Šempeter – In And Out Slovenia

Hello guys,

I am taking you with me in a little town called Sempeter pri Gorici (->map).
The town is situated in the Vipava valley just next to “Gorizia” (in Italy) and “Nova Gorica” (in Slovenia).

From the beginning of the 16th century untill the end of WWII, the city was a part of the Habsburg Monarchy.
Between 1919 and 1947, Šempeter had been attached to Italy.
In 1947, it had been annexed to Yougoslavia untill 1991, when Yougoslavia exploded.
Since 1991 and the birth of the Repulic of Slovenia, Šempeter has been part of the Slovenia.

I usually go to Šempeter just to run errands at the super market.
The city did not look so sexy to me so I did not feel the need to walk around and discover the city …untill last week.
I walked around the city for almost 2 hours to see what the city had to offer.

There are 2 main buildings that you can see from a distance.
The hospital and the Church of Šempeter.

Thanks to its size and its colors (green and pink), the hospital is very visible.
A large number of women living in this part of Slovenia gave birth to their childs in that hospital.

The church is also quite visible with its very high bell tower and its red bricks.
I recommend you to walk around the area near the church.
There are a lot of shops, bars, restaurants and old charming houses 300 meters around the church.
The city hall is about 100 meters behind the church.

City hall of Šempeter. We can see the hospital behind it (in green).

If you want to eat, I recommend you the restaurant of the Hotel Lipa, just in front of the church.
I went there once and the food was excellent.
After walking around the church,if you have time, walk along the street named “Goriska Ulica” towards the Italian border.

**Hotel Lipa** (in front of the church). The entrance of the restaurant is on the left of the hotel.

View of the bell tower and the hospital (in green) on the left.

Nice street with old houses near the church.

I place that I really loved is the park with its kids’ playground.
This park is really nice.
If you have kids, do not hesitate to park your car in the nearby parking and go have fun with your kids on the playground.
If you are on holidays and that your kids have bikes, they will love it even more.

Bike park for kids (still in the same park).

From the park, if you look up (on the other side of the road), you’ll see a little hill with nice houses.
I went there to take a stroll to see how it looks like.
It was actually quite nice. That little residential area is very calm and there are beautiful houses.
From there, I could see very well the church of Šempeter, the hospital and the park.

Houses on a hill. Very nice redidential area.

View of Šempeter from the residential area on the hill. We see the hospital and bell tower.

View of the Castle of Gorizia (in Italy) from the park, near the main road leading to the city of “Nova Gorica”.

There are a few cycle paths crossing the city.
If you have a bike, you can easily cycle in Šempeter.
I specially like the part of the park which is on the other part of the bridge.
We can walk along (or cycle along) a stream and watch the mountains surrounding the city.

Walking and cycling area along a stream in the park.

Cycle path along the same stream. The bike park and the kids’ playground are on the other part of that bridge.

My tips for Šempeter:

1/ Walk around the church in the city center.
2/ Take a little stroll around the city hall.
3/ Go eat at the restaurant of Hotel Lipa.
4/ Take a stroll in the park (near the hospital).
5/ Go play with your kids in the Sport Park.
6/ Take a stroll on the little hill (near the park) to have a good view of Šempeter and the Castle of Gorizia.
7/ Ride your bike on one the cycle tracks crossing the city.
8/ Go run errands at the super market Hofer at the entrance of the city (very cheap).
9/ Cross the border and go visit Gorizia in Italy.
10/ Go visit the city of Nova Gorica (just a few km away).
11/ Go see the tombs of the last Bourbons of France in the Monastery of Kostanjevica (3 km away).