Piran Slovenia's Must See! The Best Town In Europe?

Good morning from Ljubljana. It's already started to heat up here and it's only what 7.30? 7.30, yeah. It's going to be another hot one today. We're heading to our favourite cafe. In all of Europe, yeah, hands down. Favourite cafe in all of Europe called Cafe Kol in the centre of Ljubljana. It is a roastery and just does the best coffee and is in the best city. Yeah, it's become a bit of a tradition to go and visit this cafe every time we're here in Ljubljana. So we're going to go grab some coffee, quickly go to a place called Barbarella which is a juice bar and a five-minute walk away from there and then head on. Yeah, then we're going to head to the caves which are just about 40 minutes away. But first, let's go get a coffee. So this is the coffee shop we're talking about. It's Cafe Kol. It's right next to the funicular that takes you directly up to the castle at the top of the hill. We've already had our coffee and now we're going for breakfast because coffee there is a bit of a sacred experience. But come and enjoy it for yourself. Yeah, consistently good as well. It is 9.40am. Breakfast done, coffee done, we are fuelled. The bikes aren't so we're going to have to stop straight away and get some fuel. And we have around 40 minutes to the Postiano Caves, a little ride through the city and then jump on the motorway basically and hopefully get there for 11 o'clock where we will be having a tour of the cave which I'm really excited about. The hotel we stayed in last night was called, oh there's something sweets, I'll leave it in the description. But we stayed right on the main street in one of these rooms right at the top, parked the bikes outside and chained them up and basically we're nearly ready. Just need to put the jackets on and helmets. I love Ljubljana. This city is my favourite city in Europe. I absolutely would live here, would spend weeks here. It's such a cool place and make sure you add it onto your list of your tours. But now going to suit up and going to head off because it is so hot. It's a running theme of this trip. I think it's already up to 32 degrees and it's like nine o'clock in the morning. Apparently today is going to be 35, 36 in the city. So I'm looking forward to the fact that we are heading to the coast. All right we're on the train on the way into the heart of the mountain. Yeah it's awesome. It's so cool to be on a train inside a mountain surrounded by stuff. Constant temperature of 10 degrees in here which is one of the few things you can do dressed in your bike clothes. Comfortably. Which is nice. So I think you're on the train for about five or ten minutes and it takes you into the heart of the cave system. It's absolutely fantastic. After you get off the train there's like a one kilometre walk where you go further into the mountain and there's a really nice footpath with rails as well. The lady was just saying that the caves were discovered in 1818 and just a year later they were open for tourism for people to go in. But they only had 100 visitors in the first year. But now the trains take 120 people per train and there's two trains at the moment going around per group. So 240 people every hour just in the English group. Well did they say they had like 40 million visitors to the cave so far? But there's plenty of space in this cave. It's absolutely fantastic. The drip stones you can see everywhere. There's so many of them. The stalactites, the stalagmites and apparently for four inches of the stalactite that's equivalent to about 100 years did she say I think? Yeah something like that. It's such such an incredible place. I can't imagine what it was like to discover this place for the first time and light it up. It's like every way you look it blows you away. Right we're going to head a little bit further down into the cave now. We are 60 meters below the surface and there's a river somewhere underneath here as well but it hasn't rained for a while so we'll hopefully be okay. We seem to have fallen very far back from the group here so we need to get a little bit of a move on. We didn't actually get to do this part of the caves the last time we're here so it's a real treat to be able to see everything else. It's spectacular. It seems to go on forever. It's a nice walk. It's pretty cold down here now. The more you can actually feel the temperature kind of dropping as you're dropping down deeper It was a lovely refreshing little trip into the caves there. We're just going to head over to see the nearby castle. I can't remember what it's called something something like that. Anyway we're just going to go pop and see. We don't have time to go inside it and then we're heading further on to Peran tonight. We're going to head to the coast so if this heat continues all day I think we'll be jumping in the sea as soon as we get there. But it's time to jump on the bike now and we're going to see a little bit of the countryside of Slovenia. Okay we're here by the castle. It's super hot here. It's like 32-34 degrees today. We're