Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Rijeka
Hulking transit-hub metropolis sitting on a pretty bay just outside of Istria.
With a car and two weeks to spend in Croatia and Slovenia, Istria deserves two days,
divided between its two big attractions: the coastal town of Rovinj and the hill towns of the
interior. Ideally, make your home base for two nights in Rovinj or in Motovun, and day-trip
to the region's other attractions. To wring the most out of limited Istrian time, the city of
Pula and its Roman amphitheater are well worth a few hours. If you have a car, it's easy to
go for a joyride through the Istrian countryside, visiting a few hill towns and wineries en
route.ThetownofPore
č
andthefunbuttime-consumingBrijuniIslandsmeritadetouronly
if you've got at least three days.
Getting Around Istria
Istria is a cinch for
drivers,
who find distances short and roads and attractions well-marked
(though summer traffic can be miserable, especially on weekends). Istria is neatly connec-
ted by a speedy highway nicknamed the
ipsilon
(the Croatian word for the letter Y, which is
what the highway is shaped like). One branch of the “Y” (A-9) runs roughly parallel to the
coast from Slovenia to Pula, about six miles inland; the other branch (A-8) cuts diagonally
northeast to the U
č
ka Tunnel (leading to Rijeka). You'll periodically come to toll booths,
where you'll pay a modest fee for using the
ipsilon
. Following road signs here is easy (nav-
igate by town names), but if you'll be driving a lot, pick up a good map to more easily
navigate the back roads. As you drive, keep an eye out for characteristic stone igloos called
kažun
(a symbol of Istria). Formerly used as very humble residences, now the few surviv-
ing structures—sometimes built right into a dry-stone wall—are mostly used as shelter for
farmers caught in the rain.
If you're relying on
public transportation,
Istria can be frustrating: The towns that
are easiest to reach (Pore
č
and Pula) are less appealing than Istria's highlights (Rovinj and
Motovun). Linking up the coastal towns by bus is doable if you're patient and check sched-
ules carefully, but the hill towns probably aren't worth the hassle. Even if you're doing the
rest of your trip by public transportation, consider renting a car for a day or two in Istria.
Driving from Istria to Rijeka (and the Rest of Croatia):
IstriameetstherestofCroatia
at the big port city of Rijeka (described at the end of this chapter). There are two ways to
get to Rijeka: The faster alternative is to take the
ipsilon
road via Pazin to the U
č
ka Tunnel
(28-kntoll),whichemergesjustaboveRijekaandOpatija(forRijeka,you'llfollowtheroad
more or less straight on; for Opatija, you'll twist down to the right, backtracking slightly to
