Ultimate 6 day Croatia itinerary | How to spend a week in Istria

Before booking to go to Pula, I’d never heard of the city. However, after spending a week there, it’s up there with one of the best places I’ve visited. Whilst you can spend way more than a week here, I’ve created a 6 day Croatia itinerary to help you explore the region of Istria.

Before I visited Pula, I saw hardly anything about the area – just a little paragraph in a travel guide. But this is a beautiful region, and is a little slice of Italy, at a much cheaper price.

Your 6 day Croatia Itinery

Day one & two : Pula

There is so much to do in Pula, you can spend at least two days exploring the city as it’s so rich in history.

Pula Amphitheatre

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You can’t go to Pula without visiting the Amphitheatre. Simple. It’s the sixth-largest amphitheatre in the world and the largest outside of Italy. Even when you’re standing next to it, it doesn’t seem real. It really is magnificent. You can actually go underneath the amphitheatre as well, to where they would’ve kept the animals. It’s very surreal, beyond interesting and well worth a visit. 

Adults – 50 kuna (approx £6)
Students & children – 25 kuna (approx £3)

The Temple of Augustus

The Temple of Augustus is in the Forum of Pula and was built sometime between 2 BC and AD 14. It is stunning and, even though it is small inside, contains so many amazing artefacts. From statues to small figurines, it’s very interesting. It was one of two matching Temples in the Forum however it is the only one left.

Adults – 10 kuna (approx £1.20)
Students & children – 5 kuna (approx 60p)

The historical and maritime museum of Istria

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The Historical and Maritime Museum of Istria is on the highest hill of Pula and has some amazing views of the city and the coastline. It also made me realise how little I knew about the second world war and the history of Istria. You can spend a good hour or so looking around, and get some really good pictures too! 

Adults – 20 kuna (£2.40)
Students & children – 10 kuna (£1.20)

Church & Monastry of St Francis

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We stumbled across the Church and Monastery of St Francis when we were walking around the little streets of Pula. It is an idilic and calming space AND has tiny tortoises in the courtyard. 

Price – 9 kuna (approx £1)

The Forum

The Forum was my favourite place to go and sit, have a drink, soak up the sun and people watch. With the Temple of Augustus ahead of you, there was a real buzz around the Forum with bars, restaurants and music. 

There seemed to be street entertainment most nights from Romans walking around to singers to fire breathers. It’s exciting that’s for sure. Whilst we were there, there was a stage set up and on the Saturday night there was a free concert/festival. 

We’re still not sure what that was, how regular it was or anything but it was a good night!

Day three : Seagulls Bay

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You can get to Seagulls Bay either on a kayak trip, on the bus OR a 40-minute walk. It is well worth a visit as it is GORGEOUS and the perfect way to spend a day in the sun. 

It’s a bit of coastline where you can go into caves, try cliff jumping or, like me, sit and read your book whilst you people watch. 

It really is beautiful there and is perfect if you like a bit of adventure too! There are some cafes and shops about a 10/15 minute walk from where the rocks/beach are but it’s the perfect place to take a picnic and spend the day.

Day four : Rovinj

Rovinj is about a 40-minute bus ride from Pula and is meant to be the place to stay, according to the travel guides I read. However, as gorgeous as the place was, I was slightly disappointed. 

Don’t get me wrong, it’s beautiful, has some museums which are worth a visit and St Euphemia’s Church which is STUNNING it didn’t have the same charm. 

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Maybe I just didn’t stay long enough but it’s definitely more touristy than Pula. However, it did look like they had a good choice of bars and restaurants. 

One place you have to go to though is St Euphemia’s Church which was really interesting. The little streets up to the top are so cute and there are a lot of independent artists who have shops and studios. There is so much art around the area which is really inspiring.

Day five : Motovun & The Istrian Mountain Villages

You can’t go to Istria without going to some of the villages. We hired a car for the final two days so we could explore further afield and it was definitely worth it. 

When it came to choosing which village to go to, it was a struggle but we opted for Motovun. Described as Croatia’s answer to Tuscany with lots of steps and little streets, we were sold. 

If you want to try truffles and gorgeous olive oil, this is the place to come. There are lots of places to stop for food and see the breathtaking views. 

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The free Motovun Motion Museum is another must-visit whilst you’re there. It shares the history of Motovun and is really pretty as well. It’s hard to believe that it’s a free museum. 

There is a shuttle bus up to near the top and whilst it is very walkable, when you get there at midday it’s worth the 20 kuna! We ended up walking back down though as it was quite easy! 

Parking – 20 kuna (approx £2.40)
Shuttle bus – 20 kuna (approx £2.40)

Day six : Cape Kamenjak

Cape Kamenjak is Istria’s most southern point and is a wild national park with something for everyone. 

We parked in one of the first car parks and then walked all the way down to the south of the park (about 1hr 30 mins) and it was definitely a trek so bring trainers with you! 

It’s a lot of fun, with beach bars on the way around and plenty of coastlines to sit on. 

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There’s also a farm you can visit, dinosaur trails and kayak and boat hire. The very south of the park has cliffs which are popular for cliff diving and it’s an area that is great for snorkelling too.

One thing to note is that there isn’t a lot of shade at all here and it is HOT. We ended up making a makeshift tent out of towels but it might be worth taking a beach umbrella with you.

It’s safe to say I can’t wait to get back on a plane and explore more of Croatia. If you’re wanting a little taste of Italy on a budget then Pula is THE PLACE to go. With its history, stunning views, and delicious food, it’s the perfect place to go.

There are so many ways to explore the area, and an evening walking tour of Pula is a fantastic way to see the beautiful architecture of the city. Click here to book onto one. If you’re wanting some more travel inspiration, head on over to my travel guides, and explore more areas. Something that really helped us on our trip, and gave a lot of inspiration, was the Lonely Planet Croatia travel book – we found lots of hidden gems there. Make sure you sign up to the mailing list if you want more Croatia guides, travel, and food guides because there will be more coming soon.