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ITThe Ultimate Guide to Istria
Istria is Croatia’s green, heart-shaped peninsula in the north: Venetian harbour towns on the coast, medieval hill towns inland, and truffles, olive oil and wine in between. Here are 25 things we would put on any first trip, grouped like our infographic. The photos of Rovinj are our team’s; the other pictures are illustrations.
Top 5 must-see
Rovinj old town
Tall pastel houses packed onto a small peninsula and crowned by the bell tower of St Euphemia. Walk up through the old streets to the church for the view, then down to the harbour at sunset. See our Rovinj guide and our photo gallery there.
Pula Arena
A Roman amphitheatre from the 1st century and one of the best preserved anywhere, still used for summer concerts and the Pula Film Festival. Stay in Pula or nearby Medulin.
Motovun
A walled medieval town on a hill above the Mirna valley, where the truffle forest begins. Walk the town walls for a view over the whole of inland Istria. Base yourself in central Istria.
Euphrasian Basilica, Poreč
A 6th-century church complex on UNESCO’s World Heritage list, famous for the gold Byzantine mosaics in its apse. It sits in the old town of Poreč.
Lim Fjord
A narrow sea inlet about 10 km long between steep wooded hills, just north of Rovinj. Boat trips run from Rovinj and Vrsar, and the restaurants at its end serve oysters and mussels farmed in the bay.
Best activities
- Truffle tasting — in the hill towns around Motovun and Buzet; the white truffle season is in autumn.
- Bike the coast — seaside paths along the west coast, or the Parenzana, a cycling trail on the line of an old narrow-gauge railway.
- Olive oil tasting — family estates across Istria, many of them rated among the best olive oils in the world.
- Boat trip — to Lim Fjord, the Brijuni islands or the islets off Rovinj.
- Hilltop towns — Motovun, Grožnjan, Oprtalj and Buzet are close enough to see in a day by car.
Parks and gardens
- Brijuni National Park — 14 islands with Roman ruins, reached by boat from Fažana.
- Zlatni rt (Golden Cape) Forest Park — pine forest, coves and walking paths at the edge of Rovinj.
- Cape Kamenjak — the protected southern tip of Istria, with wild coves and very clear water, near Medulin.
- Histria Aromatica — a lavender and herb garden in north-west Istria.
- Učka Nature Park — forest trails up to Vojak peak (1,401 m), above the Kvarner gulf.
Restaurants
- Monte — fine dining in Rovinj’s old town.
- Batelina — fish and seafood in Banjole, near Pula.
- Konoba Morgan — Istrian home cooking near Brtonigla.
- Damir & Ornella — a raw-fish tasting menu in Novigrad.
- San Rocco — Mediterranean cuisine in Brtonigla.
Popular restaurants fill up in summer, so book ahead. The restaurant pictures in the infographic are illustrations, not photos taken there.
Hidden gems
- Grožnjan — a hill town of artists’ studios and summer music courses.
- Hum — often called the smallest town in the world.
- Bale — a quiet medieval town between Rovinj and Vodnjan.
- Premantura — the village at Istria’s southern tip and the gateway to Kamenjak.
- Kotli — a stone hamlet by the Mirna river with small cascades.
- Plomin Bay — a long, narrow inlet north of Labin; see our photos on the Labin & Rabac page.
Where to stay in Istria
For the coast and old towns choose Rovinj, Poreč or Umag; for beaches and Kamenjak, Pula and Medulin; for truffles and hill towns, a stone house in central Istria. All options are in our Istria guide.
Our Croatia infographics
Free to download, print, pin or share — please keep the findstayai.com credit on the image. Tap an infographic to open it larger.
Frequently asked questions
What are the must-see places in Istria?
Rovinj old town, the Pula Arena, the hill town of Motovun, the Euphrasian Basilica in Poreč and Lim Fjord.
When is truffle season in Istria?
White truffles are found in autumn; black truffles are available for most of the year.
Where should I stay in Istria?
Rovinj, Poreč or Umag for the coast and old towns, Pula or Medulin for beaches and Cape Kamenjak, and central Istria for truffles and hill towns.
How do you get to the Brijuni islands?
By boat from Fažana, a few kilometres north of Pula.
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