Things to do & places to visit in Istria, Croatia

Istria #2 destination in Croatia 2023. The average rating score is 4.42 based on 52.1k traveler reviews, of 628 attractions. Timezone: Europe/Zagreb, current date and time: Sunday, April 28, 2024, 0:25.

Top things to do (41)

Top places to visit (30 attractions) view more »

5.0 Karlic Tartufi (663 reviews)
- Funny, talented family with generational tradition of truffle hunting and preparation.
Sunday: 8:00 AM - 7:30 PM Eco Tours • Sightseeing Tours • Private Tours • Food Tours

We came for just the tasting and cooking demonstration with Karlic Tartufi. Our travel agent had booked us for a truffle hunt with another guide, and he was amazing, but I'm sure Karlic Tartufi has a fantastic truffle hunt as well. I am sure of this, because Ivana Karlic did our cooking demo, and she was friendly, informative and very witty! It was a joy to hear her family's story and taste their delicious truffle-infused products in their beautiful new restaurant, which has a gorgeous cooking area and plenty of seating. They have a villa for rent next door, and staying there would be a fantastic way to spend time in beautiful Istria. See more..
5.0 Aura Distillery (531 reviews)
- Best "homemade" liquors in the region!
Sunday: 9:00 AM - 8:00 PM Spent 1-2 hours Speciality & Gift Shops • Distilleries

The company ''Aura proizvodi'' is dedicated to the production of exclusive traditional products such as brandies and jams and other autochthonous products made of wild herbs and wild fruits picked in a clean environment at the slopes of the mountain Ćićarija, far away from roads and inhabited places. From the initial production for our own needs, we have developed into a family-owned company that primarily focuses on the quality of its products. The products need to be of the same quality as the homemade products our grandmothers produced - without preservatives and artificial ingredients. We produce and offer many interesting delicacies: jams made of nettles, mint, dandelions, sage, elderflower, figs, plums and cornel. We also produce brandies ageing up to three years - they macerate for six months, and are then distilled. After that, the distillate is returned to the macerate, which is decanted up to six times in the following two and a half years in order to naturally loose lees, thus creating a final product ready for the market. In addition to the traditional Biska, Medica and Teranino we produce brandies made of sage, mint, cornel, carob, olives and almonds, wild pears, wild apples, rose petals, rosehip, forest fruits and herb brandy. We are the only ones on the market that produce the Biska extra, made of white mistletoe picked exclusively from apple trees. Our products can be found in better wine shops across Croatia, delicatessen shops, renowned hotels and high-class restaurants. We also have four shops - in Hum, the smallest city in the world, in Vrbnik on the island of Krk, in the national park Krka and in Buzet where our headquarters is. The products ''AurA'' are recognised by the market as top-quality brands in which a lot of work and immense amounts of love for each product were invested. Our slogan embodies everything we previously mentioned: 'PICKED BY HAND, PREPARED WITH LOVE'. Your health is our delight. See more..
5.0 Mediterraneo Bar (440 reviews)
- Great place to get a drink while watching the sunset
Sunday: 10:00 AM - 12:00 AM Spent 1-2 hours Bars & Clubs

Mediterraneo Bar is your secret escape in Rovinj...situated on the rocks in most famous street Santa Croce at nr. 24 See more..
5.0 Chiavalon Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil (399 reviews)
- Liquid Gold
Sunday: Spent 1-2 hours Farms

"We are a family owned farm, specialized in the production of top quality extra virigin olive oil. Our blends are renowned and awarded all over the world, not only for the quality, but also for our particular design and packaging. Beside olive oil, we are also focusing on producing new organic products, that you can all taste on our family estate. If you want to experience tasting our liquid gold like a pro, feel free to stop by for a free tasting or reserve your place for one of our guided tours at our brand new olive mill. Looking forward to meeting you!" See more..
5.0 Paragliding Tandem Istra (381 reviews)
- Fly like a bird
Sunday: 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM Parasailing & Paragliding • Adrenaline & Extreme Tours • Private Tours

Eventhough we had some troubles finding the place and got there with more than an hour of delay, Airie was able to fit us into his schedule. He was very friendly, calm and we felt very safe up in the air with him. We would recommend this to anyone, the views are amazing and the feeling up in the air- indescribable. It's totally worth it and we would love to come back some time for another flight with Airie! See more..
5.0 Glavani Park (361 reviews)
- Great place!!!
Sunday: 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM Adrenaline & Extreme Tours • Zipline & Aerial Adventure Parks

