Koper a coastal town in Slovenia

Koper is a coastal town in Slovenia, occupying part of this short, 47km stretch of coast. Yes – Slovenia has little in the way of beach resorts, but what there is, is actually quite charming.

First of all, it’s worth explaining why we’re here. That’s because, this is part of a longer trip to Greece, which ends rather badly in Croatia. But, at the moment thing’s are going just as planned, after meandering along the Soca River to Tolmin Gorge which are both wonderful areas of Slovenia.

Motorhome Parking in Koper

We arrive at the large and busy looking seaside town of Koper to the sight of an almost industrial looking skyline.

Hopefully, things will get a little better, after all, we’ve read some good things about Koper, so have high hopes.

The one good thing so far, is that Koper has a dedicated motorhome parking area at the Park and Ride. Now, as we approach, we realise there’s a couple of options for parking the campervan here.

Overnight parking

First of all, we pass a day parking area, which turns out to be €1 an hour. At the moment, we’re not too sure if we want to stay overnight or not. Driving a little further along the road brings us to an overnight area, which has several motorhomes parked up behind a secure entrance.

To park here, you have to go into the bus station office, buy a bus card for a few Euro and load it up with funds to cover the nightly rate of around €22. There’s a busy road close by, but it’s a good option if you want a place for the night.

It’s a little confusing, but we do figure it out in the end – we think. There’s a dump etc here and it is for fully self-contained motorhomes/campervans only apparently. We read reviews where people in pop-tops had been moved on.

day parking

After a little contemplating, we decide to go with the day parking, so pay €3 at a pay machine for 3 hours. There’s plenty of room, with a choice of spaces to park.

bus tickets

At first we were going to walk into the centre, but decide to opt for the bus, purely to save time. First, we have to buy a €2.50 bus card at the bus depot office and load it up with 4 journey’s, at 80 cents per ride. After finding out which bus number to look out for, we head out to the forecourt. Soon, we jump on a bus and hop off it again close to the marina, right in the centre of Koper.

The Adriatic Promenade – Koper a coastal town in Slovenia

After leaving the bus behind, we find ourselves heading towards the picturesque marina and our first view of the Adriatic.

How nice it is to see the sea again. And this time of year in early May, the weather is warm rather than roasting, so no need for shade.

Now it becomes obvious that Koper is actually really beautiful. Waterside walkways leading along the coastline, whilst boats moored at the low-key marina provide a typically laid back feel.

The atmosphere is also one of refined relaxation, with late Spring tourists milling around. There’s a real sign that the season is very much in low mode still, so we feel as if we have the place to ourselves.

Beyond the Adriatic waters and wide promenade lies a hidden world. It actually has a medieval past, where intimate and historic streets can be explored and it’s wonderful.

Koper and a little bit of history

Koper belonged to the former Yugoslavia, gaining independence in 1991. During the first and second World Wars, it was under the control of Italy. However, its origins lie in the Bronze Age, with Roman rule too. But, it was during the Venetian period between the 13th and 18th centuries that Koper greatly expanded.

Nowadays, these influences still run large, mainly in the architecture of the old town. This area of stone streets, narrow roads and interesting squares also dates back to the ancient Greeks. No wonder the tiny side streets are flowing with charisma and warmth, with such depth to the life passed through here.

Today, we’re not the only visitors, because we’re joined by cruise ship passengers which are docked in the large port area just beyond the historic centre.

Not only is Koper a busy, popular port town on the plainer, more industrial end of town, but it’s also the largest on the coast of Slovenia.

Shopping Malls and bus to nowhere

After a couple of hours exploring the interesting and picturesque old part of Koper, we decide to make our way back to the campervan.

Mindful of our 3 hour parking limit, we choose to take the bus again, purely to be quick! Oh, how this turned out quite the opposite. Yes, we hop on the next bus, which we think is going back to the park and ride.

But, we soon realise our mistake, as it drives off in the complete opposite direction. Before we know it, we’re heading out of town, arriving at the local hospital, then stopping at various residential streets. Finally, when it turns back towards the town, we begin to breath a sigh of relief. But then, it heads back on itself into town, instead of continuing on towards the park and ride.

Oh, heck, we now know we’ve just got to get off and walk, this is just hopeless! So, at the next available opportunity, we launch ourselves onto the pavement close to some large shopping malls.

By the way, there’s plenty of shops here if shopping is your thing. For us, we quicken up the pace, arriving back at the campervan just a few minutes after our ticket expires. Oh my goodness, it would have been easier to walk back. And, before you ask why didn’t we check the bus – we did! For some reason the same number bus that we got to take us into the old town, didn’t take us back!

Next time: We drive on to Izola, another beautiful town along the 47km stretch of coast that belongs to Slovenia.

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