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Hill Towns in Istria easy drive from Rovinj

Hello. We will be based in Rovinj and have one day with a rental car to see an interior town for contrast, preferably a hill town. I have heard Motovun is quaint but the road might be closed? Is Groznjan a good choice? We are hoping not to spend the entire day in the car so an easy drive is preferable, spending our time on foot exploring the town.

We also have heard Porec and Vrsar mentioned but assume they will pale in comparison to Rovinj? We have pretty much decided to skip Pula. Thanks for all advice.

Posted by
6734 posts

Motovun was indeed quaint when I was there a few years ago - no idea about the road being closed.

You do have Pula on your agenda, right? Not a hill town, but it would be a shame to miss that....a better Roman Coliseum experience than what you can get in Rome!

Posted by
26840 posts

Vrsar is tiny but charming. It's on the way to Porec.

I don't think Porec pales in comparison to Rovinj. They are both worth visiting, as evidenced by the heavy tourist loads in both places. I remember Rovinj as having more of a closed-in medieval street plan. There is bus service from Rovinj to Vrsar to Porec. There's also service to Pula, but I haven't been to the latter.

I enjoyed wanderng through both Motovun and Groznjan.

Posted by
5687 posts

Motovun is the biggest of the towns. I thought it was OK. Groznjan is much smaller and more "quaint" in my view - almost too nice, fixed up almost like a movie set. You can certainly visit more than one town. In fact, I think it would be a mistake to visit just one.
Motovun and Groznjan would be two good choices. They aren't that far apart.

I kind of wish I had skipped Pula, too. I'd seen plenty of Roman ruins in Italy.

Posted by
62 posts

Thanks so much everyone. I think we'll head for Motovun and Groznjan. It does not sound like the road to Motovun is still closed?