Portoroz Beach

Portorož Beach is the seafront of Slovenia’s best known seaside resort, a long strip of shoreline on the Bay of Piran in the Adriatic. The name Portorož means roughly "port of roses", and the resort grew from a quiet coast of salt pans and fishing hamlets into a fashionable bathing place from the late nineteenth century onwards, when it was part of Austria-Hungary and the wealthy came for sea air and spa treatments. Grand hotels were built along the front, and the resort character has stayed ever since.

The beach is a mix of shingle, imported sand and paved lido areas rather than a wide natural sand beach, and it helps to know that before you arrive. Shoes for the water are useful on the stony stretches. In return you get calm, shallow and generally clear water, a gently shelving bottom and a Mediterranean feel, with palms and pines along the promenade behind. Part of the shore is run as paid lido areas with sun loungers, umbrellas, showers and changing cabins, and there are lifeguards in the main season. Other stretches are open to anyone who simply wants to put down a towel.

Visitors will find water sports easy to arrange in summer. You will find rentals for paddleboards, kayaks and pedal boats, and operators offering boat trips along the coast. The promenade itself is a draw: it runs along the water past cafes, ice cream stands, seafood restaurants, the marina and the casino, and in the evening it is where Portorož’s nightlife gathers. Concerts and open-air events take place here in summer.

Portorož sits right beside Piran, and the two are linked by a coastal path of a few kilometres that suits walking or cycling in either direction. Many visitors base themselves in Portorož for the beach and amenities and spend an afternoon or evening in Piran's old streets. The Sečovlje Salina Nature Park, with the working salt pans that gave the area its early wealth, lies a short distance south and makes a good counterpoint to the resort atmosphere.

The beach is at its busiest in July and August. If you prefer more room, May, June and September still give pleasant weather and a much calmer shore, although sea temperatures are cooler early in the season. Families will like the gentle entry into the water, while couples and groups tend to be drawn to the evening promenade.