Portorož is one of the most famous and exclusive destinations in Slovenia. It is part of the Municipality of Piran and is located just a couple of kilometers from the fabulous Piran Old Town, making it an ideal destination for those who want to combine a nice stay in romantic Piran with the excellent spas, beach clubs and casinos of Portorož.
Portorož is a glamorous town and has been one of the most popular spa resorts in Slovenia for over 100 years. Here you will find good gourmet restaurants, cafes and beach clubs, as well as a good selection of spas and hotels.
What you will find in this travel guide to Portorož:
- Portorož: Things to Know Before You Go
- Best Things to Do in Portorož
- Best Restaurants in Portorož
- How to Get to Portorož
Portorož: Things to Know Before You Go
Portorož is a town located along the Slovenian coast, just south of the Piran Old Town. Famous for being one of Croatia’s top summer destinations, Portorož boasts a wide choice of elegant and luxurious hotels, renowned spas, a luxury marina and even an airport.
Portorož is part of the Municipality of Piran and is considered one of the most glamorous summer destinations in Slovenia. Piran’s Old Town is located just 2 km to the north and is one of the most beautiful in Istria, with its white stone houses, Venetian church, defensive walls and picturesque little port located in a beautiful emerald bay.
From Portorož you can easily explore all the main towns of the Istrian coast: Koper is about 16 km away and Izola just 7 km away. Also in 10 minutes you are on the border with Croatia and from there you can reach the amazing town of Rovinj and the coastal towns of Umag, Porec and Novigrad in less than an hour.
Just south of Portorož are the scenic Sečovlje Salt Pans, where Piranska Sol (Piran Salt) is produced. The salt flats are a protected natural area which are the habitat of numerous species of seabirds and fish. The area can be explored on foot or by bicycle, there are well-signposted routes, with panels giving lots of useful information on the history and wildlife of the salt flats. It is the ideal place for a sunset stroll. Right in the heart of the salt flats is the Thalasso Spa Lepa Vida which offers beauty and relaxing treatments with mud and salts from the salt pan.
Portorož is one of the oldest spa destinations in Slovenia: as early as the 13th century, monks from the nearby Monastery of St. Lawrence treated rheumatic diseases with salt water and mud. Over time, Portorož’s reputation as a spa town grew considerably. In the 19th century it became a popular destination for the Austro-Hungarian aristocracy and majestic palaces and hotels were built, such as the fabulous Palace Hotel, which now houses the Hotel Kempinski Palace Portorož, one of the best hotels in Slovenia.
Best Things to Do in Portorož
Portorož beaches and Nightlife
For over a century Portorož has been famous for its beaches and lively nightlife. The promenade is lined with restaurants, bars and clubs that overlook Portorož Central Beach, a vast sandy beach, with beach clubs (which also rent umbrellas and sunbeds), playgrounds for children, gardens and sidewalks where you can stroll at sunset.
The various beach clubs have relaxation areas with sitting areas and serve good drinks and seafood dishes, burgers and salads. Among the most famous are the Portorož Bungalow and the nearby Club Alaya. Here there is also one of the most famous cafes in the town, Cacao Portorož.
Another popular beach is Medusa Beach (Plaža Meduza) which is part of the elegant Terme & Wellness LifeClass Portorož, the wonderful world-class swimming pool and spa complex that also includes some of the best hotels in the town: the fabulous 5-star Mind Hotel Slovenija Terme & Wellness LifeClass, the elegant Grand Hotel Portoroz and the more modest Hotel Riviera, Socializing Hotel Mirna and Wellness Hotel Apollo.
All of these hotels offer their guests free access to the exclusive Medusa private beach, the Terme & Wellness LifeClass which boasts hot thermal pools, heated seawater pools and saunas and treatments, the Riviera Casino and the Grand Casino Portoroz. They also boast some of the best restaurants and cafes in town.
South of Portorož Central Beach is the Marina Portorož, capable of accommodating hundreds of boats, a sports center with dozens of tennis courts and the Obala Aquapark, which is particularly popular with families. Portorož is also a good destination for water sports lovers. Along the coast there are several shops that rent boats, jet skis or stand-up paddles.
The heart of the town is the fabulous Hotel Kempinski Palace Portorož, located in the historic building of the former Palace Hotel, built in 1910 to be the most luxurious hotel in Portorož and the entire Austro-Hungarian Riviera. This was once a popular holiday destination for the European aristocracy.
It is surrounded by a wonderful park and boasts elegant rooms with a beautiful view of the sea. The banquet hall, called the Crystal Hall, where an excellent breakfast is served in the morning, the terrace and the various reading lounges are a triumph of elegance and charm. Also notable are the spa, the private beach, as well as its good gourmet restaurants and bars.
A little further north of Portorož there is another famous beach, the Bernardin Plaža, located within the Laguna Bernardin, a complex of hotels, spas, water parks and shops. The most famous hotel is the Grand Hotel Bernardin, which boasts modern rooms with sea views and a beautiful spa. Also very popular is the nearby Hotel Histrion, which is also a popular convention center and boasts excellent swimming pools and spas. From here the Piran’s Old Town is easily reached with a short walk.
Grand Casino Portorož
One of the most famous attractions of Portorož is the Gran Casino Portorož, located in the city center, in the southern part of Obala Street (the main avenue that runs through the town), near the marina.
