This was our last full day in Porec so we opted for a leisurely cruise down the coast. The boat (Zorelac) leaves from the main harbour area every Sunday and is the only boat to travel up the entire Lim fjord. (It's not a fjord…Read More

This was our last full day in Porec so we opted for a leisurely cruise down the coast. The boat (Zorelac) leaves from the main harbour area every Sunday and is the only boat to travel up the entire Lim fjord. (It's not a fjord really but is called one!)

We picked up some more people from resorts a bit further out of town and then travelled down the coast. Croatia is home to the largest nudist camp and beach area in Europe, and interestingly this boat trip takes you straight past all of it. It is a little disconcerting having naked people in boats and on jet skis come flying past but it's interesting to see ths sights!

Once past this distraction, you head down the fjord with its caves in the cliffs--it's very pretty. You cruise past the oyster beds, providing the finest oysters in Europe, and on to the town at the end of the fjord. Sadly, most of it was shut when we arrived and we later discovered this was because they were expecting a visit from the President of Croatia who in his swimming trunks happily waved to us from his boat on the way back out of the fjord.

Then it was on to Rovinj - the next main town down the coast. It's supposed to be more popular than Porec but I can't see why--it's not as pretty and is dirtier and far more touristy. However, it's a nice place to go and has a pleasant old town with an impressive church.

After an hour or so here, it's back on the boat as we head back to Porec. It's great to spend a day on the sea and this is a pleasant leisurely trip to do that. The boat staff are really helpful and have drinks for sale on board. The toilet facilities are good although dark.

Porec is nicely situated almost opposite Venice, and so it's very easy to take a boat trip across for the day. We travelled on the Prince of Venice, a huge catamaran which takes about two hours to do the crossing. You cruise up past St.…Read More

Porec is nicely situated almost opposite Venice, and so it's very easy to take a boat trip across for the day. We travelled on the Prince of Venice, a huge catamaran which takes about two hours to do the crossing. You cruise up past St. Mark's Square and the Grande Canal before coming to the area where day boats are allowed to moor. Customs paid us no attention and we were whizzed through and off along the canal front over little bridges until about 20 minutes later we arrived in St. Mark's Square. Here our guide gave us a talk about the square which was not only amusing but educational. After that it was a quick walk to a Murano glass factory where we watched a man create a glass horse in under five minutes - it was very impressive. Then after walking very carefully around the mega-expensive gift shop we were on our own.

We made a beeline for the Rialto bridge, stopping only to buy a baguette on the way. The Rialto was very well signposted, and although busy we were able to take some photos before wandering back into the mash of little streets and bridges. Venice is superb in that at each turn you are confronted with another scenic view. We returned to St. Mark's Square via an ice-cream shop for a look at the Bridge of Sighs and then on along the Grande Canal away from the crowds. We'd decided to take a water taxi from St. Mark's Square back to the boat as this meant for 7 euros we had a trip all the way up the Grande Canal and down another one, a superb taxi ride and worth every euro.

Now having completed the major sights of Venice we collapsed back on to the boat for our ride back to Porec.

The day trip is quite expensive (440 kuna) but well worth it if all you want to do is say you've been to Venice and then impress friends with a mountain of photos. I'd recommend it as Venice isn't somewhere I'd like to spend a lot of time - simply too many tourists!