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Istria-Best Coastal Area For Quiet Beaches/coves (west, east coast, etc) +Transportation Questions

Hello,
We are seeking recommendations for the best coastal area (west coast, east coast, etc) for a 7-10 day stay. Specifically looking for quiet beaches and coves.

-Transportation (We have no idea how we will do transport): We plan to be in Vienna, and Ljubljana prior to traveling to Istria. We do not plan to have a rental car in Vienna or Ljubljana, but have read that it will help to have one on Istria. After Istria, we will be selecting an airport within a couple of hours drive to fly to city with a major airport where we will spend a day or two and then get a direct flight back to the US.

Some Questions:
- Is there train transportation from Ljubljana to a Croatian town near Istria that also has an airport so that we could rent the car, explore Istria for our stay, and then return the car at the Croatian airport we will fly out of?

-Is there a train station on Istria that we could arrive to from Ljubljana, rent a car, and when done with our Istria visit, take a train to a regional airport (and on to a larger airport for return flight to US)?

Thank you in advance for any ideas and suggestions!

Posted by
5561 posts

There may be other ways, but I think the easiest coming from Ljubljana and departing for US would be to go to Zagreb from Ljubljana by train or bus, get car there, explore Istria by car, return to Zagreb for outbound.
(There are airports in Pula and Rijeka, but I don’t know the transport logistics from Ljubljana to Istria.)

The tip of Istria south of Pula (Premantura) and up the coast toward the east is where I would head for cove beaches.
I haven’t been to Istria but have been to Croatia four times (last time to Kvarner region aside Istria) and done a lot of research to return again.

Posted by
204 posts

Thanks Valadelphia,

We are looking at the jazz festival in Groznjan in the second half of July. It is 20 minutes inland from the west coast (specifically Novigrad). Therefore I have been leaning toward the West Coast. Have you heard the east coast is significantly better?

Thanks!

Posted by
5561 posts

I just mean up toward Rabac from Premantura.
Distances are not far in Istria. I am sure there are nice beaches up there too, I just picked the one area I would focus on for the "ultimate." Two bases for the week would be perfect.
Sounds like fun--enjoy!