The main reasons why people flock to Croatia, especially in the summer, is the beautiful Adriatic Sea and the dramatic coastline in front of it. But while most tourists are drawn to the now world-famous city of Dubrovnik or the port city of Split, the Istrian peninsula is only just being discovered by tourism. Slowly but surely, however, more and more people are coming to Istria and spending their vacations in Pula and the region around Istria’s largest city.

Pula has about 57,500 inhabitants and is located very close to the southern tip of the Istrian peninsula. Since the city is so close to Italy, Pula is officially bilingual, Croatian and Italian.

How to get there

Individual transport

Croatia has very good roads, but highways are subject to tolls. The Croatian toll is calculated according to the length of the distance traveled and the vehicle category. Per 100km you pay about 8€ for a car.

We travelled quite large distances comfortably on the highway with a camper van. You can also reach Pula via the A8 (from the east) or the A9 (from the north).

 

 Ship

Pula is a historic port city and therefore has always offered a wide range of ship connections. There are ferries to Italy (Venice) and to Rijeka. However, since boating vacations are becoming more and more popular in Croatia, the importance of the new marina in the Veruda district is increasing compared to the old fishing and industrial port.

 

 Railroad

Since 1876 Pula has been connected to the Austrian Southern Railway (Vienna-Trieste). Via a branch line you can get from Divaca to Pula by train, but until today this is the only railroad line from Pula to the inland.

Sights in and around pula

Pula is a typical working-class city, but it has some historical sights to offer. The city was conquered by the Romans in 177 BC, and it was a Roman colony until the 5th century. For this reason, you can discover many remains from the Roman times in Pula. The most famous sight is probably the relatively well-preserved amphitheater, which is also the landmark of Pula.

 

Pula Amphitheater

The 133 x 105m large amphitheater was built under Emperor Augustus and had room for 20,000 spectators, making it one of the largest amphitheaters built by the Romans. The facade, largely preserved in its original state, is over 32m high and offers a spectacular sight.

In addition to the daily opening hours for tourists, many cultural events and concerts take place in the amphitheater in the evenings. Unfortunately, there was no event during our visit, if it fits in your schedule, it would certainly be a wonderful experience.

The amphitheater is open in the winter months (November to March) from 9.00-17.00, in the summer months they open already at 8.00 and have extended opening hours in the evening. The entrance costs you 9.50€ incl. audio guide with exciting information about the individual, marked stations.

 

Sergian Arch and Augustus Temple

Another monument built by the Romans is the Arch of Sergius. This was built in 30 BC. The eight-meter-high arch originally stood in front of the main gate of the city and for this reason is magnificently decorated only on one side. Only about 5 minutes’ walk away you will find the temple of Agustus from the 1st century AD. It is said to be the oldest preserved building in Croatia. Even though the temple is not very big, it looks very monumental and is definitely worth a visit.

 

Brijuni National Park

Only about 5km south of the city center the Brijuni National Park begins, which consists of fourteen individual islands. The main island can be visited by ferry from Pula or from Fazana. Private boats are allowed to dock only in the harbor of the main island and diving within the national park is allowed only to licensed diving centers.

Accommodation

As already reported above, we were on the road with a camper van. Therefore, we cannot give you tips on accommodation that were tested by us.

For all those who are traveling with the camper, we have a great tip for a very cozy and peaceful place to spend the night. However, we must also point out that wild camping is officially prohibited in Croatia! However, as long as you do not make noise, collect your trash and take it with you and do not disturb anyone, it is usually tolerated.

We drove to the southernmost tip of the Istrian peninsula, past Premantura (about 20 minutes by car from Pula) to the parking lot in front of the entrance to Donji Kamenjak Park. Directly in front of the official parking lot there is a sandy area which is also used by park visitors during the day when it is very crowded. In the evening, however, it is wonderfully quiet here and you can get directly down to the sea via a clearly recognizable trail. However, access to the water is only possible over sharp-edged rocks, so be sure to bring your bathing shoes. You can stay here for one, maybe even two nights.