Pula

Its history started about 3000 years ago when it was built by Illyrians. Romans occupied Istria in 177 BC. After the destruction of the Western Roman Empire, the Istrian peninsula was devastated by Ostrogoths. Slavs came in Istria during migration period in 7th century but mostly lived on countryside. At that time Pula was still inhabited mostly by Italians. Landlords in Pula changed quite frequently in the Middle Ages from the Republic of Venice to Genoa to Illyrian Provinces and Austria–Hungary. After the Second World War, it became part of Croatia. At that time, many Italians fled to Italy and Pula was settled by Croats. Although most of the population is Croatian, there are several large minority groups in Pula such as Serbs, Italians, Bosniaks and Slovenes.

Most tourists visit in the summer months, with most attractions and restaurants closing between October and May.

For local transport you can use the taxi service. There's a company offering taxi services now for €2-3/5 km. Search for Taxi Cammeo on every phonebook, or hail one of their vehicles down. Local, owner-operated taxis are more expensive.

Buses are expensive (€1.50 per card, per person, per ride), however, if you plan on using the Pulapromet only, you should make yourself a BusCard. The BusCard is a electromagnetic ticket that you can fill with money and then use cheaper bus rides. The price of a buscard is €4 but they usually sell them for €9.50 which includes €5.50 credit you can use on the bus. The BusCard reduces drastically the price of the ride making it a €1 per hour on the city lines (lines 1 to 9). Also, up to 5 people can use the same BusCard at the same moment, for the same bus. Also, the money on the BusCard is forever, meaning you can save it for the next time you come to Pula without fearing money loss.

If you want to take a small backpack with you on an Autotrans bus, first ask the driver if this is OK before buying the ticket. Otherwise you might be refused entry on the bus and your ticket will not be refunded, even if you have bought it from the driver just 2 minutes earlier (the Brioni company seems OK -onboard small backpacks are allowed, but you have to insist.)

All buses have a luggage area. The service is charged separately from the ticket and it usually costs €1. Every ticket can be refunded at the ticket office (a fee will be charged). There should be no problem taking a small backpack or a small suitcase on the bus as long as you can fit it in the overhead compartment (which is rather small) or under your seat/legs.

If you have a car, be aware that parking in the city center can be hard to come by and is rather expensive at €1/hr. Parking tickets generally cost €13.50 and the attendants make the rounds frequently.

• 🌍 Arena (Roman amphitheatre). The 6th largest surviving Roman amphitheatre. Towering over the nearby buildings this huge structure was barely saved from destruction several times during its life, mostly by various Venetians with plans to take it to Venice stone by stone as demonstration of the might of the Venetian empire. Many stones were taken to build houses and other structures around Pula, but fortunately this practice was stopped before the whole structure was destroyed. Entry gives you access to wander the inside of the Colosseum and visit the caverns beneath. The audio tour is very worthwhile. €7 regular, €3.50 for pupils and students. (updated Sep 2023)
• 🌍 The Forum. The Forum is the main square in the centre of the city. The square is built on the site of the ancient Roman forum. On the square there is a city hall that was built in the 10th century (parts of an old temple were used for the building as it can be seen on the rear side of the hall) and the Temple of August, from the first century. 
• 🌍 Archeological Museum of Istria, info@ami-pula.hr. 
• Zlatna vrata (Triumphal arch, 1st century BC), Dvojna vrata (Twin gate, 2-3rd century), Herkulova vrata (Hercules gate, 1st century BC).
• St. Francis church and monastery, 14th century
• Orthodox church, 6th century
• Kaštel, a castle from the 17th century features Istrian history museum
• Malo rimsko kazalište, little Roman theatre behind the Archaeology museum
• Mornaričko groblje, Sailors' cemetery (1866), about 150,000 soldiers of Austro-Hungarian nations were buried there, and Mornarička crkva, Sailors' Church
• 🌍 Church of St. Blaze (St. Biagio church), Vodnjan (12 km N of centre on Vodnjan cesta). The biggest church in Istria has the remains of 6 mummified saints. It also has a reliquary with 380 relics. 

• Visit Brijuni. Group of islands famous for their scenic beauty. They are a holiday resort and a Croatian National Park. They were also settled in Roman times and were part of Republic of Venice. There is also the famous residence of Josip Broz Tito (leader of former Yugoslavia). Boats go from small town near Pula named Fažana .
• Go on Fish picnic. You can take a walk through local marina and check out timetables and prices. Prices are usually around €33.50 per person.
• Walk down the Sergijevaca street where are many small shops, souvenir shops, bars and even sweet shops.
• Spend a whole day on beaches of Kamenjak, near Premantura (8 km from Pula). This peninsula is southernmost point of Istria, and features stunning landscapes and protected nature.
• Discover abandoned Austro-Hungarian fortresses , constructed just before World War I, when Pula was most fortified city in Europe. Some of those fortresses are hidden in the forests, and some are now occupied by Pula residents for different purposes, including Punta Christo, which operates as a summer club and music festival venue.

• Truffles — Istria is famous for its truffles and various truffle products.
• Malvazija and Teran — Istrian wine varieties.
• Medica — a honey rakija.
• Biska — a rakija with mistletoe.

Drinking is a pleasurable pastime in Croatia. Since Pula is a very popular place for tourists bars are easy to find.

Tourist information can provide you with a list of accommodation in Pula, although they will not make reservations for you.

As of Sept 2021, Pula and the coastal highway have 4G from A1 and Tele2, and 5G from T-Mobile. Wifi is widely available in public places.

• National Park Brijuni - The beautiful Brijuni islands (also referred to as Brioni) stretch alongside the south-west coast of the Istrian peninsula. The national park offers too many attractions for all of them to be described here (dinosaur footprints, archaeological finds and sites, a little zoo, extremely rich flora and fauna, beautiful beaches, a former resort for European royals) so visit their website for more information.
• Rovinj, Rovigno
• Poreč, Parenzo
• Grožnjan, Grisignana
• Motovun, Montona