drink in the central square (Tartinijev trg), then check out the street art near the Duomo di San Giorgio church.