10 Unforgettable Things To Do In Istria, Croatia — Our Wanders

9 min readJul 24, 2022

Istria is one of Croatia’s best-kept secrets. Loved by many and busy in the summer months, but not as super famous as Dubrovnik, Split or other regions on the Dalmatian coast. It’s also more than a summer holiday destination with beaches. Istria has a fabulous coast, but it also offers historical sights, great food and wine. Its hilltop towns and medieval old towns on the coast take you back in time, impress with cobbled streets and stone walls, and an exciting history.

We didn’t visit the Istrian peninsula on our first trip to Croatia. But when we finally did, it became one of our favorite regions! This post is all about the best things to do in Istria, whether on a short visit or on a week long holiday.

How much time to spend in Istria?

While at it, please take our advice and don’t make Istria a one day stop on a road trip. Sure, one day is better than nothing, but you need to have at least 2–3 days to get an idea about Istria. Even better if you have a full week. You won’t get bored, I promise.

The best things to do in Istria

Stroll the cobbled streets of the old town of Rovinj

Oh, Rovinj! The very best place to visit in Istria, an old town that can compete with the one in Dubrovnik, only it’s less touristy and feels like a piece of Italy. Rovinj was our main reason to visit Istria, and without doubt it was the highlight of our Istria road trip. It has beauty and an irresistible atmosphere.

The intact old town of Rovinj is located on a heart-shaped peninsula, and strolling through it is like traveling back in time. Narrow, cobblestone streets, laundry hanging between the pastel colored houses, hidden courtyards with lots of green and some more colorful laundry.

Rovinj would deserve its own post, but definitely don’t miss the main square with St. Euphemia Church, the town hall clock and characteristic Grisia Street. Enjoy the view of the old town from the harbor — at sunset, if you want to see real magic.

Be sure to have a good pair of walking shoes though, because the old town is hilly, there are many stairs, and cobblestone is smooth and slippery at places.

Best things to do in Rovinj:

Travel back in time at the amphitheater in Pula

Istria resembles Italy quite often. The Venetian architecture of Rovinj, the green hilly landscapes that could be in Tuscany, or one of the most well-preserved Roman amphitheaters in the world: the Pula Arena.

Pula is Istria’s largest town and was founded about 3000 years ago. It’s not nearly as captivating as Rovinj, but it has some impressive Roman ruins, like the Pula Arena, the Forum, the Arch of Sergius or the Temple of Augustus. The Arena was used for gladiator fights with more than 20000 spectators. Today it’s a venue for festivals and other performances and can host about 5000 people.

Best things to do in Pula:

Explore a wild corner of Istria: Cape Kamenjak Nature Park

So we lied about Rovinj being our favorite place in Istria. Because we’ve been to Cape Kamenjak. They’re different though: Rovinj is mainly a cultural experience, and Cape Kamenjak is a natural highlight. It has nothing but nature, unspoilt, beautiful nature without urban distractions.

Cape Kamenjak Nature Park is dominated by blue and green colors — the pine trees and the incredibly turquoise bays and coves. The rugged coastline is home to more than 20 beaches, and even more hidden coves! You can swim, snorkel or kayak in the water, hike or bike on land. Entrance fee is charged for motor vehicles, but entrance is free for cyclists and pedestrians.

Do you want to know more about the park? Read our detailed guide to Cape Kamenjak here!

Best things to do in Cape Kamenjak:

snorkel at Mala & Velika Kolombarica coves
swim in the crystal clear waters of Plovanije and Radovica Beaches
hang out at the Safari Bar

Visit the ancient Roman town of Porec

Poreč is a lovely seaside beach town, with a pretty waterfront promenade, but it’s also more: it has a fascinating ancient Roman town. The most famous sight (also a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the only one in Istria) is the 4th-century Euphrasian Basilica with its Byzantine mosaics. You can climb up to its bell tower for more pretty views. Marafor, the ancient roman square, is the main square, and Decumanus and Cardo Maximus streets are exceptionally well-preserved.

Poreč is that kind of tiny town that doesn’t offer a ton of things to do, but it just feels good to hang around there.

Best things to do in Porec:

Episcopal Complex Of The Euphrasian Basilica
aimlessly stroll the lovely old town
enjoy the beaches in Zelena Laguna Resort

Hunt for hidden ruins and hidden coves

Have you also noticed that some of the best places on your trips are the hidden spots, barely known or visited by anyone, and that’s exactly their magic? We enjoyed hunting for hidden coves in Istria, and we even found hidden ruins in addition. The kind of ruins that have a captivating atmosphere. They’re abandoned, hidden in the forest. Plants grew over them throughout the years. They make you feel romantic and nostalgic. And they beg you to be photographed.

Like abandoned Fort Monte Grosso, a fortress we stumbled upon in the forest while exploring Stinjan peninsula above Pula. It was part of the Austro-Hungarian defense system, with an artillery battery right next to it, called Valmaggiore. It once hosted a crew of about 200 soldiers. An actual maintained staircase led us up to the top of one of the open batteries for a pretty coastal view, so it’s obviously not as abandoned and forgotten as it seems to be.