Great place. Everyone is super nice. Nigel is a great host! The ropes are challenging (I believe!). Most importantly, it is very professional-definitely recommend! Oh, and then there’s the “Catapult”...... See more..
5.0 Zip Line Pazinska Jama (347 reviews)
- Zip line in Pazin
Zipline & Aerial Adventure Parks

It is safe and easy. 2 times some 280m zip, aprox 100m above the valley. I made 60km/h (I weigh 87kg). Need 5 mins to walk back. Parking place is identified by car navigation. Do not miss a walk in the city after that. See more..
5.0 Brist Extra Virgin Olive Oil (244 reviews)
- Great sunset chill feeling
Sunday: Spent 1-2 hours Farms

Our family farm is located in the gentle hills above the town of Vodnjan. You can book an educational tour with us to our olive grove and enjoy the beautiful views over the Brijuni Islands while learning all about the production of world class olive oil in Istria. Tour booking can be done by email, phone or best to come and visit our shop in the center of Vodnjan where you can enjoy a free tasting of our full range of our 5 different oils. The address of our shop is on the main street in Vodnjan, Trgovacka 40, (directly opposite the post office). We very much look forward to meeting you and sharing a wonderful olive oil experience with you. Paul O'Grady. See more..
5.0 Istrakayak (242 reviews)
- Superb private (speed)boat tour
Sunday: 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM Scuba & Snorkelling • Surfing & Windsurfing • Nature & Wildlife Tours • Stand Up Paddleboarding • Kayaking & Canoeing

We had a fantastic private (speed)boat tour this week. What a nice experience!! Owner takes good account of the weather situation to ensure an optimal and safe boat trip. We saw many beautiful places around Cape Kamenjak and several uninhabited islands in the Medulin Riviera: beautiful water caves, fish, dinosaur footprints, rare plants ... . Very nice contact: spontaneous and with great knowledge of the local situation. Highly recommended, both among adults and with children! See more..
5.0 Miro Tartufi (238 reviews)
- A must do if you love truffles!
Spent 2-3 hours Speciality & Gift Shops

Visit the magical Motovun, go truffle hunting and enjoy truffle flavour of Istra! Find hidden Istrian gems with Miro - a licensed guide who has more than 35 years of experience in the truffle business and allow yourself to be taken on the delicious food adventure by Mirjana – our hostess who also started this business! You will learn all about truffles: the tradition of truffle hunting, the ways of training truffle hunting dogs, the ways of preparing your favourite truffle dishes and much more. All this while basking in the sun and soaking up the fresh air! Book your tour and emabark on this delicious, unforgettable adventure with the Miro Tartufi team! Follow us on Instagram ( miro See more..
5.0 Merlo Boats (227 reviews)
- Nice boat rental
Scuba & Snorkelling • Boat Tours • Boat Rentals • Dolphin & Whale Watching • Speed Boats Tours

It was a great Experience. We rented the Sessa Key Largo. Actually for Tuesday, but since there was a lot of wind predicted, we could simply postpone this via WhatsApp to Friday. The boat was very new and clean. The 100hp engine for the Sessa Key Largo was completely enough and the fuel usage was reasonable. We paid 65€ for fuel for a round trip to island cres and the blue cave. See more..
5.0 Truffle Hunting (215 reviews)
- If you love walking in the woods with dogs, try this!
Spent 1-2 hours Scavenger Hunts

We recently visited Istria and were lucky enough to have gotten a truffle tour with Nikola Tarandek and it was one of the highlights of our 5 day visit. Nikola is very funny, and entertained us while teaching us. His dogs are so sweet, and so well-trained. Nikola makes it clear that he can't guarantee that we will find truffles, but his dogs are so good they managed to find two white truffles in the hour we spent on tour, even thought the dry conditions made it a tough truffle season. See more..
4.5 Amphitheatre de Pula (5.286 reviews) from $13.74
- No visit to Pula would be complete without coming here
Spent < 1 hour Ancient Ruins

The Arena in Pula is a 1st-century Roman amphitheatre. The arena is the 6th largest in the world. See more..
4.5 Old Town (4.318 reviews)
- Beautiful old Adriatic town
Neighborhoods • Historic Walking Areas

Narrow alleys and passages; old and traditional buildings; bars, konobas and small restaurants popping out in most unexpected places; great sunset views; great walks throughout the city and always there is something new to discover. One of the jewels of Istra, must visit place. - on the down side, it is in high demand with tourists and visitors, so it is not cheap. See more..
4.5 Porec Old Town (2.774 reviews)
- Nice city.
Historic Sites

