If I tell you that the small central European country of Slovenia has a coastline measuring only 46 kilometres you probably won't be surprised to hear that its best know coastal town has a population of only 17,500. All over Slovenia people tell you to visit Piran, nobody recommends any others from the handful of towns on the Slovenian littoral. In November 2005 (my third visit to Slovenia) I finally got down to the coast to find out if what they said was justified.

Whilst Piran is only about ninety minutes from Slovenia's capital, Ljubljana getting there can be a little problematic. The train only takes you a far as Koper, an industrial town slightly north of Piran, but still on the coast - from there you need to take a bus, a twenty minute ride. The train takes roughly the same amount of time as the bus so you may as well go by bus all the way.

It is possible to visit Piran as a day trip (or longer of course if you prefer) from north-eastern Italy (from Trieste by bus or ferry - the latter in the high season only) or from northern Croatia (Pula is less than an hour away).

Piran is a town that has been virtually untouched by the march of time; this is due mainly to the fact that it stands on a narrow peninsula where there is no room for new development and which is protected due to its historic value. The small bus station just manages to inch onto the peninsular but other than that there's little newer than 16th century.

These days the town is focused around Tartinijev trg (Tartini Square) named for Guiseppe Tartini, composer and violinist, Piran's most famous son. It's possible to visit the house in which he lived - but only in the summer. These days you'll have to make do with looking at his statue and sliding around on the treacherous marble paving around the square which is the only place you can park cars. It's a rather lovely square - two crescents of Venetian style 15th century houses but its spoilt because it's impossible to take a photograph without getting the cars in.

Piran has one reasonable museum - the Sergej Masera Maritime Musuem; like most museums in this part of the world it operates according to the most bizarre opening hours which vary throughout the year. Typically it doesn't open at all in November! Friends and the local tourist information office tell me that the museum covers the three most important aspects of Piran - the sea, salt (there are vast salt flats down the road near Portoroz) and sailing - obviously another link to the rule of the Venetians.

Not only is Piran reminiscent of Italy in architecture but also in its cuisine. The restaurants do have some Slovenian dishes but lean more towards Italian dishes such as risotto than in other parts of the country. A delicious seafood risotto and a very generous salad and beautifully marinated sardines with tasty fries along with a half carafe of red wine came in at less than 20 Euro.

Behind the waterfront is the residential part of Piran - a series of narrow streets, quite like those in the Spanish quarter of Naples - dark alleyways washing hanging out to dry, rooms built over arches, ancient fountains hidden in secret nooks. (A word of warning - not suitable for wheelchairs, pushchairs or people with mobility problems, there are lots of steps and wobbly paving, and the marble is very slippery).

When I next return to Piran (and I do intend to) I will certainly take a boat around the bay and get the only view I've yet to see - Piran from the water; pictures I've seen remind me of Dubrovnik, another walled city of about the same era. I will certainly be staying a couple of days but I can't imagine Piran being much of a base for anything longer or perhaps a stop-off on the way into Croatia. With the museums and other attractions being open there would be enough to fill two days but otherwise Piran makes a fine day trip.