Rovinj
© Yahor PiaskouskiRovinj

Istria travel guide

Read our essential Istria travel guide for the best destinations in the region, with great things to do, sightseeing, bars, hotels, restaurants and more...

Written by
Justin McDonnell
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Istria feels separate from the rest of Croatia. Christened 'Terra Magica' by the Romans, this small, triangular peninsula was part of Italy until after World War II. Istria has its own, celebrated gastronomy, and a range of great delicacies which include wines, prosciutto (pršut) and olive oils. Nothing is ever too far away, and its interior is every bit as beautiful as the coast. Remnants of Istria's Roman, Byzantine and Habsburg past can be found in its churches, sites and museums. You can spend the day at the coastal resorts of Rovinj, Poreč or Novigrad and dine luxuriously in the main town of Pula, home to some excellent restaurants. North-east, towards the Slovenian border, is a small hub of quality Istrian restaurants and spa retreats. Inland is dotted with timeless hilltop villages like Grožnjan, Motovun or Hum, and restaurants that Italians cross the border to savour. On the wilder, less-developed east coast, Rabac has seen a number of recent, family-friendly or boutique hotel openings. Oddities such as Tito's surreal island menagerie of Brijuni make a longer stay in Istria a varied and attractive proposition.

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Rovinj travel guide

Rovinj travel guide

Rovinj is Istria’s showpiece, its answer to Dalmatia’s Dubrovnik, with far fewer crowds and a more realistic view of itself. It maintains a meticulously...

Pula travel guide

Pula travel guide

Pula is as urban as Istria gets. It is indisputably the region’s commercial centre, and is home to almost half its population. The city’s growing status as a...

Poreč travel guide

Poreč travel guide

Poreč is something of a cross between Pula and Rovinj, although neither as street-smart nor as bohemian. It can be hard at first to recognise its true value....

Motovun travel guide

Motovun travel guide

Motovun – Montona to the Romans – is one of the most beautiful and best preserved of Istria’s medieval hilltop settlements. These days it’s best known for its...

Novigrad travel guide

Novigrad travel guide

Located north towards Italy, its compact centre attracting day trippers from over the border, Novigrad can seem like a humble resort town by Istrian standards....