Nice city. It was 15min from our hotel. For those who don’t want to go there on foot, there is a noddy train for 50HRK (~6,80€). There are many restaurants, narrow streets with little souvenir shops and beautiful seaside with lighthouse view. There are many boats and yachts in the seaport. We were amazed. See more..
4.5 Aquapark Istralandia (2.365 reviews) from $37.47
- Great, since it was more empty
Sunday: 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM Spent More than 3 hours Water Parks

Aquapark „Istralandia“ This amazing waterworld spread on over 81 000 m2 is located only 5 km from the seashore, on direct Novigrad-Nova Vas highway exit and the main road between the highway and town of Novigrad. „Istralandia“ offers abundance of relaxation and excitement with guaranted adrenaling dosage on 20 different slides with over 1,6 km of tubes; high and aslope for the brave ones, slides with rubber boats and the latest technolgy tube-slides. „Istralandia“ has the largest wave pool in this part of Europe. Aquaprk „Istralandia“ is also intended for families with children of all ages for whom adrenaline dosage and fun can be found on children's tower. In October 2014 Aquapark „Istralandia“ has won in Rome, Italy a special award for the eneterprener project of the year in the category of new water parks, known as the „Oscar of the entertainment parks“. On the most prestigeous european fair of attractions (EAS 2015 and EAS 2016) in category of the best aquaparks in Europe among the 300 aquaparks, „Aquapark Istralandia“ was two yers in a row rewarded by Kirmes&Park Revue, Germany another prestige award: „Europe's Best Water Parks“ -5th place. See more..
4.5 Kamenjak National Park (1.673 reviews)
- Beautiful bays on a day trip from Pula
National Parks

I would definitely recommend Kamenjak as a day trip from Pula, the bus only took around 30 minutes and was quite reliable, then it's a walk from the bus stop and free entry. Getting round the park on foot is quite long, a car would be much easier! I wanted to see as much as possible so arrived around 8am and barely saw anyone on the first few beaches. By around 10am it was getting a lot busier. I walked around the majority of the park, leaving around 4pm but this was a huge amount of walking in one day. The park itself is very beautiful, the dust makes it look very ethereal and I didn't have an issue with cars driving fast like others mentioned. I did visit the safari bar which is cash only, and nice to get a fresh lemonade and take in the views. The bays/beaches I would recommend in particular are Radovica and Plovanije. All of that side is particularly stunning in my opinion! See more..
4.5 Port of Rovinj (1.574 reviews)
- Perfect scenery
Points of Interest & Landmarks • Historic Walking Areas

A pleasant port town in the northern Adriatic Sea with opportunities to explore vinyards, shops and beaches. See more..
4.5 Church of St. Euphemia (1.527 reviews)
- Beautiful climb at night and in the morning.
Spent < 1 hour Churches & Cathedrals

We made our 2nd visit before gaining entry to this largest baroque church in Istria, built in 1736. Both last evening and this morning we walked the easiest and prettiest polished cobblestone street from the main square, a 300 m climb from the 1680 Venetian Balbis Arch, passing restaurants and small art and pottery shops. This clear Friday morning, we came at 10 AM but it was nearly 10:30 AM before a man arrived on a scooter to open the side and main entry. While other early arrivals went to climb the 197’ tower (20 hrk), our goal was to see the painted chapel with the 6th C Roman sarcophagus containing the relics of St. Euphemia. After seeing the upper wall’s fine sea views, we descended the easy sloping walkway that wound around to the southern port, 900m back to the main square. See more..
4.5 Parish Of The Assumption Of The Blessed Virgin Mary Cathedral (1.520 reviews)
- A designated World Heritage Site
Spent < 1 hour Churches & Cathedrals

Don't be fooled by the unassuming entrance to the Basilica, entrance is reasonable and worth every penny in my book for a glimpse of some of the treasures inside & out. Stand outs are the mosaics (Christ with the 12 apostles), 16th century bell tower & colonnaded atrium. Given the history and its tumultuous past dicing with fires & earthquakes its in remarkably good shape. See more..
4.5 Jama - Grotta Baredine (854 reviews)
- Cool experience
Spent 2-3 hours Caverns & Caves

Baredine Cave Protected morphological monument of nature Meet the mystical world of nature which has been developing for thousands of years, far away from the light of the day and the human eye. Visit the underworld the Baredine Cave. This cave is a treasure chest of stalagmites and stalactites, underworld sculptures created through time by the patient work of water. Visit The cave is geomorphological monument of nature since 1986, and it has been opened for visitors since 1995. The sightseeing lasts 40 minutes; visitors descend along a 300m long pathway up to 60m below the ground and an underground lake and visit five beautifully decorated chambers. The cave is well lit and equipped, the paths and stairways have firm railing, and the temperature is very pleasant at 14˚C. Next to the cave are a free parking lot (for cars and buses), a reception, a coffee-bar/buffet, speleo-gallery, souvenir shops, children play ground, and area with domesticated animals and a pick-nick area See more..
4.5 Medulin Excursions Sandra (818 reviews)
- Great way to spend a day
Sunday: 8:00 AM - 11:00 PM Boat Tours • Night Tours

