stay WHERE TO
Park Plaza Histria Pula (above) is on the Verudela peninsula south of Pula’s city centre, with an outdoor pool and nearby beach. B&B doubles from €210.
arenahotels.com
Hotel Neptun on Veliki Brijun faces the harbour and is built in traditional 19th-century Austrian style. Doubles from €162 B&B, including ferry transfer and one free return crossing a day per stay.
np-brijuni.hr/en/ accommodation
Valamar Riviera Hotel & Residence is on the seafront in Poreč old town, with free access to the sister hotel’s facilities on nearby Sveti Nikola island. B&B doubles from €169.
valamar.com
Maistra Select Island Hotel Katarina (below) is a 10-minute boat ride from Rovinj and has an outdoor pool and beach access. All boat journeys are included in the room rate. Room-only doubles from €169.
maistra.com
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Pula amphitheatre; restaurant at Meneghetti Wine Hotel & Winery; aerial view of the Old Town of Motovun; Rovinj and harbour PICTURES: Matej Paluh; Shutterstock/Mazur Travel; Adam Batterbee; SGFd.o.o
the city in favour of the coastal resorts, but that would mean missing out on one of Croatia’s greatest ancient Roman sites, the 1st-century AD Pula Arena. Built around the same time as Rome’s Colosseum, it’s one of the best-preserved amphitheatres in the world and definitely worth a visit. From Pula, buses run to the most popular resorts,
Rovinj and Poreč, but there’s much more to see along the coast and inland for clients who hire a car. South of Pula, past the lively resort of Medulin, the landscape gets more rugged. Here, at Istria’s southernmost tip, is the Premantura peninsula, home to Cape Kamenjak Nature Park. Adventure-seeking holidaymakers come here to swim from rocky and pebbly beaches, watch locals jump from cliffs or rent a kayak or paddleboard to explore a jagged coastline pockmarked with caves.
QUIRKY CROATIA North of Pula is the attractive fishing village of Fažana – worth a stop in itself just to stroll around its colourful lanes and have a swim. But it’s also the departure point for the 15-minute boat ride to Brijuni National Park, which certainly qualifies as one of Croatia’s oddest places – in the nicest sense of the word. Of the archipelago’s 14 islands, two are open to the public, and it’s the larger of the two, Veliki Brijun, that contains the quirkiest mishmash of history. It was inhabited during the Roman and Byzantine empires,
58 31 JULY 2025 Some might skip Pula
in favour of the resorts, but that would mean missing out
became an aristocratic playground under the influence of an Austrian industrialist in the 19th century and later, a summer residence for former Yugoslav president Tito. That storied past has left a mix of ruins alongside much later additions including a golf course, several hotels and villas, beaches and even a safari park. Holidaymakers driving around Istria will soon spot countless signs advertising wineries and olive farms. Istrians pride themselves on their award-winning wines and olive oils, and connoisseurs are spoilt for choice. One of Croatia’s finest hotels, Meneghetti Wine Hotel
& Winery, a 20-minute drive north of Fažana, has always been a go-to place for top-quality wines and oils. This year, the hotel opened its Wine Lounge for tastings and there’s a new events space for weddings in this idyllic spot, surrounded by olive groves and oak and cypress trees.
BEAUTY SPOTS
Another half-hour drive along Istria’s west coast leads to one of Croatia’s most breathtaking towns, Rovinj, which embodies Venetian-style elegance. Its old town
travelweekly.co.uk
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