©rusm/Getty Images
Istria
Continental Croatia meets the Adriatic in Istria (Istra to Croats), the heart-shaped, 3600-sq-km peninsula in the country's northwest. The bucolic interior of rolling hills and fertile plains attracts food- and culture-focused visitors to Istria’s hilltop villages, rural hotels and farmhouse restaurants, while the indented coastline is enormously popular with the sun-and-sea set. Though vast hotel complexes line much of the coast and the rocky beaches are not Croatia’s best, facilities are wide-ranging, the sea is clean and secluded spots are still plentiful.
Attractions
Must-see attractions
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
-
Pula
Officially known as the 'National Liberation Resistance Fighters & Fascist Terror Victims in Istria Memorial', this monument honours the many thousands of…
-
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…
-
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…
Plan with a local
Articles
Latest stories from Istria
Filter by interest:
in partnership with getyourguide
