Isabel, I have not been to Rovinj but we did spend 2 nites in Piran and loved it---so will your camera.

I wasn't in Piran but was in Rovinj for a few days. There are some pretty nifty back streets there.
I just realized this doesn't help much! I didn't give you a comparison, did I?

I haven't been to Rovinj, but I loved Piran - probably got some of the best pictures of my trip there.

I considered adding Rovinj to my last trip to Slovenia (at the expense of time in Italy), but I opted to put off seeing Istria until a future trip. To me, seeing the hills of Istria (with a rental car) was a big part of the appeal of the area, not just seeing Rovinj. So for me, taking a bus just to see Rovinj and nothing else would not be worth all the extra time. I'd opt for spending those extra hours you'd spend on a bus taking pictures instead, somewhere else.

Well apparently they are both nice towns. And apparently it's not very easy to travel between any of them without a car. Despite several guide books saying there are 'frequent' buses between Trieste and Piran there is really only one, at 6:45 in the morning (I emailed the Piran tourist authority).

If anyone has been to both Piran and Rovinj and Korcula I'd love to see how they compare (I've been to Korcula, and the photos of all them look rather similar).

This is my only sea-side time in an almost month long trip so I really did want at least a couple days on the coast. Anyone have any other suggestions?

I enjoyed a day in Rovinj, but would definitely not spend 6 hours on a bus to get there. Sorry, I haven't been to Piran yet.

Have you considered Porec?

I've been to both, and enjoyed both places, although it was rainy when I went to Piran. Given the long ride to Rovinj, I would stick to Piran. But the transportation could be an issue, and from my experience, it's easier to take a dip in Rovinj.

We fell in love with Slovenia. You could also stay a few nights near Bled instead of making a day trip. It's not the coast, but the lakes and the mountains are spectacular.

I've been to both Rovinj and Piran. I much preferred Rovinj. There were more independent travellers there. In Piran there were large groups and the restaurants reflected that. But adding in the consideration of your travelling much further to reach Rovinj, it's hard to say! The back streets of Rovinj are a photographer's dream as are the waterfront scenes. Having seen some of your pics on here I would like to see some more.
I travelled by bus from Pula to Rovinj and back. Then from Pula via Rovinj to Piran and finally to Trieste. You will be startng at the other end so I guess Piran makes sense. Re-check the buses; there were several a day a few years ago and it was a nice ride.

Porec is another beautiful place. Transportation might indeed be easier....

I've been to Korcula too, but I visited at the very end of the season in early October and it was pretty dead. I visited Piran on a warm weekend in mid-September still in season, when there were plenty of people there. There were very few people out in Korcula on a Saturday night in early October. In Piran, there were local events in the main square every day I was there, sometimes several a day. I imagine Korcula has more going on in September, but it still seemed smaller to me (the town, that is), maybe because it's on an island? Piran still looked like it would have been a more interesting place in October than Korcula was.

As I recall, Korcula doesn't really have the same big "main square" that is the center of the town's social life like Piran does. As a photographer I found great photo ops in both locations but better ones in Piran. Again, part of that may have been weather-related and season-related.

Yes, there's only one direct bus between Piran and Trieste - and that bus runs only on "Italian Workdays" that is not Sunday or Italian holidays! There are also several buses a day between Piran and Koper and Koper and Trieste. So it's really not a big deal taking a bus on "Italian Workdays" - takes a little longer because you have to connect in Koper. Or take the early, direct bus at 6:45am. Not a huge hassle I imagine.

Of course, I had to get from Piran to Trieste on a Sunday morning (to catch a train to Venice). But it turned out to require only a 40 euro taxi ride (cheaper than a regular taxi because the owner of my B&B was my "taxi driver.") In retrospect, while 40 euro extra was more than I hoped to spend (vs. what 10 euro for a bus?), it wasn't worth worrying about.

It cost me about 30E for a taxi from Koper to the staion in Trieste---Koper seems to be the contact point.

I've been researching for a holiday to Slovenia (never been there before) and found some stuff that may be of interest, especially if you want to visit both.

There is a daily ferry from Piran to Rovinj. Check triestelines.it

Also the Slovene bus timetable is at http://www.ap-ljubljana.si/eng/vozni_eng.php?uIfr=1 but you probably already have this.

