Sečovlje Salt Pans

The park is split into two sections. The northern part – Lera – contains the active salt pans where, from April through September, workers in traditional clothing harvest salt by hand using wooden tools. Here you'll find a visitor center with an interactive model of the salt pan water system, a viewing platform with a panorama of the entire site, the Lera shop selling Piran salt and cosmetics, and the Fioret café. The crystallization pools, divided by narrow dykes, form geometric patterns – from above, the salt fields appear as a mosaic of shades from white to pink.

The southern section – Fontanigge – is an abandoned salt works gradually being reclaimed by salt-marsh vegetation. Ruins of salt workers' houses line the canals, and one restored building hosts the Salt-Making Museum. Fontanigge is the area for quiet walks and birdwatching: the park has recorded over 296 species. Migration seasons (spring and autumn) bring flamingos, herons, and waders. Tiny red brine shrimp inhabit the saltiest pools.

Between the two sections, within Lera, operates the Lepa Vida Thalasso Spa – Slovenia's only open-air spa set directly among the salt fields. Treatments use salt-pan mud, brine (aqua madre), and sea salt.

Area – 650 hectares of salt pans, the largest in Slovenia

Tradition – salt harvested by hand using a 14th-century method with petola (biosediment cultivated on the pool floors)

Birdlife – over 296 recorded species, Natura 2000 protected area

Salt-Making Museum – in a restored salt worker's house in the Fontanigge zone

Lepa Vida Spa – Slovenia's only open-air spa located on salt pans

Bicycles – free with admission (April–October)

Salt pans at the Dragonja estuary may date to the Roman period, though documented salt production here goes back to the year 804. In the Middle Ages, Piran salt became a strategic commodity – the subject of political disputes and wars. At peak production, Piran's salt works included the areas of present-day Sečovlje, Lucija, and Strunjan. Salt was essential for food preservation and gunpowder manufacturing.

The southern section (Fontanigge) ceased production in the mid-1960s – the salt workers' houses were abandoned and now stand as canal-side ruins. The northern section (Lera) continues operating. In 2001, the area gained landscape park status, and in 2003, management was transferred to Soline d.o.o. Since then, sustainable tourism has developed alongside the Piran salt brand and the Lepa Vida cosmetics line based on salt-pan mud.

From Portorož (5 km, 10 minutes):

– By car – via the road through Seča toward the Sečovlje border crossing, turn right to the Lera entrance

– By bicycle – 15–20 minutes along the coastal road

– Taxi – €5–8 (~$5–9)

From Piran (8 km, 15 minutes):

– By car through Portorož and Lucija

– By bicycle – 25–30 minutes

From Ljubljana (130 km, 1.5 hours):

– Rental car – via A1 through Koper, vignette required

– Bus to Portorož (2.5–3 hours), then taxi or bicycle

On-site:

From the parking lot to the Lera entrance – 2-minute walk. Inside the park – on foot or free bicycle. The Salt-Making Museum (Fontanigge) has a separate entrance.

Season: April–October – main season with all facilities open and bicycles available. Salt harvesting: June through September (you can watch the process). November–March – the park is open but with minimal infrastructure.

Time of day: Morning (9:00–11:00 AM) – cooler, fewer visitors. Midday on the salt pans is hot with no shade. Sunset is scenic, but gates close at 5:00 PM (you can drive out after closing).

Duration: 2–3 hours for Lera. With Fontanigge and the museum – 4–5 hours.

Avoid: Midday sun in summer (no shelter). Windy days – dust on unpaved paths.