The Daily Telegraph - Saturday - Travel
Unlock the mysteries of Istria
Straddling Croatia, Slovenia and Italy, this little-known peninsula is the place to head this summer, says Chris Leadbeater
The idea of Croatia as one of Europe’s last hidden destinations has long passed its use-by date. This splendid segment of the Balkan Peninsula has developed dramatically since the early 1990s, gradually morphing into one of the most popular holiday options on the Mediterranean.
And yet, there is one corner of Croatia that still comes wrapped in an air of comparative mystery: its furthest, uppermost corner, Istria.
There are various reasons for this. One, perhaps, is that Istria is a peninsula on a peninsula, hanging down at the northwestern limit of the Balkan landmass. Another may be that, nominally, it does not sound especially Croatian. Which, to be accurate, it is not. At least, not entirely. Although 87 per cent of the peninsula belongs to Croatia, the other 13 per cent is divided between not one, but two other countries – Slovenia and Italy.
To this blurred identity can be added a strange shyness. Istria does not always sell itself with the gusto of other summer sunspots. Away from the seafront, it is largely quiet, and predominantly agricultural. The population of Croatian Istria is a mere 195,794 residents.
But what a seafront. The peninsula boasts around 200 miles of shoreline. Here you will find elegant resort towns, a couple of moderately sized cities, and some of the loveliest beaches in Europe. For those in search of a promising holiday spot, there are chic hotels and villas, and enticing restaurants and food, as well as a significant dollop of history, some of it wonderfully ancient. A secret? Not quite. Worthy of much closer investigation and appreciation? Istria is most definitely that.
Istria is not huge. A drive from Savudrija, a village in the far northwest of Croatia, to Medulin at the southern tip of the peninsula is a matter of a mere 60 miles and one hour. This is not a destination where you need to worry about lengthy journeys. Simply pick one town, and one resort (or villa), and settle in for the week. Everywhere else is within close reach.
Pula
Although Pula is not the capital of Croatian Istria (that role falls to Pazin, at the heart of the peninsula), it is its largest city. With this size comes a certain majesty – plenty of it pertaining to the ancient world. It is no hyperbolic statement to argue that its Roman amphitheatre (ami-pula.hr) is the greatest such structure other than the Colosseum; an arena of honeyed stone, impressively sturdy, constructed from 27 BC to 68 AD.
It is still in use, as a gig venue (Dua Lipa, Lenny Kravitz and Simple Minds will play this summer). Nor is it a lone relic. A Temple of Augustus, built at the same time, is the highlight of Trg Forum (Forum Square), its four Corinthian columns standing proud.
There are bars and cafés on Kandlerova Ulica, and the Museum of Contemporary Art of Istria (msu-istre.hr) has an intriguing collection of works by Croatian artists – but Pula is a busy port, and you are unlikely to want to stay for your entire holiday. That said, the Grand Hotel Brioni (00385 52 378 000; grandhotelbrioni.com) has an enviable seafront location, plus a swimming pool, two miles south of the centre. Double rooms from £172.
Pula is also the gateway to the Brijuni Islands, an archipelago of 14 miraculously untouched jigsaw pieces, now protected as a national park (np-brijuni.hr) – and easily reached via a 10-minute ferry ride from Fazana. The largest isle, Veliki Brijun, also clings to the Roman era. A first-century BC villa waits above the beach on gorgeous Verige Bay.
The south-west
There are plenty of locations for a leisurely break within Pula’s orbit. Medulin is one of them, pitched close to where the peninsula reaches its endgame on Cape Kamenjak.
The four-star Park Plaza Belvedere (00385 52 572 001; arenahotels.com) is a suitable spot for indolence; a week’s stay, flying from Birmingham on July 27, costs from £1,008 per person, with Love Holidays (01234 230 440; loveholidays.com). If you can summon the energy, it is worth taking a day-trip to pretty Njive Beach, 10 miles down the coast at Premantura.
