Istria Guide - Croatia

Images courtesy of Pula Tourist Office

• Westernmost region of Croatia and the biggest peninsula in the Adriatic
• Istria is mainly in Croatia, with smaller stretches of land in Slovenia and Italy
• Regional capital Pazin (9,000)
• 445km of coastline
• population: 210,000
• Pula (59,000) is Istria's commercial and cultural centre
• Major towns along the coast are Umag, Rovin, Porec, Novigrad, Medulin, Vrsar, Rabac, Lovran
• Major towns inland Buzet, Buje, Motovun, Groznjan, Labin
• Mild mediterranean, with moderately hot summers and mild winters
• Nicknamed the "green peninsula"
• Forests cover 35% of Istria
• 2,400 hours of sunshine per year,
• Official languages: Croatian and Italian, Slovenian also spoken

The chief attraction of this paradisiac is Istria's combination of a truly Mediterranean coast with the green, peaceful interior. Istria offers a feast of natural parks, intact nature and a crystal-clear sea. The heart-shaped peninsula of Istria, south of Trieste, has a strong Italian influence and is sometimes referred to as the "new Tuscany." Istria's historic sites point to its rich past as an outpost of the Roman, Byzantine and Venetian Empires.

Istria – the Mediterranean closest to Europe

Placed right in the geometrical centre of the continent, Istria is sometimes called "the belly button of Europe".

The heart-shaped peninsula in the northern Adriatic is doubtlessly the most popular tourist destination in Croatia. Even though small portions of Istria penetrate Slovenia and Italy, most of the peninsula is part of modern Croatia. Tourists from all over Europe travel to this idyllic location to enjoy the lovely landscape, ideal climate and warm service. From early April to late October this small piece of land is a tower of Babel: Dutch and Germans rubs shoulders with Italians and Russians.

The location and the geography of the peninsula are absolutely superb. Nowhere else in Europe could you find such diversity on such a small piece of land – a geographic and cultural diversity alike.

Wherever you are in Europe, you are not far from Istria

Among the many blessings of Istria is its relative closeness to many major European cities. Milan, Turin, Vienna, Munich, Zurich and the Croatian capital of Zagreb are all within several hours' drive.

Istria is in the crossroads of worlds, a place where civilizations and peoples converge. The Slavs, Italians and Germans have coexisted here for centuries and exchanged cultures, customs and ideas.

To enter Istria is to reach the first true South, here, at the foot of the Alps. The mixture of Mediterranian and Alpine climate, free of extremes, makes it appealing enough for the young and dynamic, but suitable as well for the elderly who shun the summer heat of Spain or Greece.

Just a half hour drive from any of the buzzing, lively principal seaside resorts like Umag, Rovinj, Porec or Medulin will take a traveller to a most tranquil place in the interior: tame green hills dotted with precious medieval villages make for the dreamlike experience of calmness and joy.

Places to visit

• Umag is the regional sports centre due to its capacity of host to the ATP Croatia Open tennis tournament, usually held in late July.
• Rovinj, situated itself on a tiny peninsula, and the Red Island just offshore offer organized trips around its beautiful bays and beaches.
• Other set of lovely, fine-sand covered beaches are to be found at Rabac.
• The town of Porec is ideal for an active vacation offering over 70 modalities of aquatic and land sports.
• Medulin is a small town near Pula, a frequent destination for the young, for those who seek to have good time in the rhythm of live music.
• Three millennia old town of Pula is the largest Istrian community and its cultural centre. Its legendary Arena, a Roman amphiteatre used in the past for gladiator fights, is closely matched by many other monuments from the Roman times.
• The Istrian interior with its cute little towns boasts uncontaminated nature, authentic local ceramics and agritourism.
• Motovun, birthplace of the former ace Formula 1 driver Mario Andretti, is a jewel on a hilltop. It attracts visitors in their thousands at the time of the famed independent Motovun Film Festival staged annually at the end of July. The view from the Old Town over the surrounding hills and vineyards is spectacular.
• Just 15 km away is the town of Buzet rich with history and overlooked by a medieval castle open to tourists. Buzet is also known as the "town of truffles", the capital of the region where the prized mushrooms abound.
• One of the features of the Istrian interior is the officially smallest town in the world: it's name is Hum (Hilltop) and counts 23 inhabitants.