The best trip at this summer! The staff was amazing the food taste so good and our trip to the island and cave is unforgettable. We are a family with 3 children and they had a wonderful time. Thank you, we will never forget it. See more..
4.5 Hilltop Walled Ancient City of Motovun (552 reviews)
- Five * visit on a clear day.
Architectural Buildings

We drove our rental car up here from Porec, parking at the top where the shuttle bus unloads and near the parking ticket machine. The upper level entry road has plenty of space during the off season, especially in the morning. I bought a 1 hour ticket with my card for 10 kn and we walked 350 m up the cobblestone lane passing gift and truffle shops to the Town Gate. Then 60 m more passing restaurant diners enter the Town Wall Gate which empties into the main square with a perfect view of the 17th C St. Stephen. It was closed so we walked along the northern wall for its excellent viewpoints to vineyards, farm fields and forests. Our favorite view was from the Porec road 3 km south called “View Motovun” on Google maps and next to a roadway cafe. Nice visit on a clear day. See more..
4.5 Punta Corrente (504 reviews)
- Pretty park
Spent More than 3 hours Parks

Golden Cape (Zlatni rt/Punta corrente), Kurent Bay and Montauro Cape are located around 1.5 km away from the town-center, south of the ACI Marina and Lone Bay.The coast is mostly rocky. There are a few beaches covered with small round stones, and Kurent Bay, the most visited beach in this area, covered with gravel. Kurent Cape is on the eastern side (see map). The beaches are rocky and the access to the sea is not easy. At Kurent Cape you will also find a pier where you can temporarily tie your boat and there is also a small gravel-covered bay. See more..
4.5 Tajana & Zlatni Rat Excursions (494 reviews)
- Amazingly fulfilled journey
Sunday: 8:00 AM - 11:00 PM Boat Tours • Private Tours

Surprising experience in absolutely positive direction. We're family of 5 with a baby stroller and we felt confortable on a boat named Tajana. We saw everything announced (many dolphins, light house, nice sunset) and additionaly we enjoyed the feeling from carefully and fairly prepared trip with a tasty meal in the end - thumbs up, crew! See more..
4.5 Groznjan Hilltop village of artists, Istria, Croatia (472 reviews)
- Bohemian charm
Spent 2-3 hours Points of Interest & Landmarks

Often referred to as the 'artists village' there are more boutique/craft shops and art galleries than you can shake a stick at here. Admittedly not all to our taste but some hidden gems all the same. Look out for the small jewellery/leather shop (blue door with butterfly motif) and a unique clothing store where you'll find the owner somewhere around if you loiter long enough in the shop! The town has a clever one way traffic and parking system so its a breeze to find a spot, pay and walk into the old town. See more..
4.5 The town of Hum (307 reviews)
- Charming little town above beautiful hills
Neighborhoods

Beautiful smallest town. Great ambience, everything is packed in few charming stone streets. We loved it. You can see a church, a tower, few charming gift shops, a restaurant and the scenery around is gorgeous. See more..
4.5 Main Street (294 reviews)
- Beautiful stroll
Points of Interest & Landmarks • Historic Walking Areas

We went walking from our hotel Lone towards the old city of Rovijn en it was just a little too hot to walk with the kids, around 35 degrees, but besides that the city is just beautiful and it's full of cozy corners with amazing structures of the old city which for me looks like venetia very much and by the harvor it's just Saint Tropez. It's well worth the visit to the city. We also talked towards the highest point which is where the church of Santa Eugenia is and went all the way up to the tower of the chapel en the view is stunning. It's a must see case there you can see the whole city of Rovijn en for me.that was the best photo location of whole Rovijn . See more..
4.5 Spiaggia Isola rossa, Rovigno (262 reviews)
- One day escape
Spent More than 3 hours Points of Interest & Landmarks

We went for a one day trip with taxi boat and it was everything we hoped for. Clean, peaceful and wonderful. There is a few thing you could see on the island but I recomend to just enjoy clean blue sea and drink few coctails in beach bar. Mind body and soul reset ! See more..
4.5 Kozlovic Winery (226 reviews)
- Just Superb
Sunday: Wineries & Vineyards

The Kozlovic philosophy is embodied in the family's history, a family that knew how to hold together, working towards a common goal; nurturing the value of their toils, effort, resolution and competence... See more..