Koper is the main port of Slovenia, on a short stretch of the Adriatic between Italy and Croatia, and it has the air of a town that was Italian for centuries and still remembers. Under Venice it was known as Capodistria, and the old centre has the classic Venetian look: a square lined with a Gothic loggia, the Praetorian Palace in pale stone, a cathedral, a campanile you can climb for a view over the bay and the red roofs. Italian is still widely spoken, and on signs you will see both languages.
The container port is just beside the old town, and cranes stand against the hills like giraffes. It is easy to ignore, and the coast beyond is lovelier than you might expect. Short rides lead to Piran, a jewel of a town on a headland, and to the salt pans of Sečovlje, where salt has been harvested in the old way for hundreds of years. The Istrian hinterland, with olive groves, vineyards and hilltop villages, rises behind the coast and has some of the best roads in the area.
On the bike, the lanes through the hills toward Grožnjan, Motovun and the Rižana valley are twisty and often quiet, with excellent views over the sea in clear weather. The surface is generally good on main roads and patched on small ones. In winter and early spring the bora wind can howl across the passes, and in summer the coast road fills with traffic and parking is hard to find. Early morning is the time to ride.
Koper has all the fuel and food you could want, and the old town is a fine place to sit with a coffee or an ice cream. Local specialities include fresh fish, seafood risotto, Istrian olive oil, and the white wine Malvasia and the red Refošk. The Italian border is close, and the Croatian border is only a short distance south, so keep your passport handy for crossings that sometimes see spot checks.
Late spring and September are ideal, when the sea is warm and the roads are free.