I will spend one day in the hill towns in Istria. Trying to decide about the second day. Of course some enjoying Rovinj in the mornings and evenings at least. But not sure if I will regret taking off for Pula and the Roman ruins or whether staying in Rovinj would be a better plan. I have been to Rome and the Colosseum. Not sure if Pula is a must see. What else would you do in the area?
Posted by
Atlanta, GA, USA
2745 posts
I'd go to Pula. It's not far and the ruins were well worth the trip. (In some ways better than Rome. A LOT fewer people were there). Rovinj is a small place so you still will have time to explore it.
Posted by
Washington DC
27062 posts
Will you have a car or are you dependent on public transportation? I'm guessing car, because seeing hill towns (multiple) by bus on a single day would be quite the challenge.
I don't know that hill towns (at least Motovun and Groznjan, I assume), Rovinj itself (historic district not all that small, really), and Pula will leave any time at all if you have just two nights at Rovinj. If there is extra time, I recommend Porec, a very colorful coastal town with a different look from Rovinj. Note that I do not know how much time you will spend looking for parking in Pula and Porec (and Rovinj, for that matter). I have never been to Pula and did not have a car on my visit to Istria.
Posted by
OP
15 posts
I will have a car. I will check into Porec . Haven't explored that option.
So hard to know how to make the most of that day.
Posted by
Washington DC
27062 posts
I'd just research the possibilities and see how you feel when the time comes. Rovinj is fun to wander around. The nice thing about having a car is that you can make a spur-of-the-moment decision.
Posted by
Noblesville, Indiana, USA
1360 posts
I like acraven's advice. We're going to Rovinj (2 nights) and Piran (1 night) in July and are going to play it as it comes.
Posted by
OP
15 posts
I would still welcome hearing from people who have been to the roman sites in Pula to see how much they recommend that trip.
Thanks
Posted by
3 posts
They do live performances in the amphitheater in Pula. Check their schedule! That would make your visit very special!
Posted by
WPB, FL & Firenze
3112 posts
I drove down to Pula from Rovinj and would highly recommend it. The ampitheater was great and there are other Roman sites to see in town. Be sure to walk into the main square, which is lively and has some good cafes. I found free parking near the harbor, not too far a walk from the ampitheater. There are also some interesting small towns between Rovinj and Pula, such as Bale. Not much to do, but interesting to visit.