Pula, Rijeka? Looking for a coastal gem.
 

Hi All! My husband and I are traveling to Europe July of this year and we are wanting to stop along the Croatian coastline for a few days before heading off to Zagreb. We will have a rental car, and will be coming from Italy, so the little peninsula that has Pula on the tip seemed like a good option. We want to stop somewhere in that area, from Trieste, down to Pula or over by Rijeka, but I haven't found too much information about that area. Any suggestions that you might have about what city/town to stay in would be appreciated!

Most people tend to suggest Rovinj because it is one of the most picturesque towns in the country. Having said that, July and August is high season and Rovinj will be very crowded, parking anywhere central is a tough proposition and accommodation is at at a premium.
As you will have a car, you have the option to stay out of the towns and yet be close at the same time. Use www.viamichelin.com and you will see that travel distances between towns are short, roads are good too.
The east coast of Istria is far more dramatic and a preferable driving route towards Zagreb.

Not Rijeka and not Pula. Both are biggish, rather workaday towns. Yes, the Istrian peninsula is nice for daytripping to the little hill towns; we particularly liked Groznijan. For a base, Rovinj is very nice, Porec also. Maybe Opatija or Lovran? Or even Piran in Slovenia.

But also consider the northern Dalmatian coast. It's not that far off your route to Zagreb; these distances are not great. You could base in Zadar (daytripping by ferry to assorted islands) or Sibenik (famous cathedral). Sibenik is not far from Krka National Park, which one Croatian told me he liked better than Plitvice. Google Images all these places. You may want to extend your trip.

I found excellent information on Istria in The Rough Guide to Croatia -- you might want to take a look.

As Mimar said, NOT Rijeka. And I'll add, NOT Opatija, which I did NOT like at all. (Search this board for more of my comments on it.) For a few days in Istria, Rovinj is the most obvious choice; Porec is a decent alternative. I enjoyed Lovran, but don't think it would make a good base for Istria.

If you decide to go into the northern Dalmatian coast, Zadar and Sibenik are both reasonable options. I enjoyed the Krka National Park, but would NOT say that I liked it BETTER than the astounding Plitvice Lakes. They are both beautiful, and there are some similarities, but there are also some decided differences. Again, you can do a search for my posts on the differences between them.

Enjoy!