Punta, the historical ‘point’ of Piran, still has a lighthouse, but today’s is small and relatively modern. Attached to it, however, is the round, serrated tower of the Church of St Clement, which evokes the ancient beacon from which Piran got its name. The church was originally built in the 13th century but altered 500 years later; it has a lovely (though decrepit) stuccoed ceiling.
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
16.5 MILES
What attracts most people to this little church is the famous Dance of Death or Danse Macabre, a fresco that shows 11 skeletons leading the same number of…
20.88 MILES
Top billing in Poreč goes to the 6th-century Euphrasian Basilica, a World Heritage Site and one of Europe’s finest intact examples of Byzantine art. Built…
Basilica di Santa Maria Assunta
18.98 MILES
The entire floor of the Latin cross-shaped basilica, rebuilt after an earthquake in 1348, is covered with one of the largest and most spectacular Roman…
22.62 MILES
Touring the huge, spectacular subterranean chambers of the 6km-long Škocjan Caves is a must. This remarkable cave system was carved out by the Reka River,…
18.07 MILES
The stud farm can be visited on very popular, 50-minute guided tours. The interesting, informative tours are available in a number of languages; a tour…
13.93 MILES
Sitting on a rocky outcrop 7km from Trieste, Castello di Miramare is the city's elegiac bookend, the fanciful neo-Gothic home of the hapless Archduke…
12.6 MILES
This extraordinary house-museum was the home of wealthy Triestini merchant Pasquale Revoltella, who made his fortune in the timber industry and had a hand…
13.74 MILES
Situated on an island in the lagoon, the Barbana sanctuary is an ancient shrine, the origins of which date back to 582. The current church dates to the…
Nearby Piran attractions
0.01 MILES
Just behind Punta lighthouse, the round, serrated tower of the Church of St Clement (originally built in the 13th century but altered 500 years later)…
0.15 MILES
Trg 1 Maja may sound like a socialist parade ground, but it was the centre of Piran until the Middle Ages, when it was called Stari trg (Old Square). The…
0.25 MILES
A cobbled street leads from behind the red Venetian House Tartinijev trg on to Piran's hilltop cathedral, baptistery and bell tower. The cathedral was…
0.25 MILES
The porticoed 19th-century Municipal Hall (home to the tourist information centre) dominates the northwestern edge of Tartinijev trg.
0.25 MILES
The Parish Museum of St George includes the Cathedral of St George's treasury and catacombs; it also allows you to access the church's interior. Items of…
0.26 MILES
The aquarium gets mixed reviews: overall it's small and overpriced, but may be something for a rainy day.
0.27 MILES
One of Piran’s most eye-catching structures is the mid-15th-century Gothic Venetian House, with its tracery windows and balcony, in the northeast of…