Istrian Peninsula

A colorful fishing harbor on the Istrian peninsula, where the bell tower of St. Euphemia overlooks the Adriatic, with hilltop towns inland and a cuisine of truffles and olive oil.

Rovinj lies on the west coast of Croatia's Istrian peninsula. Its old town is built on a small peninsula jutting into the Adriatic, with colorful houses clustered around the bell tower of the Church of St. Euphemia, making it one of Croatia's most photogenic seaside towns. Istria was long ruled by Venice, Italian and Croatian are both spoken, and the cuisine is famous for truffles, olive oil, seafood and wine. From a base in Rovinj you can visit Pula, about 35 km south (Roman amphitheater, Temple of Augustus, Cape Kamenjak, Brijuni National Park); the Lim Fjord, Vrsar and Poreč (the World Heritage Euphrasian Basilica) to the north; and inland, the hilltop towns of Motovun, Grožnjan and Hum, the truffle forests, and Pazin Castle and its chasm. The climate is Mediterranean, with May–Oct the best time; July–August brings crowds and high room rates; October–November is white truffle season, ideal for a food-focused trip; in winter many restaurants and hotels close. Getting there: Pula Airport has seasonal European flights, or you can drive from Venice, Trieste, Zagreb or Ljubljana; a car is essential for the inland hill towns. Allow 3–5 days.

Top sights

• Rovinj Old Town – Venetian-style colorful houses stacked on a peninsula, with stone alleys and harbor views. Watching the sunset from the harbor is a classic…
• Church of St. Euphemia – A Baroque church on the hilltop of the old town. A saint statue on top of its 61-meter bell tower turns with the wind, and climbing the tow…
• Pula Arena – One of the best-preserved Roman amphitheaters in the world, with all four side towers still standing. It hosts a film festival in summer.
• Euphrasian Basilica, Poreč – A 6th-century Byzantine church complex with dazzling gold mosaics in the apse. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
• Motovun – A medieval hilltop town above the Mirna Valley. Walking the walls offers views over a truffle forest, making it Istria's most beautiful hil…
• Grisia Street – A steep stone-paved street leading up to the hilltop church, lined with galleries and studios. It is the artistic street of Rovinj.
• Balbi's Arch – A Baroque arch built in 1679 on the site of the old city gate. One side bears the Venetian winged lion, and the other shows a Turkish head.
• Batana House Ecomuseum – An ecomuseum about the batana, Rovinj’s traditional flat-bottomed fishing boat. It is listed in UNESCO’s register of good safeguarding prac…
• Rovinj Market – An open-air market at the entrance to the Old Town, selling vegetables, cheese, truffles, olive oil and homemade spirits every day.
• Golden Cape Forest Park – A pine-forested seaside park south of the Old Town, with clear rocky bays, suitable for swimming, cycling and climbing.
• Red Island (Crveni otok) – A small holiday island group made up of St. Andrew Island and Mišnjak Island, with pine forests, a monastery and quiet beaches, about 15 mi…
• Lim Channel (Limski kanal) – A karst fjord about 10 km long, with forested cliffs on both sides. It is known for farmed oysters and mussels and for legends of pirate ca…
• Temple of Augustus & Forum, Pula – A Roman temple from the early Common Era on Pula’s old town square. Its Corinthian columns are well preserved, and it stands alongside the…
• Arch of the Sergii – A Roman triumphal arch from around 27 BC with exquisite reliefs. Outside the café beside it sits a bronze statue of James Joyce.
• Pula Castle (Kaštel) – A 17th-century Venetian star-shaped fortress on the hilltop of the Old Town. It houses the Istrian History and Maritime Museum, and its wal…
• Lighting Giants, Uljanik Shipyard – At night, the giant cranes of Pula’s century-old shipyard turn into light installations, with light shows on the hour.
• Aquarium Pula – An aquarium set in a 19th-century Austro-Hungarian fortress at Veruda, showing Adriatic marine life. It also houses Croatia’s only sea turt…
• Cape Kamenjak – A protected reserve at the southern tip of Istria. Its roughly 30 km of coastline holds rocky coves and clear blue water, popular for swimm…
• Brijuni National Park – The island group where Tito had his summer residence. It has a wildlife park, dinosaur footprints and the ruins of a Roman villa.
• Poreč Old Town – A peninsula old town laid out along Roman street patterns, with Gothic and Renaissance mansions lining the Decumanus, the main street.
• Vrsar – A hilltop fishing town at the northern mouth of Lim Channel. Casanova visited twice and mentioned it in his memoirs, and a sculpture park b…
• Baredine Cave – Istria’s only certified tourist karst cave, with five chambers full of stalactites. Visitors can see the “human fish” olm here.
• Grožnjan – A hilltop village revived by artists, with stone lanes lined with galleries and studios. Summers bring an international youth music camp.
• Hum – Known as the “world’s smallest town,” with only twenty to thirty permanent residents. At its entrance stands a boulevard of Glagolitic insc…
• Pazin Castle – Istria's largest medieval castle, perched above the Pazin Chasm and home to an ethnographic museum and a town museum.
• Pazin Cave (Pazinska jama) – A karst chasm about 100 metres deep below the castle, featured in Jules Verne's novel 'Mathias Sandorf', with hiking trails and a zip line.
• Dvigrad – A medieval ghost town abandoned in the 17th century due to plague and war, with well-preserved walls, towers and church ruins.
• Svetvinčenat – An inland town known for Castle Morosini-Grimani and a Renaissance square, with a medieval festival in summer.
• Bale – A medieval hill village southeast of Rovinj, with intact stone houses and Soldo-Bembo Castle, far quieter than the coast.
• Labin Old Town – A colourful old town on a hilltop on the east coast, with Renaissance palaces and galleries. Rabac beach resort lies below.

Where to eat

• Monte Restaurant – Croatia’s first Michelin one-star restaurant, earning the star in 2017; located beside St. Euphemia’s Church in Rovinj’…
• Konoba Batelina – Seafood tavern run by a fishing family in Banjole, south of Pula, with a daily catch menu; made famous by a Bourdain ep…
• Konoba Mondo – Truffle eatery at the gate of hilltop Motovun, with handmade fuži topped with fresh truffle; the top choice for afforda…
• Kantinon Konoba – Old-style fishermen’s tavern by the harbor in Rovinj, serving Istrian seafood from old recipes, with pleasant views of…
• Alla Beccaccia Konoba – Modern Istrian tavern recommended in the Michelin Bib Gourmand selection, known for its large hearth grill and bell-coo…
• Zigante Truffle Restaurant – Famous truffle restaurant in Livade, the truffle village; the same site has a shop, casual restaurant and fine-dining r…

Itineraries

• Istrian Coast & Inland Hill Towns Loop – Depart from Pula and travel along the coast to Rovinj and Poreč, then head inland to explore medieval hill towns, combi…
• Slovenia & Northern Croatia – From Ljubljana to Zagreb, connecting the Lake District, Piran, Istria, and Plitvice Lakes.
• Slovenia & Croatia Grand Tour – From Lake Bled to Dubrovnik, this route connects the Alps, Karst landscapes, Istria, lakes, and Adriatic islands.