Istria Fact File

Location: Western most region of Croatia and the biggest peninsula in the Adriatic. Most of Istria belongs to Croatia, with smaller stretches of land in Slovenia and Italy.
Population: 210,000
Regional capital: Pazin (9,000)
Commercial and cultural centre: Pula (59,000)
Major towns: Umag, Rovin, Porec, Novigrad, Medulin, Vrsar, Rabac, Lovran (along the coast),
Buzet, Buje, Motovun, Groznjan, Labin (inland)
Official languages: Croatian and Italian. Also spoken: Slovenian
Currency: Croatian kuna (kn)
Surface area: 2,820 km2
Coast length: 445.1 km (west coast 242.5 km and east coast 202.6 km) not including islands
Rivers: Dragonja (Dragogna), Mirna (Quieto) and Rasa (Arsa)
Vegetation: The nickname "green peninsula" speaks volumes. Istria is the biggest green oasis of the northern Adriatic. Forests cover 35% of the surface. Along the coast are pine trees, holm oaks and macchia and Mediterranian green shrubbery.

Accommodation & Major Hotels

Istria Hotels

Hotel Adriatic

Hotel Aurora

Hotel Bellevue

Hotel Belvedere

Holiday Hotel

Hotel Histria

Four Stars
Hotel Valamar Diamant, Porec
Hotel Histria, Pula
Sol Garden Istra, Umag
Sol Aurora, Umag
Hotel Valamar Bellevue, Rabac

Three Stars
Hotel Adriatic, Rovinj
Hotel Belvedere, Medulin
Hotel Holiday, Medulin
Hotel Luna, Porec
Hotel Marina, Rabac
Hotel Neptune, Porec
Hotel Palma, Pula
Hotel Park, Rovinj
Hotel Pical, Porec

Hotels in Medulin - Bookings
Hotels in Porec - Bookings
Hotels in Pula - Bookings
Hotels in Rabac - Bookings
Hotels in Rovinj - Bookings
Hotels in Umag - Bookings
Hostelworld.com - Hostels in Croatia

Foreign visitors usually have a good time in Croatia, because of the low crime rate, decent accommodation and the fact that many locals speak foreign languages and actually like to mingle with foreign tourists.

Currency

The legal currency is kuna (Croatian for marten, a popular local mammal), which is semi-convertible. You can exchange pounds or euros into kunas at hundreds of exchange offices found just about everywhere in the city.

Since anyone can also convert kunas into foreign currency, there is no black market for foreign exchange so all transactions should be carried out at official exchange businesses rather than in the street.

Exchange rates vary from place to place, but remember that a 100 GBP will buy you about 1100 kunas, 100 euros 740 kunas, and 100 dollars 580 kunas (2006 rates).
Currency Converter

Entertainment

Bars + cafés

Istria has plenty of bars, discos and upmarket cafés in its Adriatic resorts.

Enjoy a sunset cocktail in a number of good bars in Umag, Rovinj and Pula.

List your bar, cafe or club here. Contact Us

Restaurants

Istria's local cuisine is influenced by nearby Italy, which means excellent pizza and pasta. Istrian sausage is a local delicacy.

List your restaurant in Istria here. Contact Us

Important telephone numbers

92 - police
93 - fire brigade
94 - ambulance
970 - taxi
987 - road help
0044 - access number for calling UK

Public Internet

List your internet cafe here for FREE! Contact Us

Tourist Information Centers

Porec
Zagrebacka, 11
Tel: 451 293

Pula
Forum, 2
Tel: 219 197
www.pulainfo.hr

Rovinj
Obala Pina Budicina, 12
Tel: 811 566

Getting to Istria

Air

From Zagreb's Pleso Airport (tel. 01 62 65 222) there are flights to Pula with Croatia Airlines.

Air France, British Airways (BA) and KLM all have connections to Croatia. Zagreb is Croatia's airline hub and has domestic flights to Dubrovnik, Pula, Rijeka, Split and Zadar. Easyjet has flights to Split from the UK, germanywings flies to Zagreb from Germany.

Train

Pula has rail connections to Zagreb and Ljubljana, Slovenia.

Bus/Road

There are buses from Pula to Zagreb, Rijeka, Dubrovnik, Porec and Split. From Rovinj there are bus services to Pula, Porec, Dubrovnik and Zagreb. From Porec there are connections to Rovinj, Pula, Rijeka and Zagreb.

Boat

There are Venezia Lines (Tel: 041 52 22 568) boats from Venice to Pula, Rovinj and Porec. The voyage lasts between 3-4 hours depending on your destination.

Getting Around

There are local buses, taxis and boats to the offshore islands. Car hire can work out economical if you are staying for any length of time. It is possible to hire bicycles in a number of Istrian towns.

Rent A Car With Holiday Autos

Rent A Car With Sixt

Weather

Mild mediterranean, with moderately hot summers and mild winters. 2,400 hours of sunshine per year, 10 hours per day during the summer.
The average sea temperature ranges from 9.3 C to 11.1 C in February to 23.3 C to 24.1 C in August. The average air temperature in the summer is 23 C.

Ozren Podnar

Croatian Soccer

Hotels in Croatia
Hotels in Zagreb - Bookings
Hostelworld.com
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Hostel Lika Zagreb
Hotel Fala Zagreb
Pekas Apartments Zagreb

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