1. Experience

This is an amazing experience if you love the sea and seafood. A boat will take you to the heart of the bay of Piran, where you will experience the incredible nature of Slovenian Istria in the heart of the fishing reserve and the Sečovlje Salina nature park. You will discover why the Fonda seabass of Piran is so special and why it has such high culinary value. You will be let in on all the secrets of the trade, from the selection of young fish spawns to the food, the manual feeding and the incredible care the Fonda family has of the environment and the raising of fish, thus ensuring many healthy generations of the seabass of Piran.  Moreover, you’ll find out the most important thing: the reason the seabass of Piran is so special and its taste so unique.

It’s a family with a passion and a strong love for the sea; in their fish farm, they take great care in raising the seabass of Piran, a fish with a character that can be found only here, in the bay of Piran.

The visit lasts from two to three hours.

Booking availability for a Day in the Fonda fish farm

2. Experience

The gourmet vintage experience is an educational journey that follows the traces of ancient autochthonous olive varieties, which grow on the loveliest viewpoints of the Slovenian coast and the Istrian hinterland. Your means of transport on this journey will be old-timer cars Fiat and Zastava, which are colorful, loud and with an interior lined with parquet made of olive tree wood. Driving in them will take you back to the 60s and 70s. The tourist guides are members of the Lisjak family, which produces olive oil, and they will tell you the tale of olive oil among olive tree grooves, on top of the cliffs of the Nature reserve Strunjan. You will also have a chance to visit the high-tech laboratory in their oil mill.

In 1960 the first generation of olive trees was planted and later father Franko opened one of the first olive oil mills in Slovenian Istria. These were the beginnings of the first extra virgin olive oil in Slovenia. In 2008 brother Gregor in Matej founded a line of olive oil: Lisjak extra virgin olive oil. Today it is the largest olive oil brand in Slovenia and it is sold also in numerous countries around the world. Lisjak olive oil is well-known in Croatia, Italy, Austria, China, USA, Luxembourg, United Kingdom, Poland,…

Booking availability for the Culinary vintage experience Lisjak

Departures: every Wednesday or Saturday (at 10 AM from Koper, 10:20 AM from Izola, 10:35 AM from Strunjan, 10:50 AM from Piran, 11:00 AM from Bernardin and 11:15 AM from Portorož.)

The visit lasts from three to four hours.  

For more information on Lisjak Premium extra virgin olive oil, you can check here.

3. Experience

Go on a guided trip with electric bicycles and enjoy a 5-course menu of authentic Istrian dishes in two amazing restaurants and a patisserie among five attractions of Slovenian Istria.

Your first stop will be among the stone sculptures of Forma viva and the nature parks of Sečovlje Salina and Strunjan, where you’ll find a unique sea lagoon and magnificent cliffs. Istria would not be what it is without truffles and prosciutto, thus you’ll stop for a warm and cold starter in an authentic Istrian village: homemade bread, prosciutto, sheep cheese, fuži (homemade pasta) with truffles and a glass of local refosco. Then you’ll hop on the electric bicycles and leave the Istrian hinterland for the coast, where you will have a chance to try delicacies from the sea. At the end of the trip awaits a sweet surprise, which will be served in an excellent patisserie with views of the sea.

The trip will cover a distance of approximately 40 km, the difference in altitude is 500 m, whereas the terrain is 90% asphalt and 10% gravel roads. The route is of medium difficulty but you will have the help of excellent electric bicycles with motor assistance up to 250%.

The trip with the tasting lasts from five to six hours. 

For more information on the operator of the trip, Mareatour tourist agency, you can visit their website.

Spring, summer or autumn. All the Bernardin Resorts are located in the Mediterranean Oasis, just a step away from the sea. There is nothing better than a morning view of the open sea from your room.

To discover more recommendations for the best experiences on the Slovenian coast, click here.