Fodor's Expert Review Labin

Perched in all its compact medieval redolence atop a hill a short drive or walk from the sea, Labin is Croatia's former coal mining capital and the birthplace of Matthias Flacius Illyricus, a Reformation-era collaborator of Martin Luther. Its narrow, historic streets are well deserving of a good walk—followed, if time allows, by a dip in the sea at Rabac, the coastal beach town just 3 km (2 miles) below, filled with hotels, resorts, apartments, and villas to rent, and a vibrant promenade lined with cafés, restaurants, and family activities. From Labin's endearing little main square, Titov trg, with its 16th-century loggia and bastion, it's an easy stroll to Šetalište San Marco, a semicircular promenade with a spectacular view of the sea. Walk to the end and take a sharp left up the cobblestone road. Once you reach the top of the hill, you can climb another 98½ feet up for an even better view from the town's onetime fortress, the Fortica. Making your way down the other side of the hill back toward the main square, you will pass the Crkva Rođenja Blažene Djevice Marije (Church of the Birth of the Virgin Mary). With a facade featuring a 14th-century rose window and a 17th-century Venetian lion of the sort you will encounter elsewhere in Istria, the church is a mix of architectural styles dating back to a late-16th-century renovation, though its foundations may date to the 11th century. Dotted throughout Old Town Labin are working art studios, souvenir shops, museums, and galleries. In July and August, the Labin Art Republika hosts art openings, live musical concerts and outdoor films.