On another forum I found that there is a bus from Piran to Portoroz and from there to Rovinj but not sure that it runs all year. When I checked the timetable it didn't run at the dates I was looking at.

If your purpose is to get to Italy, there are also ferries from Piran and Rovinj to Venice but not all year, I think.

Good luck. Looking forward to the day I make it there myself!

We stayed for 2 nights in Piran and 3 in Rovinj and enjoyed them both but would go back to Rovinj but not Piran. Piran was quite small and the square is picturesque. Rovinj is still walkable but bigger than Piran and very attractive. We explored all over on foot and did a side trip with the car here and there, we didn't think much of Porec, not much character and not terribly attractive, it seemed more modern. Rovinj has a definite Venetian look.

We stayed at an apartment in Rovinj that looked out over the marina with the boats, it was a fantastic way to start the day, looking out at the sparkling sea and watching the activity, from locals walking dogs to others getting their boats ready to go out. There was a small beach area further round, about 10 min walk (near a ghastly looking modern hotel) but we didn't swim at all.

Kay

Hi Isabel. Let me say that a car rental in Croatia, I felt, was quite reasonable. We rented a car and just traveled all over the North.
I must add that parking in Roving, depending when you are traveling, can be quite an experience. Our apartment rental provided us with a lovely parking spot.
Have a wonderful vacation.

Hi, We have been to all three places as we lived in Slovenia for 4 years. I much prefer Rovinj. It is a little jewel. Piran is nice, for 1/2 day, or as a day trip from Ljubljana. Korcula is nice, but only in high season. It is dead otherwise.
In Slovenia, I would be tempted to skip the coast altogether and head into the Julian Alps, visitin Bovec and Kobarid to explore the Soca River Valley.
Finally, renting a car for a week in Slovenia is easy and the driving is very reasonable.

Thanks for all the replies, very helpful. Of course now I'm even more conflicted.The more I think about that 6 hour bus ride, and see the great photos of Piran (thanks Andrew) the more I want to go to Piran. But, clearly, the edge seems to go to Rovinj.

The car rental really just won't work for me this time. It's looking like my husband won't be able to come with me so it will be a solo trip and I'm definitely not renting a car alone.

SloJan2 - in terms of the way they look - not in terms of amount of tourists or places to eat, etc. - how do the three compare? I see that in terms of population Rovinj is at least twice as big, but doesn't that include the 'new' part of the town inland? I'll probably just stick to the peninsula old town in either case. I can see how Korcula would be dead off season, it was pretty quite when we were there in July.

Kay - why would you not go back to Piran?

Hi Isabel!

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Cheers

isabel, if Rovinj and Piran were the same effort to reach, I'd most likely go with Rovinj, even having not been there. It seems a more substantial town. I liked Piran for sure, but it is small, and though I got some nice pictures there, I have no real need to return. (In my case, I took it easy for my two nights there, because I was EXHAUSTED by then and needed a break, and Piran is a great place to relax, go for a dip in the ocean, etc.) By contrast, I was eager to go back to Ljubljana (and did for a 2nd visit on this last trip in September), just because Ljubljana is a wonderful city and and a more substantial place to visit. Piran is a cute, photogenic town, and I'd go back again if I were passing through and wanted a stop in a nice beach town but for no other reason.

I must say, I tend to lean toward convenience and practicality on my trips. You really can't go wrong going to Piran, and it is pretty practical on your itinerary. If you have extra time and want to see more, you could probably see Koper as well, which looks much less touristy but might have some interesting "backstreet" photography of its own. And it's really not that difficult to get up from Piran to Trieste as I've pointed out above.

A friend & I stayed in Koper (cheaper, because not touristy, but actually the old town is quite interesting to stroll) & visited Piran from there, as well as seeing the church in Hrastovlje. We went on to Rovinj, where we stayed 2 nights, using it as a base for driving to inland Istria & Porec.
I have to say that I would agree with SloJan that I'd use the time for the Julian Alps, but I live beside the Atlantic, so sea-side time isn't as appealing for me as for most people.
Considering the time difference, I'd go with Piran, and if it palls, relax in Portoroz, which literally adjoins Piran, and is a string of seaside resort hotels.
Rovinj was larger and had a bit more to offer, but I wouldn't think it would compensate for the length of time you'd spend getting there.

