2 Weeks in Istria

Croatia has probably one of Europe's most spectacular coastlines with mountains tumbling into the clear, island scattered sea. With its narrow strip of coast - 1,000 miles and 1,185 islands it is an obvious choice for the classic sunny holiday.

We spent two weeks on the Istrian peninsula which attracts a large portion of Croatia's tourists, lured by the dramatic rocky coastline, the picture postcard towns and the laidback lifestyle and fine food. It is quite close to the Italian border and only became part of Croatia, then Yugoslavia at the end of World War II. Istria still retains its Italian influenced culture. The street signs are bilingual and the towns have Croatian and Italian names. The war barely touched this area and it is again popular with package tours and independent tourists.

We loved every aspect of our holiday here, but the real highlights were:

ROVINJ - so beautiful and easy to see why they call it the gem of the Istrian coast. With its old town huddled on a narrow peninsula, its lively bars and restaurants along the quayside and the beautiful Zlatni Forest Park full of cycle trails and rocky inlets, this really is a special place to visit.

THE BASILICA OF EUPHRASIUS IN POREC - its gold mosiacs all wonderfully preserved and the quiet, reverent atmosphere.

THE BRIJUNI ISLANDS - reached by catamaran, very beautiful with a fascinating history - these were the summer retreat of Tito.

PULA - its magnificient Roman amphitheatre, lovely old town and sense of history.

Quick Tips:

Language is not a problem. Most people speak English and everyone we met seemed eager to help.

Don't be cash short - a lot of restaurants seemed to be cash only, although hotels and car hire companies all accepted credit cards. The Croatian currency is the kuna. We changed currency before we left the UK, but most of the exchange offices in Rovinj offered a much better rate of exchange. Think about waiting until you get there before you change your cash into Kunas.

Drive sober - there is zero alcohol tolerance in Croatia - drink driving laws are strict and no alcohol whatsoever is permitted in the blood.

There are no sandy beaches - all are rocky or pebbly and are hard on the feet, so rubber shoes are recommended. We actually bought ours there - lots of places sell these shoes and they are cheap. Also lots of places sell padded cushions - it's a good idea to buy one to sit on a rock at the beach. Despite the fact there is no sand the waters are some of the cleanest in the Meditteranean. More than 80 fly Blue Flags and lots are sheltered by pine trees.

It is very safe - mugging and theft did not seem to be a problem, we felt safe out walking at all times day and night.

Swimming pools and other bathing areas do not have lifeguards - just remember this and be cautious.

If you decide to drive in Croatia you must have your side lights on at all times - this is the law and if you are caught not using side lights there is an on the spot fine of 300 Kunas.

A useful website for more information on Croatia in general is www.croatia.hr

Best Way To Get Around:

There are non stop flights to Pula from the UK and short transfers to the resorts. We flew on a scheduled Croatian Airlines flight. The Airbus A320 was immaculate inside and the flight took just over 2 hours. Pula airport is small and basic but adequate and you clear passport control and security easily and quickly.

We transferred to Rovinj from the airport by coach - this took about 45 minutes.

In Rovinj you can go everywhere on foot or for a fun way to get around hire a bicycle. Taxis are quite cheap if you need to go a little further afield, but if you do want to explore properly you would need a hire car.

We hired a Renault Twingo which had air conditioning. Do not book a hire car until you get to Rovinj. We were quoted £60 - £90 per day in the UK plus an extra £20-£40 for a child seat by the major operators. In Rovinj there are numerous small local hire car companies - we used one of these and it cost us £30 per day - this included the child seat. Driving was no problem - the roads were well sign posted and not too busy.

The Hotel Eden is a 4 star hotel set in a beautiful location about 20 minutes walk from Rovinj. It has a forest park on one side and seafront paths leading past the yachting harbour into Rovinj on the other. The large gardens lead down to the pool area and the seashore.

