piran or rovinj

I've never been to Piran, but, we visited Rovinj for a few days last month and really enjoyed it. We strolled along the harbor and through the old town. There are countless open air cafes and shops. We borrowed some bikes and biked along the Golden Cape and swam at Skaraba Beach. That was definitely a highlight of our trip. We stayed at a simple B&B that was within walking distance of the old town.

There's a bit more to see and do in Rovinj, and more importantly, you won't have to deal with the Slovenia-Croatia border which can have long traffic delays in summer. The drive to Plitvice is already long enough as it is, and starting from Rovinj will shorten it.

I have not been to Piran, but it looks like a micro version of Dubrovnik, in case you have never been to Dubrovnik. Rovinj has more of the feel of a seaside resort for the Holy Roman Empire, which indeed, it was. I don't mean that it is trivial, but rather physically green and airy. I'm also saying that if you haven't already been to a dozen "Medieval town centers", you might choose Piran. (Not making careless-precision historical statements, just characterizing a tourist visit!)

With two nights, access to nearby daytrips seems like something worth researching. I will say that Pula, which is closer to Rovinj, is an attractive, larger destination, but more urban - even though it has great Roman sites. After all, Cologne has great Roman sites!

They are both lovely towns that have roughly a similar feel to a tourist (though I'm sure residents of either town would beg to differ). As noted, there might be more to see near Rovinj e.g. the hill towns or Pula. But you have only two nights, which might mean only one full day in the town, so I might choose based on logistics and convenience.

I concur with Andrew's comments. I've been to both and they have a similar vibe and look, IMHO. Base your decision on logistics. Both are interesting and beautiful, and you won't go wrong with either one.

We found Rovinj delightful and very unique, well worth a night or two, but probably no more than one full day in the town itself (especially given other things nearby). Day trip to Pula - absolutely (and I dare say, a better Roman Coliseum experience than you will get in Rome).

Piran was OK, but left us a bit unimpressed (again, knowing what's just down the coast). If I had to pick one, no hesitation: Rovinj. But...the coastal Croatian cities just get better the further south you go...

A lot would depend on what the rest of your itinerary is. Are you going to wander the Istrian hilltowns? Hop down all the coastal cities further south? There's so much worth seeing in the region, you have to make tradeoffs (unless you have the luxury of a lot of time).

We’ve been to both and I would choose Rovinj

I am actually in Piran right now and just came back from a day trip to Rovinj. I would vote for Piran hands down. Rovinj is cursed by being a cruise ship port. It is crowded and interactions with people there were transactional and impersonal. In Piran it feels authentic and positive. Rovinj felt like it didn't want us there. I love Piran!