Day trips from Poreč: Istria excursions from Rovinj to Brijuni

Poreč to Rovinj: old town, St Euphemia and the batana

According to the Poreč Tourist Board, Rovinj lies on Istria's west coast just south of the Lim Fjord. The old town grew up on an island; the Rovinj Tourist Board says the channel separating it from the mainland was filled in in 1763. Space on the island was tight, so the houses stand close together along narrow streets and small squares. The old town has been a protected cultural monument since 1963.

The Church of St Euphemia stands above the old town. The Rovinj Tourist Board calls it the most important example of Istrian coastal Baroque; the present building dates from 1720 to 1736. The bell tower, in Venetian style, was built between 1654 and 1687. On top, a 4.70-metre copper statue of the saint turns with the wind; it was put in place in 1758. Her marble sarcophagus lies behind the altar of St Euphemia. Entry to the church is free, while the bell tower needs a ticket.

Grisia, a street of stone steps, climbs up to the church. The Rovinj Heritage Museum has held a one-day open-air art exhibition here since August 1967. On the waterfront at Obala Pino Budicin, Batana House (Kuća o batani) tells the story of the batana, Rovinj's flat-bottomed wooden fishing boat, and how it is built. The Batana Ecomuseum it belongs to has been on UNESCO's Register of Good Safeguarding Practices for intangible cultural heritage since 2016.

South of the harbour and old town lies Golden Cape Forest Park (Zlatni rt). The Trieste businessman Georg Hütterott began buying land here in 1890 and gradually turned it into a park. Pine, cypress and laurel are the most common trees, alongside exotic species such as Lebanese cedar, Douglas fir and ginkgo. The area has been protected since 1948 and a forest park since 1961, with many paths and promenades.

Lim Fjord excursion: the fjord that isn't one

Many people call it a fjord, but according to the Istria Tourist Board the Lim Fjord (Limski kanal) is a submerged karst valley: a former river valley flooded by the sea. The bay opens onto the west coast near Vrsar, is almost 13 km long and narrows gradually towards its end. Together with the valley behind it, the Limska draga, which reaches almost to Pazin, it runs for 35 km. The shores are steep and high, evergreen on the north side and deciduous on the south.

The channel has been protected by law since 1964 and has also been a special marine reserve since 1980. At the end of the bay, fresh water rises from submarine karst springs, so the water is less salty and rich in plankton. Mussels and oysters in particular are farmed here. The Istria Tourist Board suggests following a visit with fresh fish and seafood at one of the restaurants on the channel. For more on local food, see our guide to food and drink in Poreč.

The Istria Tourist Board puts the channel about 20 minutes' drive north of Rovinj and recommends exploring it on a guided walk or bike tour. You can also see it from the water: for families, the Poreč Tourist Board lists the Fish Picnic, a boat trip to Rovinj and the Lim Fjord. Romuald's Cave (Romualdova pećina) on the north shore, home to a protected colony of greater mouse-eared bats, is closed to visitors for safety reasons until further notice.

Vrsar and Novigrad: day trips along the west coast

Vrsar lies on the west coast close to the Lim Fjord. By the harbour stands the Romanesque Basilica of St Mary of the Sea; the Istria Tourist Board dates its present appearance to the 12th century. Tradition has it that Pope Alexander III stayed in Vrsar for three days in 1177 and said Mass in the church. Giacomo Casanova also came to Vrsar and fell for the town; a viewpoint with a bench made of Istrian stone is named after him. From another viewpoint behind the parish church of St Martin you look north towards Valkanela and the islands off Funtana.

The Dušan Džamonja Sculpture Park shows the sculptor's works around the house and studio he began building in 1970. The Istria Tourist Board says entry is free. In the old Montraker quarry, young sculptors from Croatia and abroad have worked at an international summer school since 1991, and holidaymakers are welcome to watch. Their sculptures are later placed around the town.

Novigrad is also on the west coast. According to the Motovun Tourist Board, the Mirna, Istria's longest river at almost 53 km, flows into the sea near the town. Among the Istria Tourist Board's suggestions for Novigrad: watching the fishermen at work in the little Mandrač harbour and walking the old town walls, best of all at sunset. Also worth seeing are the seafront loggia, the 18th-century Baroque Rigo Palace and the bell tower of St Pelagius, which sailors once used to read the wind direction. The Lapidarium Museum displays ancient stone finds.

Pula's amphitheatre and Brijuni National Park

Pula sits at the southern tip of Istria. Its best-known monument is the amphitheatre, built in the 1st century AD under Emperor Vespasian, at the same time as the Colosseum in Rome. According to the Istria Tourist Board, the elliptical arena measures about 130 by 100 metres and is thought to have held around 20,000 spectators; summer events today seat about 5,000. These include the film festival, opera and concerts. In the underground passages once used by the gladiators, an exhibition shows how olive oil and wine were made in ancient Istria.

