Izola makes a good cheaper base for the Slovenian coast — both Piran (the postcard town) and Koper (the working port and architectural surprise) are within fifteen minutes by bus or about an hour on foot or bike along the Parenzana cycle path. The Sečovlje salt pans, where salt has been harvested by hand since medieval times, are 25 km south near the Croatian border and one of the more atmospheric sites on the upper Adriatic. The Lipica stud farm, where the Habsburg-era Lipizzaner horses are still bred, is about an hour inland and reachable by car. Trieste in Italy is around 35 km west; the Croatian Istrian peninsula starts ten minutes south and rewards a long day's drive.
