Poreč
Top billing in Poreč goes to the 6th-century Euphrasian Basilica, a World Heritage Site and one of Europe’s finest intact examples of Byzantine art. Built…
Must-see attractions in Istria's West Coast
Pula
Pula’s most famous and imposing sight is this 1st-century oval amphitheatre, overlooking the harbour northeast of the old town. It's a huge and truly…
Pula
Fronted by a high porch supported by six Corinthian columns, this small but perfectly proportioned temple was built sometime between 2 BC and AD 14. It…
Rovinj
Built from 1725 to 1736, this imposing structure – the largest baroque church in Istria – dominates Rovinj from its hilltop location in the middle of the…
Istria's West Coast
This handsome neobaroque church was completed in 1800 but commenced 40 years earlier, when Venice was still the style-setter for Istria. With its 63m-high…
Pula
Not just any fish tank, this extraordinary aquarium occupies an entire 19th-century military fort – one of 55 built to defend the Austro-Hungarian Empire…
Istria Historical & Maritime Museum
Pula
Since ancient times the 34m hill at the centre of Pula's old town has been fortified. The current star-shaped fortress was built by the Venetians in the…
Pula
Also known as the Golden Gate (Zlatna vrata), this majestic arch was erected around 27 BC to commemorate three brothers from the Sergius family who fought…
St Francis' Monastery & Church
Pula
Built in 1285, Pula's Franciscan monastery has an extraordinary 15th-century gilded altarpiece behind the altar of its cavernous church – but that's not…
Poreč
The island of Sveti Nikola lies just short of 500m south of the peninsula. From May to October small passenger boats make the crossing from the wharf on…
Istria's West Coast
Within easy reach of Poreč, Baredine Cave has subterranean chambers with stalagmites and stalactites. The standard admission is by way of a 30-minute…
Pula
Don't miss Pula's star evening attraction, an amazing lighting display at the city's 19th-century Uljanik shipyard, one of the world's oldest working…
Rovinj
Housed in a 17th-century baroque palace, this museum displays temporary exhibitions on the ground floor, 20th-century and contemporary art on the 1st…
Pula
City life in Pula revolves around its gorgeous 1903 succession-style market building, and the produce stalls and cafes that surround it.
Pula
Officially known as the 'National Liberation Resistance Fighters & Fascist Terror Victims in Istria Memorial', this monument honours the many thousands of…
Rovinj
Covered in oak and pine groves and boasting 10 species of cypress, this verdant expanse was established in 1890 by Baron Hütterott, an Austrian admiral…
Rovinj
Lined with galleries and souvenir stores, this cobbled street leads uphill through the old town to St Euphemia. Windows, balconies, portals and squares…
Pula
One of the intriguing things about Pula is the way that Roman relics pop up in the most unlikely of places. This remarkably well-preserved 3rd-century…
Pula
This underground system of tunnels was built before and during WWI to shelter the city's population and serve as storage for ammunition. Now you can walk…
Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Pula
Founded in the 4th century and added to until the 15th, Pula's cathedral still has fragments of 5th- and 6th-century mosaics in its floor. The main altar…
Rovinj
This elaborate arch was built in 1679 as the main town gate. The top of the arch is ornamented with a Turkish head on the outside and a Venetian head on…
Istria's West Coast
Located almost at the tip of the old-town peninsula, Umag's small but well-curated museum displays archaeological finds from the wider area dating from…
Istria's West Coast
Abutting Umag's surprisingly large main square is this baroque-style church and its 33m-tall free-standing bell tower (built 1651). If the door's locked…
Istria's West Coast
Positioned at Croatia’s westernmost point, this elegant stone lighthouse is Istria’s oldest, built in 1818. It's not open to the public but a set of…
Poreč
The Roman Forum, where public gatherings took place, once stood on the site of the present-day Trg Marafor. The original pavement has been preserved along…
Istria Museum of Contemporary Art
Pula
The suitably dishevelled, cavernous confines of an 1862 printing house are a fitting environment for this edgy gallery.
Poreč
Dating from the 1st century AD, only fragments of this great Roman temple, dedicated to the sea god, have survived.
Rovinj
This tiny museum is dedicated to the batana, a flat-bottomed fishing boat that stands as a symbol of Rovinj’s seafaring and fishing traditions. Although…
Poreč
One of the city's Venetian-era towers; it once guarded the southeastern section of the city.