Away on the other side of Pula, Rovinj is one of Croatia’s Adriatic jewels. Visibly Venetian in its heritage (it was part of Venice’s mercantile empire from 1283 to 1797), it swarms across its own mini-peninsula in a swathe of orange-tiled rooftops – coming to a head in the pale belltower of hilltop church St Euphemia’s.
A relatively recent arrival (it opened in 2019), the five-star Grand Park Hotel Rovinj (00385 52 808 000; maistra. com) offers widescreen views of the town from the bay opposite. A seven-night stay, flying from Glasgow on July 26, costs from £2,434 per person, via Tui (020 3451 2716; tui.co.uk).
Those seeking even greater sophistication might wish to look ( just) inland, to Bale – where the Meneghetti Wine Hotel and Winery (00385 52 528 800; meneghetti.hr) is an oasis of refinement, serving up spa treatments, gourmet dining and its own bottles of red, white and rosé, amid whispering vineyards. It also has a beach club. Double rooms from £273.
The north-west
The top half of Croatia’s Istrian west coast – beyond the point where the River Pazinčica reaches the Adriatic in the fjord-like Lim Bay – is no less idyllic than the lower. Here, a series of resort towns decorate the shore without any great commotion.
Poreč, the biggest, is another refugee from medieval Venice – so much so that, as with Rovinj and Pula, it offers a ferry service to La Serenissima (adriatic-lines. com; crossings take about three hours, from €80 – about £70 – return). Indeed, you might feel that you are already in San Marco, in the labyrinth of streets that fans out around the sixth-century, Unesco-listed Euphrasian Basilica.
Double rooms at the four-star BO Hotel Palazzo, on the promenade (00385 52 858 800; bohotel-porec.com), cost from £135. A seven-night stay, flying from Stansted on August 3, costs from £1,061 a head, with Thomas Cook (020 8016 3295; thomascook.com).
Further north, Novigrad and Umag hug the waterline in a similarly photogenic haze, the latter going about its business on a horseshoe harbour. There are hotels in both, although it is also plausible to stay a little inland, in one of the many luxurious villas which adorn the countryside here. Vintage Travel (01954 261431; vintagetravel.co.uk) offers Adriana, a three-bedroom property (ref: 3295) with a pool, 10 miles from Novigrad in Višnjan. It is still available in the week of August 24, for £2,988 in total (flights extra). Elsewhere, Croatian Villas (020 8888 6655; croatianvillas.com) offers a four-bedroom retreat with pool (ref: IS105) near Buje, six miles from Umag. Seven-night stays in July cost from £780.
The east
You could never describe the Adriatic edge of the peninsula as a wall of grey concrete, but Croatian Istria becomes even less developed where the coast swerves north-east, and runs along the Gulf of Kvarner. Here, the region slips back into a rustic realm of small villages, but while accommodation options are fewer, comfort is still possible. Mošćenička Draga is perhaps the finest dot on this side of the map, its gentle patch of housing trapped on the tides by the Učka mountain range, which rears up behind.
Hotel Mediteran (00385 51 710 444; liburnia.hr) provides three-star seafront lodging from £97 a night; Konoba Zijavica (konoba-zijavica.com) delivers haute cuisine on the same strip.
If you have hired a car (see “How to get there”), the eastern side of the peninsula offers fair reason for exploration. Pazin, the regional capital, looks as far back as the 10th century in the staunch fortifications of its castle – and looks down, into the gorge formed by the Pazinčica’s currents, through the limestone that underpins the town. Further north, Buzet is notable for Prodan Tartufi (prodantartufi.hr) – a gastro-business where you can go out onto the estate, hunting for truffles with the family’s terriers; from €60 (£50) per person.
The far corner
To be strictly accurate, the very east edge of the peninsula, including Mošćenička Draga, is a separate county, Primorje-Gorski Kotar. But the distances are so manageable, and the area so charming, that it makes no sense to ignore it. Opatija, all but at the point where the peninsula tucks into the main Croatian torso, has been a genteel resort since 1873, when the railway from Vienna reached the area – bringing carriage-loads of well-to-do tourists, seeking restorative sea air.