The Gran Casino Portorož was founded in 1912 and is the oldest in Slovenia. Over the years it has been refurbished several times, but has retained its classic and luxurious charm. There are several table games and slot machines, a restaurant and bar, and often there are live musical performances. The casino is located right next to one of Portoroz’s historic hotels, the Remisens Premium Hotel Metropol.
Forma Viva
A few steps from the Portorož Marina, on the small promontory of the Seča peninsula, is Forma Viva, one of the most famous attractions of Portorož. To get there you can take the path that starts behind the campsite on the seafront, near the marina, or you can go there by car: follow the signs for Seča and Forma Viva, you will find a parking lot right in front of the garden entrance.
Forma Viva is a garden and at the same time an outdoor art gallery that houses over 130 stone sculptures made by sculptors from over 30 different countries. The garden can be visited for free and a good reason to get here is the view of the sea and the town of Portorož.
Sečovlje Salina Nature Park
One of the best things to do in Portorož is to take a look at the Sečovlje Salt Pans, located 6km further south of the town. High-quality salt has been extracted here for hundreds of years. The so-called Piran Salt is still processed today using traditional methods and sold in shops in and around Piran.
The first salt pans were established by the Piran monasteries around the 8th century. The Sečovlje Salt Pans were built in the 13th century and have been in continuous operation ever since. Today the Sečovlje Salina Nature Park protects this historical and cultural heritage and the biodiversity of the brackish environment of the salt pans. Over 270 species of birds and some rare species of fish and crustaceans live here. The salt pans can be visited and there is a small museum that tells the story of the Sečovlje Salt Pans and the traditional methods of salt processing.
Thalasso Spa Lepa Vida
Today a large part of the salt pans are no longer active, but a part is kept in operation to preserve this cultural heritage. In the heart of the Sečovlje Salina Nature Park, a scenic spa has been built, the Thalasso Spa Lepa Vida, focused on salt-based treatments (that of the salt flats, of course).
Thalasso Spa Lepa Vida, specializing in thalassotherapy, boasts several outdoor pools, heated salt pools, Kneipp treatments and an excellent selection of spa treatments based on salt-pan’s mud and brine. In addition to therapeutic, relaxing and detoxifying treatments, they offer some beauty treatments (such as a sea salt scrub) and massages
The Thalasso Spa Lepa Vida is open only from May to September and, being outdoors, only on days of good weather. Prices start at € 20 (access to the pools for 2 hours) in addition to the price of various spa treatments or massages (€ 20 – € 150).
Piran
Portorož is part of the Municipality of Piran, one of the most beautiful towns in Slovenia. Piran Old Town is located just 2km further north of Portorož, easily accessible on foot, by taxi or local bus. If you go by car you will have to leave it in one of the large car parks near the old town and take a short walk. If you are staying in Portorož I recommend that you go there on foot: you can take a nice walk along the promenade that connects Piran to Portorož.
The heart of Piran is Tartini Square, named after the famous composer and violinist Giuseppe Tartini, a native of Piran. The town has a typically Venetian style and is one of the officially bilingual Slovenian cities: both Slovenian and Italian are commonly spoken here.
Enjoy a stroll through the maze of alleys and houses of the old town, admire its beautiful Venetian Gothic buildings and fabulous churches: the iconic St. George’s Parish Church overlooking Piran’s Old Town is one of the most beautiful in Istria. Right on the square is the more modest Church of St. Peter, while at the far end of the village what locals call the Piran Lighthouse is actually the bell tower of the beautiful 18th-century Church of St. Clement.
Best Restaurants in Portorož
Rizibizi
The Rizibizi Restaurant is located in the heart of Portorož, near the beach, and boasts a fabulous terrace with a sea view. It is a fine gourmet restaurant, serving contemporary cuisine made with the best local ingredients: Istrian truffle and Adriatic seafood. It offers 3 tasting menus (4, 5 and 8 courses, starting from 50 €) and a good selection of local wines.
Ribja Kantina
The Ribja Kantina Restaurant, also known as “Santa Lucia” Ribja Kantina, is located near the Gran Casino Portorož, in the district called Lucija. It is an informal and welcoming place that serves excellent seafood dishes, such as fried fish, grilled fish and seafood pasta.
Gostilna Oštarija
Gostilna Oštarija is also located in the very heart of Portorož, a stone’s throw from the beach and the best hotels. It is an informal place that serves good seafood specialties, fried and grilled fish, shellfish and some Istrian specialties, such as pršut with local truffles.
☞ Discover our guide to the best Portorož Restaurants: gourmet restaurants, excellent seafood restaurants and traditional eateries at reasonable prices. Lots of helpful tips from a local!
How to Get to Portorož
Getting to Portorož by car
Piran and its surroundings, including Portorož, are easily accessible from Italy, Croatia and all major cities in Slovenia, as it is well connected with the 111 Motorway which connects all the cities of the Slovenian coast. From Izola to Koper the road is called H6 and then H5. From here it continues towards Trieste and Italy and towards Ljubljana (A1). Vignette is required on H-Roads and A-Roads in Slovenia.
Getting to Portorož by Bus
From Portorož there are frequent daily connections with the main coastal towns in the surroundings, operated by the local company Arriva. From Piran there are frequent trips to and from Portorož (10 minutes). There are also several buses to and from Izola (20 minutes) and Koper (45 minutes). There are 3 daily buses from Ljubljana to Portorož (2 hours) and one daily bus from Pula (2 hours) operated by Flixbus. The same bus also stops in Rovinj.
