Koper, Slovenia

Our first stop was in Koper, Slovenia.  This is the main port for the country of Slovenia and seemed to be mostly an industrial port based on looks.  The city itself is fairly small, although it has a preserved "old-city" area which is worth checking out.

An advantage of going to a smaller port was our ship was able to dock right next to the town.  This made it extremely easy to get on and off this ship multiple times during the day.  Our included walking tour didn't start until the afternoon, so we ended up going for a run along the a beautiful seaside walkway and road that lead us to the small town of Izola, Slovenia.  The distance was a bit over 4 miles (around 6.5 km), and the weather was just about perfect.  The town of Izola is smaller than Koper, so didn't have too much to see or do, although the journey there more than made up for any deficiencies.  They even had some outdoor swimming pools (we didn't actually swim in them).

In Koper, we went outside the old city to check out a local wine shop.  Based on online reviews, we decided to try out Vinakoper.  It's about a ten minute walk from the ship, and you'll also pass a bank on the way where you can exchange money if needed.  The local currency is Euro, which was accepted everywhere on our trip except for Croatia.  We arrived at Vinakoper mid-morning, but there were already a few locals there filling up from the bulk tanks in the back.  The wine was surprisingly cheap, particularly compared to some of our later, more touristy locations.  I got two bottles of their signature wine for about 8 euros, and they even had cheaper bottles available.  This winery also offers tours for a fee, although these have to be scheduled beforehand with a certain minimum of people, so we did not have the opportunity to tour the grounds.

Finally, we took one of the included tours in the afternoon.  The old city of Koper centers around Tito square, named after the famous Yugoslavian leader in WW2 and beyond.

Around the central square there are a bunch of old alleys and walkways, with no motorized vehicles on most of the main thoroughfares.  Shops and restaurants line these roads, with the area being known for its excellent seafood.

 Unlike all our other tour guides on the trip, our guide here wasn't the best.  He spoke good English, although often couldn't answer questions correctly.  Also, the walking tour was extremely slow, even compared to our walks at other ports.  Therefore, we decided to peel off and explore on our own.  This central square also has a clock tower you can climb for a few euros if desired.

This tour provides some excellent views of the town, as well as our ship close by.

There are also some older churches in the area, which can be visited on your own or as part of the guided tours.

Like most of our destinations, the Venetian Republic left their mark here.

The rest of the old city doesn't take more than about 20 minutes to explore.  There are certain markets in the area on some days of the week, so make sure to ask around.  Most of the locals we ran into were extremely helpful, providing directions and advise generously.  Our ship left at 4:30 PM local time, on to our next port of Zadar, Croatia.