Rovinj is said to be the gem of the Istrian coast - it's easy to see why. The old town and the Church of St Euphemia huddled on a narrow peninsula is an unforgettable sight. Rovinj was originally an island, but 250 years ago the narrow channel which separated it from the mainland was filled in.

The old town has beauiful, crumbling buildings, winding stone streets and photo opportunities at every turn. Walk up to the Church of St Euphemia right at the top and you will be amazed by the views. Beware of the cobbles - they are slippery on the way up and the way down. The church has Istria's highest bell tower and dominates the Rovinj skyline. Inside though, we found it a bit disappointing. It was extremely busy and very noisy, some of the wooden pews even had grafitti scrawled on them - a real shame.

Grisia is the winding stone street that goes from the church to the sea - it is delightful. There are lots of little shops selling souvenirs and trinkets and artists displaying their wares. We loved browsing here.

The quayside is lined with bars, restaurants, cafes and ice cream parlours. There are lots of boats in the harbour all offering different excursions.

It is lovely to be out in Rovinj in the evening - the old town and the quayside really come alive. A special place to go is Valentino's Cocktail Bar in the old town. It opens at 6:00pm, you wait at the door to be served and they bring you a cushion with your drink. You then sit on the rocks sipping your drink and enjoying the sunset over the sea.

It's fun to hire a bike and explore the Zlatni Forest Park. Bike hire places are plentiful in Rovinj and it costs around £5 for a day. There are miles of cycle tracks - all fairly easy and flat, you can ride in the forest or along by the sea, stopping at different pebbly beaches and inlets for a quick swim. The further you go from Rovinj, the less people there are.

At different places in the forest there are cafes and bars - all serving good food and cheap drinks. We had lunch at a place called Grote - rustic style sandwiches and beers which was delicious and cost about £1.80 per person.

Mini Croatia is a good place to go if you have children. It is a bit like Istria's answer to Legoland - Croatia and its main buildings and monuments in miniature. Our young son loved it there - the owner is extremely friendly and children can touch the buildings and litte cars. It costs around £2.50 per person entrance and took us about 45 minutes to see everything. It is on the main road out of Rovinj.

We did two different boat trips from Rovinj around the harbour and the islands.

The first was on a glass bottomed boat. There are various people along the harbour offering this type of trip. It cost £7.50 and lasted just over an hour. You do not need to book in advance, just turn up about 15 minutes before the departure time.

The boat was quite small with the bottom made of glass panels and seats around the edge. There were quite a few people squeezed on, so we all had to squash up. Some people moved out onto the small decks at the front and back so this made more space.

There was no safety talk, or mention of lifejackets - though I think they did have some and the captain let a small boy steer the boy while he chatted and laughed with some other passengers. Safety does not seem to be a priority here, but we were OK.

It was quite interesting to look through the glass, the water is crystal clear and you see lots of small fish swimming and lots of rocks. At night time apparently they have a light under the boat and you can see crabs and other night time creatures.

After the initial novelty of looking through the glass wore off, we preferred to enjoy the views of Rovinj and the islands out of the side of the boat. Rovinj looked spectacular from the sea. The blue skies, clear seas and lovely views do make this a really nice way to spend an hour.

The second boat trip we took was similar to the one above, except it was on a much bigger boat called the Delphin. It had 3 decks, with a small sundeck on the very top where you could sunbathe on a lounger for an extra £1.50. This trip cost £7.00 per person and lasted 1.5 hours.

There were comfortable padded benches round the edge of the boat, benches and tables in the middle and a bar serving drinks and snacks. They gave a short but interesting commentary in Croatian, Russian, English and German on the sights we saw as we sailed round the bay.

It's essential to get a look at the Istrian Peninsula from the water. I took two excursions on the Quo Vadis. The first was about a 3-hour tour (yikes! - sound like Gilligan and his pals?) to a fiord north of Rovinj. The second trip was just a sail past some of the islands near Rovinj. Both were enjoyable ways to catch some of the cool breezes on what were very hot days.

One of the skippers of the Quo Vadis was continually offering grappa, wine, and iced tea to the passengers. If you're lucky, and interested, he's happy to pass on bits of lore and information about the places you pass. He also is quick to point out the naked sunbathers on the shore!