Best of Istria, Croatia

The complete guide to Istria: 84 hand-picked beaches, towns, viewpoints and hidden spots, mapped and honestly described.

The heart shaped peninsula where Italian flavour meets Slavic heart. Truffle hills, Venetian harbours and the rocky cape of Kamenjak. This is your complete guide to the 84 places we have mapped in Istria.

What’s here

Cultural Landmark (16), Popular Beach (16), City & Town (14), Viewpoint (8), Waterfall (7).

Browse every spot

Baredine Cave Porec. map
Batterie Zonchi. map
Bijela. map
Brijuni National Park, archipel. map
Brijuni Safari. map
Bura Bura. map
Butori ponor. map
Buzet, a hilltop town in northern istria known as the city of truffles, the gateway to the mirna valley where white and black truffles are hunted with dogs each autumn. map
Dog Beach Fazana. map
Dvigrad, a medieval town in istria, first recorded in the 7th century. map
Emily Beach. map
Festinsko Kraljevstvo. map
Fort Forno, an austro-hungarian fortress near bale in istria, built to control the fažana channel. map
Fort Punta Christo, an austro-hungarian fortress at the tip of the pula peninsula, built in the late 19th century to defend the main naval port of the empire. map
Grjok. map
Groznjan, artists hilltown. map
Hum, smallest town world. map
Jama Bašarinka. map
Kamenjak Cape, safari park. map
Kamenjak Premantura, safari park. map
Kastel Parentin. map
Kastell von Krsan. map
Kavran Bucht. map
Kayak Centar Pula. map
Kažun - stone house. map
Kažuni - 3 dry stone houses. map
Küsten-Batterie Valmaggiore. map
Labin, a double town in eastern istria, a venetian hilltop old town above a working class quarter that grew around coal mines opened in the 19th century. map
Lim Fjord, fjord bay.
Lužinski breg. map
Mala Rečina 7. map
Mala Rečina 8. map
Matićev pisak. map
Motovun, truffle hilltown. map
Mugli. map
Novigrad, a small fishing port on the western coast of istria, once a venetian bishopric with old town walls that still ring the narrow streets. map
Novigrad Istra, a small fishing port on the western coast of istria, once a venetian bishopric with old town walls that still ring the narrow streets. map
Parentium Sunset. map
Parna lokomotiva JŽ 835-040. map
Pazin Castle, pazin kaštel. map
Pazin cave. map
Pazinski krov. map
Pietrapelosa Buzet, cliff castle. map
Pijana pruga. map
Piramida Disco Pula, abandoned open air discotheque outside pula. map
Polynesia Beach. map
Pomer. map
Porec Euphrasian Basilica, unesco mosaic. map
Porec Town, a roman settlement (parentium) whose 6th century euphrasian basilica, with its glittering byzantine mosaics, is a unesco world heritage site. map
Poreč, a roman settlement (parentium) whose 6th century euphrasian basilica, with its glittering byzantine mosaics, is a unesco world heritage site. map
Provrtenica. map
Pula, roman arena. map
Pula Underground Tunnels, zerostrato wwii. map
Puntižela beach. map
Romualdova pećina. map
Rovinj, a venetian fishing town that was originally built on an island and joined to the mainland in 1763. map
Rovinj Old Town, venetian harbor. map
Runke. map
Sea view. map
Secret Beach. map
Slap Butori. map
Spomenik Rudaru Borcu. map
Spomenik žrtvama fašizma. map
Stanica Parenzane Buje. map
Stara maslina (ulika). map
Sunčani sat. map
Sv. Damjana u Paludu. map
Svetica - technical and searchlights main entrance. map
Tito, a common shorthand for spomeniks and sites linked to yugoslav leader josip broz tito, whose cult of personality shaped monuments and buildings across the country. map
Umag, a northwestern istrian port, the first croatian town seen by visitors arriving from italy by ferry. map
Uvala Kavran. map
Valalta Belvedere. map
Veli slap. map
Veprinac. map
Zarečki krov. map
ancient windmill. map
crkva sv. Marije. map
crkva sv. Petra. map
dog beach. map
windmill. map
Škaraba. map
Školjić. map
Špilja Mramornica. map
Žiković Valter. map

When to visit

June and September are the sweet spot across Istria: warm, bright and thinner on crowds than high July and August. Winter is quiet and cheap inland, though coastal ferries run less often.

Part of the open Croatia library by Photograph by John, real places, real maps, no paywall.