Pula nightlife guide

For mainstream clubbing, arrange for the taxi driver to head north-east of the centre. The best venue there is Aruba, with a bar outdoors and crowded two-room disco inside. The Zen Club is similarly funky if quite mainstream, although admission is free.

Heading south of the centre towards the hotel zone of the Verudela peninsula, the summer-only beach bar and restaurant Ambrela was renovated in 2009 and invites DJs to thump out house, hip hop and techno while punters enjoy the terrace view over a stony beach.

Club Uljanik right in the city centre has been going since the ’60s and still boasts a strong year-round roster of alternative bands and DJ nights, and opens up a big outdoor terrace in summer. Indy gigs and alternative club nights also take place in the basement of the Rojc Centre, although you should check the schedule before making tracks.

Habsburg-era navel forts count among Pula’s most compelling nightlife destinations: Fort Bourguignon near Valsaline Bay hosts regular summer DJ events; while Fort Punta Christo, north along the coast, is the site of the Outlook and Dimensions festivals, and the seasonal Seasplash Summer Club