5 Best Places to Shop in Istria, Croatia

A curated collection of designer home accessories from architect and interior designers Ana Visković and Bernard and Sara Domniku is sold in this petite-but-stylish boutique. It sits right below their design studio and offices, all of which offer locally made hand-crafted decorative pieces that double as wonderful take-home souvenirs.

The Salvi family offers an intoxicating array of unique perfumes, sachets, bath gels, lotions, soaps, diffusers, cotton throws, silk wraps, and home fragrances under their Profumo di Rovigno brand. All products at their tiny store on the main shopping street are inspired by the flora and fauna in the hills around Rovinj, including wild sage, lavender, roses, lemon balm, and other herbals. All are beautifully packaged in elegant bottles and boxes, perfect to bring home as gifts or mementos of your trip.

Join locals at the Tržnica as they stock up on their daily fresh produce, locally sourced meats, fresh-caught fish, and domestic cheeses. Although open most of the day, it's best to experience the market like the locals do, early in the morning. A couple of highlights include the Jelenic charcuterie, which offers homemade traditional Istrian cured meats like cooked ham, prosciutto, and sausages, as well as Kumparicka Dairy, which produces unpasteurized, fresh, and aged (up to 30 months) goat cheeses.

Original souvenirs based on Rovinj’s fishing heritage—including key chains, T-shirts, and replicas of its traditional vessel, the batana—can be bought at the House of Batana museum. Besides batana-inspired souvenirs, you can pick up a small recipe book with old, almost-forgotten recipes from Rovinj fishermen, also available in English.

Tourists visit the charming hilltop town of Grožnjan to enjoy its rustic beauty, arts and crafts, and music programs. There's enough tourism, in fact, to merit yet another outlet of the family-owned Zigante Tartufi chain. The shop sells locally unearthed truffles and everything truffle-related you can possibly imagine, as well as other local products from aromatic herb brandies to honey, dried porcini mushrooms, wine, and olive oil. The gourmet boutique is near the town's loggia. Just follow your nose.