questions about istria and Croatia
 

We are moving along in planning our trip to Croatia in May and decided we will visit Istria, Split/Hvar and Dubrovnik. We would like to spend 4-5 nights in Istria and would like to see Pula, Ravinj and Porecat the very least. Can we stay in one place, e.g. Pula and use this as a base or is it too far to travel around the Istria area using one location as a base?
We were thinking that we could get a car and then use it to drive to Split. I don't even know how far it is between these two areas. We would then try to stay in Hvar for two nights and Split one night and then end up in Dubrovnik for the rest of the time. We are going for two weeks. We will try to fly home from Dubrovnik to London to Boston. However, we are in a bit of a dilemma about finding a good way to get in to Croatia, near Istria. Does going to Rijeka seem like a good option? Thanks, Kathe

We stayed in Rovinj and did day trips by bus to Pula and Porec. Don't stay in Pula. Rovinj and Porec are much more charming.

Arriving in Rijeka could be an option, but you'd have to back-track. Istria is several hours away.

Rijeka and Split are an overnight ferry's ride away. Consider that comfortable option.

Also, many people stay in Trogir rather than Split. If you rent a car that's especially the way to go.

Split and Dubrovnik are far apart too. Croatian Airlines can have very cheap rates. We flew from Zagreb to Dubrovnik for $30 each.

You said not to stay in Pula.. This concerns me as we are planning on doing this. We are going to drop off our rental car and then take the Pula bus to Venice..
dont know of any other options.

The bus to Venice also stops in Rovinj (and Porec too, I think). We caught the same early bus you are thinking of catching.

So, you could drop your car in Pula, catch the bus to Rovinj (there are several), stay in Rovinj, and catch the early morning bus to Venice. Nice thing about Rovinj is almost everywhere is close to the bus station.

Depending on your schedule, another option for traveling from Rovinj to Venice is to take the ferry. We took Venezia Lines from Venice to Rovinj and can't recommend it more highly. The ride only takes about 3 1/2 hours, is quite enjoyable, and you will have a marvelous view of Venice when you arrive by water.

Be aware that there is no rental car drop off in Rovinj though. We also stayed in Rovinj and used it as our base. Don't stay in Pula. There is one main road out and it gets very, very backed up in traffic which would make your stay there a bit difficult.

We took the bus from Rovinj to Venice. It leaves very early, but arrived before the ferry did and was much cheaper!

I also agree. Dont stay in Pula.....I stayed outside Porec in a resort and took the tram into the city each nite...what a fabulous 5 days I had. Porec is wonderful and I will go back!!!!

we have decided to stay in Rovinj. looking at a nice reasonable hotel. read a recomendation on Family Hotel Kis. I cannot find it and wonder how to get their website or email address. We will have to drop off our car in Porec then take a bus back to Rovinj. In the morning take a bus from Rovinj to Trieste and then train to Venice. Does this sound ok??

We stayed on the bus and just went from Trieste to Venice on the same bus. I hate transfers. And it was about as fast. I think it was the same bus schedule as the one you had planned taking.

From the bus station in Venice, the water taxis were right there. An ATM was nearby also.

We dropped our car off in Porec and took the bus back to Rovinj. This was the worst thing we did on our 3 week trip. The bus doesn't make this trip to often. You can get the schedule on line and at the bus station. The biggest problem was finding the drop off spot for our car. It was actually in a neighborhood of homes, the office was in a garage. It was very difficult to find, and when we finally did, even though it should have been open it wasn't. We were in a panic, because we knew we had to return this car and make the bus back to Rovinj. It almost didn't happen.

You can probably pay extra and have a pick up in Rovinj for your car. Please sort out these details before you decide to do this.

According to ViaMichelin its 462km from Pula to Split and it would take you 5 hours and 15 minutes to drive that distance.

If you choose Rijeka , go to Opatija , nice walking area called "Lungo mare", best meal we had there in little fishermans village Volosko , restaurant Le Mandrac ( www.lemandrac.ocm )

Hello we have a perfect holliday last year with
www.dubrovnik-excursion.com

They have a verry nice apartment with a garden 5 min from Old Town and they organize transfer from the airport


loveDubrovnik

I would also recommend the overnight car ferry from Rijeka to Split. Get a first class cabin if you can swing it.

If you stay in Ravinj check out the Katarina Hotel. Very nice and not too expensive.

Ryanair flies from London to Pula. Istria is small and it's a good idea to stay in one place and rent a car. Compared to Porec and Rovinj, Pula is big, so if you prefer little old towns don't stay in Pula. However, make sure you visit its old town and the Arena. I'd say the Brijuni national park is a must. Rent a bike there and explore the island on your own. An unforgettable experience.