Enjoy the view of Lim Fjord, the only (fake) fjord in Croatia

Lim Fjord is a 10 kilometers long estuary that does look similar to a fjord, but technically it’s not one. Because fjords are products of glaciation by definition, and Lim Fjord (or Lim Channel) was carved by the Pazinčica River on its way to the Adriatic Sea. Nevertheless, it’s as close to a fjord as you get in Croatia, and it’s a great day trip from Rovinj.

There are some hiking trails near the fjord, but the best (and only) viewpoint can be accessed by a short walk from the road. Unlike we expected, we couldn’t see Lim Fjord from the road that runs along the estuary (forest blocks the view), and the trail we tried didn’t offer a view of it either. So make that viewpoint a scenic picnic stop, then spend the rest of your day exploring the historical town and beaches of Vrsar.

Visit some of the lovely hilltop towns

Those idyllic villages on the green hilltops are not Tuscany, but they’re just as charming. They maintained their character from centuries ago, have cobbled streets and buildings that date back to the Venetian, medieval or Roman times, and most of them are barely known — which certainly can’t be said about most adorable Italian towns.

For a walk in Motovun, you need to climb 1052 stairs, and this medieval town is surrounded by walkable walls that offer fantastic views of the area. Groznjan is a 14 th-century Venetian fortress turned into a medieval town. Labin is for art lovers, with numerous galleries and ateliers.

In case you don’t have a car, you can choose to see a selection of these towns on a guided tour. This tour is a sightseeing and a food tour, and it includes Groznjan, Motovun with food tasting and Pazin, it also stops at the Lim Fjord viewpoint and offers several pickup locations.

Stroll the Lungomare promenade in Opatija

Who doesn’t like a pretty seaside stroll? The 12 kilometers long Lungomare promenade stretches from Volosko to Lovran, and it was our favorite attraction in the resort town of Opatija. It has endless views of Kvarner Bay and the magnificent historical seafront villas, and a great number of beaches and coves, so you can easily make this stroll a full day activity.

The official name of the seafront footpath is Franz Joseph I Promenade, because Emperor Franz Joseph started to build it for his wife, Sisi, who suffered from lung disease. The naming also commemorates the heyday of Opatija as one of the most popular health and tourist resorts during the golden age of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, at the turn of the 19 th-20 thcenturies.

Experience what small means in teeny tiny Hum

There are two streets and about 20 inhabitants. There’s a city wall and a church. There’s not much to see in Hum, it’s simply the smallest town ever, and that’s the point: it’s so adorable that it makes it a unique stop on your road trip in the Istrian countryside.

Take a day trip to the Brijuni Islands

This archipelago of 14 islands is famous for being the summer residence of Josip Broz Tito, the former ruler of Yugoslavia. You can take a ferry from Fažana, then a train tour takes you around the island. Tito had a strange hobby: collecting exotic animals. That’s the reason there’s a safari park, but you can also see a 1600-year-old olive tree and dinosaur footprints. You can buy your entrance ticket on the national park’s website here. It includes the boat ride, but the train ride is optional, you can choose from different ticket types.

If you’d like to enjoy a boat trip around Brijuni National Park, take a guided boat tour around the islands, like this one from Pula.

+1: Sure, don’t miss the fabulous beaches!

Last but not least: Istria is home to wonderful beaches. But they are not those tropical dream beaches with white sand and palm trees. First of all, it’s not the tropics. Instead of palm trees you get evergreen, fragrant pine forests. Beaches are rarely sandy, most of them are pebbly or rocky.

The advantage: they make the color of the water incredibly magical, coastal views are impressive, and many of them are great for snorkeling. The disadvantage: you can’t enjoy them barefoot. Sharp rocks can easily hurt your feet, so water shoes are strongly recommended if you want to have an enjoyable time on these beaches. There are exceptions, like some pebbly bays where pebbles are relatively small and smooth, but keep your water shoes or snorkel shoes close by, because most of the time it’d be more pleasant to wear them.

And which are the very best beaches? I’ve already written a separate post about them, read it here!

How to get around in Istria?

Getting around is the easiest and most flexible by car. If you stay in Pula or Rovinj, nothing is further than an hour drive.

Compare car rental rates here!

Public transport is available, and it mostly means bus. It restricts the places you can reach to the most visited cities and towns, which still means a lot of options, like Pula, Rovinj, Porec, Umag, Opatija, Pazin or Labin. Check out the available bus lines and ticket prices here:

Where to stay in Istria?

Pula is our favorite base to stay in Istria, because it’s close to countless stunning beaches both south and north of it, and Rovinj or Cape Kamenjak are the best day trips from Pula. If you’d like to stay right by the beach, Hotel Park Plaza Arena Pula or Arene Verudela are both walking distance from Hawaiian Cove Beach.

There’s no accommodation inside Cape Kamenjak Nature Park, the closest to stay are the apartments, hotels or campings in Premantura.

While is a comfortable day trip from Pula, you can spend a few days there to explore the nearby beaches at a leisurely pace. and are the best to explore the northwestern region of Istria, and is a great base to explore the eastern coastline.

Check out more of our Croatia travel guides: Read all of our Croatian destination guides here! Disclosure: Affiliate links are used in this post, and at no additional cost to you, we earn a commission if you make a purchase. If you are ready to book your trip and would like to support this website in some way, here’s your chance. Thank you! 🙂

Originally published at https://ourwanders.com on July 24, 2022.