absolutely sweating in our suits but as soon as we get moving the wind goes from and we are cool again. It's a really cool castle actually. It's quite busy today so if you do want to go inside it it's probably best to book your tickets ahead. Same applies for the caves as well. If we hadn't booked tickets today we wouldn't have got in the caves. But yeah cool place to check out. Anyway we're going to head to Peran now. We've got the GPS set to Peran without the motorways so we've no idea which way we're going to go but it should be a nice ride anyway. So we're making our way to Peran now. We've gone with the non-motorway route on the sat nav which is taking us on a very interesting route isn't it? It is. I think we're going around in circles to be honest but we'll get there in the end. So we have just ridden around Korpa and in that region where it's super industrial. Trucks everywhere like the big ones, little ones, super busy traffic as it's also like a shopping area. That was a bit hectic wasn't it? There's a lot going on there with the port and the shopping centre yeah but we are in a residential area now. I think we're just 20 minutes away from Peran. It was actually quite a nice ride down here through the countryside. It basically snaked around the motorway all the way but it was super clear, road surfaces were great and yeah it was a lot of fun. Not sure what's going on there. Oh this is a cute little place too. They've got sea views as well up here. Ah they must have yeah. Oh it is hot. We are at 34 degrees on the ride up here. It's dropped down to 30 now. Oh yeah it's been very hot today. I think we might even have to get in the ocean once we get there. Looking forward to a beer and relax. It's only half past three so we can actually spend a bit of quality time in Peran tonight so that's going to be nice. And then I think tomorrow we'll be headed to Venice and then again relaxed morning, nothing too stressful but so we're looking forward to the next couple of days. We're going to be a bit more quiet. We have navigated the maze that it is to get to Peran through all of the little streets and we made it onto the road where our hotel is on. It's apparently a kilometre down this road and it should be right in the heart of Peran. Not too sure. We're going to do a bit of bike parking tonight as there is no cars in Peran but we've seen on google maps that you can pull up bikes there so we're going to try and be cheeky. I think you can get through on a bike. Yeah straight. There's an attendant there so maybe he's going to let us in or maybe we just go through. Go through, just go through. Nice. I forgot how beautiful this place is. It's lovely isn't it? So just to let you know Sean, it's 450 meters is the hotel. Okay is it that red one at 12 o'clock? Maybe, I don't know. You can keep going. Yeah I think it is that red one, you're right. It looks familiar. Yeah. I can't remember what it's called. Yeah it's called the Art Hotel Tahini, Tartini. Tartini I think. Is that right? Looks like it's that one. It's 200 meters. That looks more like a gallery. Yeah I think it's just around the corner and there's an actual street that you can pull in they said. Ah yeah. We just have to ride slowly and steadily. So we can keep going here Sean, around this corner if you don't mind. And there is the hotel, so we're going to turn where that bike is turning please. It's just here on the corner is it? Yeah yeah this is the hotel. So that's the hotel, it's just here so. Now we just park here I guess, see where all these bikes are. Yeah this is the bike parking. We have finally arrived in Peran and it looks absolutely spectacular here. It is ridiculously hot but we've managed to park just outside the hotel so we don't have too far to walk. There's some also good bike parking here too. We've got the hotel there and the water is just on the other side there. Em's gone to check us in, so it's my job to haul the bags over. Okay we are checked in to the Art Hotel in Peran. I've already stripped off because, goodness me, that was a hot rub. You are sweating. Oh yeah it was, 34 degrees for a couple of hours was enough for us I think. Yeah but I've wanted to stay at this hotel for a really long time, it's the Art Hotel here and I want to show you guys a little room tour. Okay this is the room, it says fade to fade something, I'm not sure what that last word is. Anyway this is the reason that you have the room. Look at our view of the square, look at that. Oh it's going to be amazing to watch the sun go down and watch the sun come up in the morning from this. But right now we're putting swimming costumes on and we're about to jump in the Adriatic because some things just have to be done. We are down at the beach here in Peran, it's quite a vibe down here today. We've got some rappers on the beach front and we're going to find a little spot to jump in but it is the perfect vibe and the perfect day here. Yeah super hot, looking forward to getting in the water. So much so. I like the fact that there's a ladder, if you get stuck you can get