Itinerary in Istria, Croatia

We were there in May. We had terrible weather, but made the best of it. We drove from Rovinj to Motovun, stopping v-e-r-y briefly in a couple of hill towns on the way, but it was raining so hard we didn't do much other than stop, jump out of the car, take a picture, get immediately soaked, jump back in the car and move on. We stayed in the Hotel Kastel in Motovun, and liked it a lot. It was miserable outside but we took advantage of their pool, sauna & spa, and then the bad weather didn't seem so awful. The food there was very good. But we ate dinner at Mondo Konoba, and had one of the best meals I can remember having ever (there were about 10 people from a Rick tour eating there that night, it was weird, felt like we were almost part of it but not quite). That meal still makes me go mmmmmmm....really beautiful, incredibly delicious food - don't miss it. The area is pretty compact, and there are not a lot of 4 or 5 star places to stay. I'd use Motovun as my base and do day-trips from there. I would not expect much in the way of "shopping" - these are really small towns.

So, you think it's better to stay in Motovun instead of Rovinj? I guess i just automatically though of staying seaside vs. inland. My initial impressions from the guide books is to see Rovinj, Pula (briefly) and maybe Porec (again, briefly). The guys are going to want to spend one of the days biking together, and there looks like some good trails in and around Motovun. hotel San Rocco in Brtonigla looks amazing as well. Maybe go truffle hunting, and go on an afternoon of visiting wineries. Did you guys do any of that? Any specific suggestions of where to go, other really great restaurants or not to miss places? Sorry you had such bad weather...some of our most memorable travels were when the weather was at its worst!

I grew up in the Seattle area, where I definitely took the area's beauty for granted, and after living in Chicago for the past 20 years I can tell you that having a seaside view is very refreshing. So I say to you, my fellow land-locked flatlander, take advantage and stay by the sea! :) We actually stayed in Opatija a few years ago, and made day trips all over Istria. This was in March, when tourist traffic was at a minimum and I imagine it's died down in October, as well (at least from the height of summer travel). It was easy to get around and cover quite a distance each day. Sorry I can't help with truffle hunting (how lucky you will be there in season!) or wine tastings, but I wish you a great trip!

It depends. Rovinj is great, and I'd surely recommend spending some time there (a day and a night or two should be plenty - there's not much to see or do there other than just enjoy the cute old city itself). Although distances are short and roads are pretty good, most of Istria is a bit far to make a relaxed day trip. Pula makes a good day trip (allows 2-4 hours there, plus figure an hour drive each way, plus the hassles of parking/navigating Pula itself). You could do Pula as a brief stop on the way to somewhere else - although being at the end of the peninsula, it's a little out of the way from anywhere else. If your focus is on Istria, I just think Rovinj may be a bit far from the hilltowns.