The Pula Tourist Board says the Arch of the Sergii was put up by the Sergii family between 29 and 27 BC. On the Forum, the main square of the ancient and medieval town, stands the Temple of Augustus, built between 2 BC and AD 14. A bomb almost completely destroyed it in 1944, and it was rebuilt from 1945 to 1947. Today it houses a small exhibition of ancient stone and bronze sculpture. Pula's Kaštel is a fortress built in 1630.

Off the west coast of southern Istria lies Brijuni National Park: 14 islands and islets, the largest of which is Veliki Brijun. According to the national park, boats from Fažana take about 15 minutes, with regular departures every 30 to 60 minutes. The park office is in Fažana, right next to the main pier. It is best to buy tickets in advance from the park's online shop, so you get a place on a tour in your language.

The Veliki Brijun excursion lasts about 3.5 hours, guided in Croatian, English, German, Italian or Russian. One hour of it is on the tourist train, which takes you to the Safari Park, home to around 80 herbivores mainly from Africa and Asia, and past the remains of a Roman villa in Verige Bay. The park also lists the dinosaur footprints and the Byzantine castrum as sights worth visiting. The Poreč Tourist Board mentions an old olive tree that still bears olives after around 1,600 years. There are no shops or cash machines on Veliki Brijun, but you can refill your bottles with drinking water from the taps.

Motovun and Grožnjan: Istria's hill towns

Motovun stands in northern Istria on a hill 277 metres high above the Mirna valley. The Poreč Tourist Board says the longest stairway in Croatia leads up to the walled old town. According to the Motovun Tourist Board, the oldest surviving parts of the town walls date from the 11th and 12th centuries, and the Istria Tourist Board calls them the best-preserved fortification system in Istria. From the walls you look out over vineyards, the Mirna valley and Motovun Forest as far as Mount Učka and the sea near Novigrad. The walk along the walls is part of the paid Motovun Impressions tour.

The old town has 26 protected cultural monuments, among them the 27-metre bell tower from the 13th century, the Church of St Stephen, built from 1580 to 1614, whose facade tradition links to plans by Andrea Palladio, and the 13th-century communal palace. Down in the valley, Motovun Forest grows along the Mirna. The Motovun Tourist Board describes it as the largest single habitat of the white truffle in the world; in October 2026 the town held its 15th Teran and Truffle Festival.

Grožnjan sits on a hill above the Mirna. In 1965 artists from around the world began moving into houses left empty after the Second World War, and Grožnjan has been known as the town of artists ever since, with many galleries and studios. Since 1969 it has also been a meeting place for young musicians: according to the Istria Tourist Board, the International Cultural Centre of the Croatian Musical Youth runs workshops and seminars from May to October, and more than 50 concerts have been held as part of the Grožnjan Music Summer. In July and August musicians play in the streets, from jazz to classical.

More Istria day trips: inland Istria, a cave and an observatory

The Poreč Tourist Board points out that inland Istria sees far fewer visitors than the coast. Its suggestions include Buzet, the town of truffles; Roč and Hum, former centres of the Glagolitic liturgy, with Hum described as the smallest town in the world; Pazin, the seat of Istria County, with a zipline across the Pazin cave; and Svetvinčenat with its medieval castle. Along the way there are wine, honey and olive oil routes and country restaurants serving homemade bread and handmade pasta.

Closer to Poreč is the Baredine show cave, which we cover in our guide to things to do in Poreč, together with the boat trip to Venice. Also in the immediate vicinity of Poreč, in the village of Tićan, is Višnjan Observatory. According to the Poreč Tourist Board, it has for years been among the five most productive observatories in the world by number of measurements of near-Earth objects. In summer it runs Astro Nights with a lecture, a guided tour of the telescopes and stargazing, and on 12 August a Perseid Night. For more family ideas, see Poreč with kids.

The Parenzana narrow-gauge railway linked Trieste and Poreč from 1902 to 1935, running below Motovun on the way. The 123 km line passed through 33 towns, and 78 km of it lie in Croatia. Today the route is signposted for walkers and cyclists, with lit tunnels and railings on the bridges and viaducts. More in our guide to cycling and activities in Poreč.

Villa Matea: your base, with parking in the courtyard

Villa Matea is on a quiet street in the north of Poreč, at Ul. 43. istarske divizije 2. Each of the three holiday apartments comes with free private parking in the enclosed courtyard, so after a long day in Rovinj, Pula or Motovun you don't have to hunt for a space. In the evening you can cook in the fully equipped kitchen or use the barbecue in the garden.

On days without a trip, the car can stay put: the nearest beach is about 10 minutes on foot and the old town 15 to 20 minutes. Your host Zlatko speaks English and replies within a day, and enquiring costs nothing. Here are the three apartments and the location of the house; for how to get here, see our guide to getting to Poreč.