out. Not the strongest swimmer are we? The water is not my natural habitat. No, the street is. They're good these two. They are, aren't they? I feel like we should give them a clap when they finish or is that not cool anymore? All right time to get in. What's it like in there Em? It's nice, salty. It does look a bit choppy, there's a few jellyfish on the other side as well but we'll keep away from them. Worth the three hour ride in 34 degree heat, that's for sure. Yeah it's fantastic. What an awesome place. Such a vibe too. Showered, washed and dressed, we've just headed out to have a little explore of the town again and perhaps find a little drink somewhere as well. Yeah we've been to Peran around three, maybe four years ago. We came here on another motorcycle trip when we weren't vlogging and we fell in love with this place and we always recommend it to anybody when you're in Slovenia to come to Peran because when you have the evening here it is so quiet. All the beach goers have gone and you get to really explore the city. It's got loads of little winding routes, loads of shops, loads of cafes and it's also very reasonably priced. So ice creams here are two euro and three years ago, I haven't seen it yet, but three years ago an Aperol spritz here was four euros. It was a record at the time. Which was super cheap for Europe. And it's not so hot in the evening as obviously but it's a lovely cool breeze coming in off the sea. I think it still must be in the 20s at the moment. Oh it must. It's perfect. So yeah, looking forward to the evening and we have also tomorrow morning. Yeah I think we don't check out until 11am so we've got a bit of time in the morning as well. So a nice relaxed evening tonight. Oh look, five euro ninety. Oh inflation. That is crazy. Some inflation there. That is crazy. That was four euros fifty last year. Three years ago. I guess it's still reasonable. It's still cheaper than anywhere else that we've been in a long time. I guess so yeah. Mojito 7.30. Yeah. Yeah. Because we sat here didn't we? We sat right here. Oh wow they've actually put tables. These weren't here last time. No. When we last time, last time we were here was just a few deck chairs I think and like the grungy bars but there must be a lot more people coming in to upgrade all this front. Oh even these have turned into hotels as well. Oh wow these weren't hotels when we were here. Oh that's nice though. I'm glad it's getting the recognition it deserves because it's a beautiful place. Just walking down these back streets in Piran, a spot that you don't see very often. It is a really old Honda Goldwing. I don't think I've ever seen one like this. It's really awesome. Check out that. And it's in fantastic condition and I think it's got its original panniers as well. It's really cool to see old bikes that are still running all these years. So for dinner tonight we found this awesome restaurant here in Piran. It's called Piran Art and it is a fully vegan vegetarian restaurant and the owners have a farm not too far from here and they make all of the produce themselves. They make the jams, the juices and they have a little bio shop at the back there so we're going to have a really good evening here. I've already tried the cherry juice from them and it's really good. I think they've got a seat already in there. The owner actually showed us their bio shop which we're going to have a little quick look at now. They make their own pine liqueurs, mint liqueurs, pickled olives, all of the jams. That's one of the owners just there. Really happy people and all of these different juices. There's some fruits here that I have no idea what they are. M's gone for the cherry, I think someone's the apple and I'm going to try this pumpkin juice here which is a little bit different. I've no idea what that's going to taste like. Hopefully it'll be good but they're really really nice people. All of the jams, marmalades. So if you're in Piran definitely come check this place out. That's an absolute find. What we're going to have for dinner yet I don't know but I'm sure it's going to be good. This happy bunch here. We've got cherry and what did you get? Pumpkin. I went for pumpkin, I have no idea what it's going to taste. And Evan's asked for any more free coffee cups. He's collecting coffee cups and they tend to give them to him as well. That's going back to New Zealand, I hope he's got some extra luggage for that one. So starters have arrived. We have some soup, this is gluten-free bread, we have normal bread with gluten and soup. And how is your pumpkin? It tastes like marmalade, I like marmalade. Main courses have arrived. We've got truffle pasta freshly made by mama apparently just behind us. We just watched her make it, it was really good. Evan's got a fresh gluten-free option there as well with truffles. It looks awesome. So the restaurant that we're staying at is also making homemade gelato that is vegan and it looks incredible. They're going to have 26 flavours by the end of the month which is unbelievable. So we've gone with their vegan