Inside the hotel is really nice - fresh and contemporary like it had undergone recent refurbishment. Our room was modern and very clean - 2 large, comfortable single beds pushed together and a leather sofa bed. There was a flat screen television on the wall with a limited choice of satellite channels, a minibar and a hairdryer.

The bathroom was clean and modern - white tiles, chrome fittings and a powerful shower -no bath. The room was air-conditioned and had a small balcony with 2 chairs and a table. The views from the balcony were not that great - lots of trees.

We stayed at the hotel on a half board basis. Breakfast and evening meals were buffet style. There was a wide selection of food and it was quite nice, but like most hotels after 2 weeks it started to seem a bit bland and "samey". We were impressed though as on the first night we arrived, despite not getting to the hotel until 10:00pm they had a cold meal prepared for us.

The hotel gardens are large - grassy with lots of trees and brown squirrels running around. Although there were always a lot of people sunbathing, you could still find a quiet area and not feel crowded. Sunbeds were free and plentiful at all times of the day.

The hotel has 3 pools - 1 indoor, 1 outdoor and 1 children's pool - all saltwater. The hotel provided free pool towels. There is also a gym, mini-golf, bowling alley, table tennis and clay tennis courts. They had an animation team which offered a range of daily activities including a children's club. Every evening at 8:30 there was a children's disco for half an hour, followed by live entertainment - usually a band on the outdoor stage.

There is an Italian style restaurant at the bottom of the gardens - the Oleander. We had lunch there twice - pizza and pasta and it was absolutely delicious. It was also reasonably priced - 2 pizzas and 4 beers cost around £12.00. We would recommend eating here.

The staff at the hotel were excellent - helpful, friendly and efficient. On our second evening there we were invited to the hotel manager's welcome reception. He and his heads of department introduced themselves and gave information on the hotel, we got a glass of champagne and there was a prize draw. We actually won first prize - lunch for 2 in the Oleander restaurant.

There was a real mixture of people staying here - retired couples, young couples and lots of families with children - it seemed to have something for everyone. We would highly recommend staying here.

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.

We did an organised tour with a company called Kompass - it cost £40 per person and went to the Brijuni Islands.

The Brijuni National Park is a group of 2 large and 12 small islands protected as national park since 1983. It only opened to the public in 1984 - before this former presidents kept it as their summer retreat, including the former Yugoslav leader Tito.

He spent 6 months a year on the island for over 35 years. In his 31 years as head of state, Tito built 3 summer palaces and a safari park which survives to this day.

We travelled by catamaran from Rovinj to Brijuni. The catamaran was great - air conditioned, lots of seats, very comfortable and large windows to admire the lovely views. The trip took 40 minutes and was really smooth.

The islands are only 6km from Pula. To visit you must either have a hotel reservation for the main island, or come with an excursion. You cannot just go there for the day and wander around and then leave.

We were met at the quayside by our guide - a very nice lady who spoke good English. There were about 20 English people in the tour that day. The tour takes about 3 hours. You visit the safari park, go past Tito's former residence (but do not actually see anything as it is hidden in the trees), see some ancient ruins and have half an hour in a small museum. The museum has a large display of stuffed animals - Tito shot them and had them stuffed. There is also an interesting area with information and pictures of Tito on the island and some of the famous guests he entertained there - Sophia Loren, Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton to name a few.

A small tourist train then takes you through the safari park and around the perimeter of the island. It is very cramped, hardly any legroom and no air conditioning - we were so hot.

The safari park is not that impressive - it has mainly zebras, horses, donkeys and lots of deer. There are 2 elephants - nearly 40 years old which were given to Tito by Indira Ghandi. The train stops for about 15 minutes near the elephant enclosure and you can stretch your legs and get a much needed drink at the little bar there.

It is interesting to visit the island, given its history and the Tito connection but you do not have any free time to explore. As soon as the tour finishes you are shepherded back to the catamaran and off the island.

It took us 40 minutes to drive to Porec from Rovinj - a relatively easy drive and well signposted. Most parking spaces in Porec were metered, we found a space close to the centre quite easily and it cost £4 to park for the whole day.

