Day 6 Review - Koper, Slovenia
Weather for the Day
- 31 Deg C / 87.8 Def F
- Sunny, getting more overcast in afternoon
We had a fantastic day in Koper! And our first in Slovenia.
Shore Protocol
- Passports
- Marella Cruise Card
Morning Activities
We had a leisurely start, as the Marella Discovery 2 was docked close to the town. This mean it was only about 5-8 mins to walk from the gangway to Tito Square. The fastest way was to take the elevator, but we did notice some steps round to the right (for those so inclined).
Tourist Information Centre (TIC) - FREE walking guides / maps!
You may as well pop into the TIC, which is housed on ground floor of the Praetorian Palace first - the reception woman was great and spoke excellent English. She suggested two maps, both had very good itineraries and suggestions for attractions to see - and they were free! Some Cruise Ports were charging for much inferior information - so great job here Slovenia!
The square map (on right) had a larger map, which made walking tour easier to follow.
Koper's Bell Tower
Well worth the 5 Euro fee (per person) to climb the 204 steps to the top of the 54 metre / 177 foot high tower. The 360 panoramic views are superb!
From there, we followed the walking route through the town, which reminded us of Palma (Mallorca) with its high end cloth and jewellery shops. Route into the town was through the arch (as below), to the left of Tourist Information...
The town is very quaint, although had suffered from some flooding it seemed - not surprising given rainfall the previous day.
Eventually, we ended up at marina / market area near St Mark's Storage / Taverna area.
At the rear of the multi-arched market area, there are excellent, super clean free toilets - these are marked on the TIC maps.
Afternoon activities
We noticed the bay / shoreline stretch away to our left (essentially between Koper and Izola), so we decided to explore... this led us to fantastic shoreline development of footpaths, cycle tracks, swimming areas, showers, toilets and drinks fountains... amazing! And great for a quiet stroll.
The shoreline paths were a mixture of tarmac and gravel (you could choose), with the great aromatic smell of curry plants, coming from the planters.
Eventually, once past the water park, the road peeled away and you were left with a wonderful tree lined cycle, running and walking path, all the way to Izola...
We did notice the Marella Cruise 'E-Bike' day trip pass us on way back to ship, but suspect we were amongst very few 'cruisers' to have explored this far - shame, as most missed out on a lot!
Izola - an unexpected bonus.
As we progressed along the path, we noticed some great 'promotional images' of the area, and the town of Izola was featured... it was clear we needed to walk there!
Izola seemed deserted - which is fine when you want to take photos! - with most people down by harbour marina area - where the bars, cafes and lovely shoreline is. It is a beautiful little town - and really made our day having ventured out to it!
Highly recommend the trek out there - shed some of those 'cruise calories!'
Or, take an electric scooter!
Scattered along the way, we also spotted electric scooters, with instructions in English also... Looked like fun, although they did recommend having a helmet.
Our days explorations - long but well worth it...
Nearly 18km of walking / exploration along some lovely streets and shoreline paths... Slovenia should be commended on its developments of shoreline, creating a wonderful area for locals and tourists alike!
More imagery on Instagram!