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…
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…
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…
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Pula
Officially known as the 'National Liberation Resistance Fighters & Fascist Terror Victims in Istria Memorial', this monument honours the many thousands of…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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Rovinj
Lined with galleries and souvenir stores, this cobbled street leads uphill through the old town to St Euphemia. Windows, balconies, portals and squares…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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Pula
City life in Pula revolves around its gorgeous 1903 succession-style market building, and the produce stalls and cafes that surround it.
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Istria Museum of Contemporary Art
Pula
The suitably dishevelled, cavernous confines of an 1862 printing house are a fitting environment for this edgy gallery.
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Poreč
Dating from the 1st century AD, only fragments of this great Roman temple, dedicated to the sea god, have survived.
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Poreč
One of the city's Venetian-era towers; it once guarded the southeastern section of the city.
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