Porec is quite a nice resort - it has a big marina and lots of large yachts. This is the most popular resort in Istria. Tito planned to use resorts like Porec to draw in much needed currency from tourists from all over Europe. It worked and thousands of visitors came. The war did dent tourism but did not leave any physical damage. Numbers are climbing to pre-war levels and it is again a busy resort. It has lots of cafes, restaurants, bars and boats offering day trips.

The main reason to visit Porec is the Basilica of Euphrasius. It is UNESCO protected , well preserved and really worth a visit. It's known for its gold mosiacs - supposedly some of the finest in Europe. It was built between 543 and 554 AD by Bishop Euphrasius and has 9 naves, marble columns imported from Constantinople and fine sculptures. The church has a nice hushed and reverential atmosphere - you feel you are in a special place. Inside you can get up close to everything.

The entrance has a lovely open atrium with columns and arches and a square in the centre. Inside the church there are older mosiacs close to the main door that have been uncovered below floor level. These have been dated back to the fourth century. The wooden pews are from the 15th century.

We climbed the 120 steps of the steeple for a lovely panoramic view of Porec and the surrounding areas. It costs £1.00 to do this but the views are beautiful.

Porec has a small aquarium - we went there - give it a miss. It costs around £2.50 to get in and you can see everything they have there in less than 5 minutes.

The coastal drive from Porec back to Rovinj is lovely - Limski Fjord is a really nice place to stop. Lots of boat trips go here from the resorts, but you can drive right to the waters edge and park and enjoy the views from the land. The water is amazing - greeney blue and so clear.

It took us about 45 minutes to drive from Rovinj to Pula - not much to look at scenery wise en route, but an easy drive and well signposted.

Pula is the largest city in Istria, aside from the tourist business it is an important shipbuilding centre.

The most famous sight is the Roman amphitheatre - it's really worth visiting. It's the 6th largest in the world, is 3 storeys tall and was built in the first century AD. It is so well preserved. When we went there were a lot of tour groups visiting, but there is plenty of space for everyone. Concerts are still held here and the Pula Opera Festival takes place here every summer. Lots of well know artists have performed at the amphitheatre - Pavrotti played his farewell concert here. It can hold 23,000 spectators and must be a great place to see a concert.

Pula also has a really beautiful and interesting old town. The Triumphal Arch of Sergius has been standing since 27BC and two of the original Roman town gates are also still standing. The Roman Forum has the remains of the Temple of Augustus which took a decade to build in the first century AD and still has its mighty columns. We just loved wandering around the old narrow streets along the cobbles.

James Joyce lived in Pula in 1904 for 5 months while he taught English at the Berlitz language school. We didn't find the house where he lived, but there is a plaque on what used to be the language school (now a clothes shop) and a statue of the man himself nearby.

Croatia were playing their second match in the World Cup while we were there. Everyone in Pula seemed to be wearing a Croatian shirt and had their faces painted. We found a bar in the old town with a television outside, all decorated with flags and a shrine to the team. We drank beer, watched the football in the midst of about 20 noisy but good natured Croatians and had a great afternoon - unfortunately thought it was a scoreless draw.

Just outside the centre of Pula is the Verundella area - it has a beautiful marina, lots of yachts, pine forests and an aquarium. The aquarium is at the bottom of a 120 year old Austrian Hungarian fortress and takes up five large rooms. There are big seawater tanks with Adriatic flora and fauna and some big open tanks with dogfish, sea urchins, crabs and starfish. It costs £2.50 to get in. The aquarium is ok, but being inside the old fortress is great - dark, gloomy, cold with really thick impenetrable walls. Go down the long tunnel which seems like you are going underground but it leads to a charming cafe and outdoor seating area where we had some delicious ice cream. The aquarium opens daily 9:00 - 10:00 and the website is www.aquariumpula.istra.hr.

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.