chocolate which is this one, hazelnut and pistachio which looks so good. I'm so excited to eat. It's still like 25 degrees and it's 9 30 at night so this is going to be a nice way to end the evening. It's another beautiful day here in Paran, Slovenia. We've just finished breakfast at the hotel and we're going for one last stroll around the town before we head off. So the plan for today is actually to head to Venice. It's around 200 kilometers from Paran and we're going to be doing a big motorway slog to get there because we want to be there as early as possible because of course Venice is such an amazing city to explore for the day and we only have one night in the city. Yeah so we're going to make the most of it and it's only a couple of hours on the motorway so it should be good. It's going to be another hot one today already. It's nine o'clock here and I think it's already approaching the 30s so it's going to be another hot one but it'll be all right once we get there. It's actually a beach resort town. There's not so much of a coastline in Slovenia so it can get very busy but it's totally worth it and it's definitely our favourite place on the Slovenian coast. There's lots to do here but most people come just to relax on the beachfront and jump in the Adriatic sea. There's a lot of cafes and restaurants in the centre but what is really really nice about the city of Paran is the fact that there's no cars so you have to park at a car park just outside the city and then walk in and this gives it a lovely feel and a lovely vibe for the place. So one of the most popular things to do here in Paran is either walk around the circumference of the town or you can actually head up to the church that's on the top of kind of hilly part of Paran and you'll reach the first place which is the place that we're studying now which is a little church through here and then you can head on out down these steps and make your way all the way to the top of this tower. I think it's a couple of euros to go on that tower which we did last time. I think it's really good views at the top there. Yeah I'd actually recommend if you're here in the evening come and do it in the evening as the sun is setting because it's a really beautiful view. So now we have walked up and we are at the museum and archaeological site. As you can hear the bells are going off behind me and we have these wonderful views of the red tiled rooftops, the Adriatic sea and some more of the Slovenian coastline and if you continue down here you're going to make your way back to kind of the peak I guess or the land head of Paran where you'll also reach the lighthouse. After you follow the windy roads down from the top at the church and the archaeological site you'll make your way to the beach front right here which is where we were last night where we grabbed some drinks. This is kind of the beach of Paran, it is concrete, there are a few sandy spots or stony spots. About 10 meters of sand but to be honest I prefer it like this, no sand, you've got ladders and little walkways you can just jump in and out of the sea and there's actually some showers over here as well so you can freshen off afterwards so I really like it here. Yeah it is nice and it's nice that you're so close to like all the bars so that after you've had your swim or you've just had it relaxed you can pop in and grab a drink but it's very very popular here it's already 9 30 and it's starting to get super busy and people already getting in the sea because it is so hot today. So we're going to continue around until we reach the lighthouse. We're just approaching the lighthouse, I'm not sure if you can go inside or not. That looks like you can yeah. But this kind of marks the area that you are at the peak head or yeah the peak land head, I don't know what to call it, the very tip, the very tip of Paran and you also need to look out for on the rocks and see if you can find a mermaid. Here is the iconic mermaid of Paran as well as the dolphin right here and it's right on the main street and just below the lighthouse and as you can see there are people in it so you can go and venture up there if you so desire. We're going to continue down the street heading back towards our hotel so you can there's a lot of hotels you can stay in here in Paran. The oldest one is called Hotel Paran which is yeah it's iconic here. We stayed in the Art Hotel Tahini right on the main square isn't it? Yeah it's on the main square it's also it was really good is I mean you can bring motorbikes into here they don't seem to restrict them and we parked right outside the hotel so there wasn't too far to lug the luggage into the hotel but I think some of these in the back streets you might have a five or ten minute trek with your luggage so keep that in mind. Just came back to the place we had dinner last night called the it's called the Art Paran or Paran Art and we've grabbed two oat milk lattes and they've also given us some vegan cakes to try. We're gonna have coffee here, walk back to the hotel, suit up and head on on to Venice.