I have been to both Rovinj and Piran. We had 3 nights in Rovinj and could have stayed another!
We just loved it. We only had 3 hours in Piran enroute to the Julian Alps and would not even make the stop if doing it again. After Rovinj, Piran seemed flat.

As to the time -- there is only 5 hours difference between visiting the 2 places; 9 hours total vs. 4 hr total. And if you are going to stay for 2 nights, then the 5 hours extra is not so much. I would have been bored in Piran.

I was in Piran for two nights and I wasn't bored; had I been, I would have explored Koper or another adjacent town. I tried to spend some time relaxing in Piran (swimming) but still spent too much time taking pictures. It's a small but photogenic town.

> Porec, not much character and not terribly attractive, it seemed more modern.

I wonder what part of Porec is described here. Porec has a few Roman ruins, the magnificent 6th century Byzantine basilica (with older ruins on site), and a few medieval and Renaissance edifaces, all within a few blocks of each other, with island-studded waters surrounding the peninsula on which the historical quarter is located. The historic area is small, but I found it attractive and worth visiting.

This discussion is really very helpful, so thanks. Since people's impressions are all different of course, I'm still trying to understand the differences between Piran and Rovinj. Those of you who said you liked Rovinj better - what was it that you felt made it better? - more 'picturesque'? better restaurants,more selection of them? more shops/galleries to explore? more things to do nearby?

Several people said Rovinj was bigger. Populations don't tell the whole story but according to wikipedia Piran has 16,000 and Rovinj has 13,000. Looking at google maps, the 'old towns', the parts on the peninsulas, are virtually the exact same size. So I'm not sure how you get the impression that Rovinj is larger and more substantial, but clearly that is the impression people get.

Anyway, I'd love to hear a little more about exactly WHY Rovinj is the preferred town.

isabel,
We went to Rovonj a few years ago as part of a longer Croatia trip, and absolutely loved it. It is truly a photographer's dream, and you would love it.
We stayed there for maybe 4-5 nights, and used it as a base for the Istria peninsula (we had a car). You really need a car in those parts...

We will go to Piran in August - the main reason I want to go there is because everybody compares it with Rovinj, and I loved Rovinj. I hope I will not be disappointed.

When are you going? I will post when we get back.

If you haven't been to Croatia, I would probably save Rovinj for a Croatia trip. Here are some pics (scans from paper pics, so not great quality, but they will give you an idea)
http://ioana-mark.smugmug.com/Travel/2006-Croatia/1921328_d4mK7p#!i=97200488&k=G8JHX

My memory of Piran is it was pretty small, the main square was picturesque, it was reasonably flat near the square and marina area. The area near the seafront wasn't very nice - concrete, nothing to write home about.

Rovinj had more narrow walkways to explore, the marina area was lovely with lots of boats to look out on and the occasional ferry. We spent about double the time in Rovinj as we did in Piran and could have stayed longer. There wasn't a lot there, no massive cathedrals or brilliant museums (not that we found anyway) but it had a lovely atmosphere and we had some really good meals. I do remember parking was not cheap, there is a large parking lot outside the town, it was about 10 min flat walk into the centre.

Kay

To even things up a little, I can tell you that the bus time from Ljubljana to Rovinj usually takes 3 hours, sometimes more and sometimes less.

xyz - I am going in July. And I have been to the Dalmatian coast a couple years ago - loved Dubrovnik, Korcula and Split and it was in researching that trip that I discovered Rovinj and wanted to go there. So this trip is much more focused north. I am thinking of leaving Rovinj for a future trip that would include car rental.

Vicky - thanks for that info. The schedule I had been checking had daily buses that went from 13:45 to 19:15 (five and a half hours). But I just checked again and now I see one that leaves at 16:30 and arrives at 20:07. (And now I can't find that other schedule.) If the three and a half hour one is correct I am going to re-think Rovinj.

I had just about decided on Piran -much shorter (I though) bus ride from Ljubljana and then the trip to Trieste being doable by a taxi was really appealing. From the photos on line they book look really nice, and really quite similar - in fact Piran almost looks better, but most people are saying Rovinj. Oh, decisions, decisions.