Many of the town’s palatial houses date to this time. The Hotel Amadria Park Grand (00385 51 278 007; amadriapark.com) taps into this lingering vibe with its extensive wellness “oasis” (and with its double rooms, from £107).
Just 10 miles further to the east – but crucially, to the east of the Gulf of Kvarner’s upper point – Rijeka is unquestionably beyond the peninsula. But as Croatia’s third biggest city (after Zagreb and Split), it has plenty of merit – a fish market where locals come running for the catch of the day; and another mighty fortress, the Trsat Castle, which has acted as the port’s stone guardian since the 13th century. Centrally located, the three-star Hotel Continental (00385 51 372 008; jadran-hoteli.hr) offers double rooms from £98 per night.
Over the border(s)
There is an element of doubt as to whether, geographically, Istria extends all the way up into Italy. However, there is no questioning the Italian footprint on the peninsula in historical terms. Between 1919 and 1943, it was under Italian rule – and not always happily.
Even now, you can see examples of Rijeka’s “Italianisation”, in the use of its old name, Fiume, on walls. Trieste, though, is a pleasant experience; the traditional hub of Italian coffee culture, where Caffe San Marco (caffesanmarco. com) has been brewing the bean since 1914. The St Justus Cathedral, meanwhile, still dreams of the 14th century, in Byzantine mosaics.
A three-night mini-break to the fourstar Modernist Hotel, flying from Stansted on June 20, costs from £364 per person, with Last Minute (020 3386 8411; lastminute.com).
There is no such uncertainty about the Slovenian sliver of the peninsula. And a sliver it is. Slovenia has just 29 miles of coast; the Gulf of Piran accounts for about a quarter of it. Piran itself is another orange-tiled Balkan delight; a kindred spirit of Rovinj. Portorož is a more modern resort, but a perfectly good place for a week in the sun.
A seven-night half-board stay at the five-star Grand Hotel Bernardin, flying from Gatwick on June 16, costs from £1,496 a head – with Balkan Holidays (020 7543 5555; balkanholidays.co.uk).
In Trieste, the hub of Italian coffee culture, Caffe San Marco has been brewing the bean since 1914
Wine on two wheels
While the seafront will always be the key element of a holiday in Istria, there are plenty of potential trips for those who think life is more than a beach. Biking specialist BSpoke (020 3918 4033; bspoketours.com), for example, offers a seven-day self-guided odyssey which explores the region on two wheels. The Cycling the Istrian Peninsula holiday does not stray too far from the Adriatic, visiting each of Pula, Poreč, Rovinj, Novigrad and Umag – but it also calls on winemakers in Brtonigla and Višnjan. From £1,685 per person – including flights, transfers, accommodation, bikes, and daily luggage transfers.
Into the mountains
Macs Adventure (0141 530 5937; macsadventure.com) takes a similar approach – albeit on foot, rather than in the saddle – with Trails of Green Istria; a self-guided walking break which charts less-seen sections of the landmass. These include the interior villages of Oprtalj and Mali Mlun, on the Istrian Mountain Trail, and the winding paths of the Učka mountains, on the east side of the peninsula. The route amounts to a total of 64 miles hiked over the course of eight days. From £1,120 per person (excluding flights).
A taste of Istria
If you would prefer to focus on gastronomy rather than glorious scenery, Grape Escapes (01920 468 666; grapeescapes.net) devotes itself to Croatian produce with its Exclusive Istria itinerary; a four-day indulgence that stops in Grožnjan and Motovun for truffles and olive oil as fine as any in Italy, seeks out oysters and wine near Rovinj, and pairs the whole process with elaborate tasting menus in top restaurants. From £1,618 per person (not including flights).
Attention to detail
To this close-up perspective can be added the broad brushstrokes of the Istria & Kvarner Fly-Drive Holiday offered by Regent (0117 453 5461; regent-holidays.co.uk). This 12-day trip inspects the Croatian part of the peninsula in splendid detail, before going offshore, to Krk and its Gulf-of-Kvarner colleague Losinj. From £2,490 per person, including flights.