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Uncovering Croatia’s Little Secret: Pula: "

Turquoise bays, stunning beaches and fairy-tale-like cities: Croatia has earned itself the reputation as Eastern Europe’s sweetheart. Sadly, Croatia is no longer Europe’s best-kept secret since the influx of tourists seeking low prices and unexplored territories. But don’t despair – dig a little deeper and you’re sure to find something worth your while in Croatia. This week’s guest post by the travelsupermarket team gives us the lowdown on Croatia’s gorgeous historical town of Pula.

Pula marina

Situated to the east of Italy in the Adriatic Sea, Croatia has adopted many of its neighbor’s architecture and cuisines after the peninsula of Istria was conquered by the Romans in 177BC, and to this day Pula still has many monuments from the Roman empire still standing, in tribute to the history they helped form. Pula became part of Croatia, when Italian residents fled back to their native country during the war, leaving local Croats to make the city their own.

Getting to Pula

There are regular flights from London, Manchester and Edinburgh – you can get there within a few hours. But if you want to save a bit of cash on your flights, you can fly to one of the country’s smaller airports from the likes of Dublin.

Things to See in Pula

Let’s face it; you don’t go on vacation to sit in a hotel room so get out and see what Pula has to offer, and you’ll find that there is more than enough to keep everyone in the family busy for the duration of your holiday. Aside from the Roman architecture that populates the city, there is so much more to do including visiting museums, soaking up some sun at the beach, race against your friends & family at the speedkarting track or discover the local marine life at the aquarium.

No trip to Pula would be complete without visiting the huge Roman Amphitheatre, which was once home to gladiator battles, but now takes its place as a concert venue that has hosted the likes of Pavarotti, Jose Carrerras, Elton John, Sting and Jamiroquai to name but a few. The Pula Arena is the 6^th largest remaining arena from the Roman Empire, and the only one that still has all four side towers intact, along with the three Roman architectural orders still taking pride of place in the amphitheatre.

Flickr photo by Andreas März

The Temple of Augustus, the Gate of Hercules, the Golden Gate and the Forum are just a few of the other many Roman structures still standing in the area, while there is also the Archaeological Museum of Istria, home to many Roman artefacts discovered by locals over the years.

Croatia holidays are not just about history; there is so much more to the city. The port of Pula once thrived on its shipping trade, whereas nowadays you can head down to the Marina and admire the boats and yachts on display, while enjoying dinner one of the cafes and restaurants by the waterside.

Photo from Wikipedia

If you have children to entertain, then look no further than the aquarium. Children under the age of 3 don’t have to pay an admission fee, while entry for adults costs around £7 to see marine life from the Adriatic Sea, turtles, tropical saltwater fish and poisonous sea organisms, along with exhibitions that change regularly, often showing photographs taken underwater to, and there’s also a marine education centre for the children.

The Green Garden race track is also a cheap and fun day out; where you can race against your family other people on holiday. Prices differ depending on what size engine you choose, but expect to pay between £7-15. Green Garden also offers paintball and local safari tours.

If you want a different day out, then book a boat trip and visit the Brijuni Islands. Boats run daily from a small town just outside Pula called Fažana, and can be booked easily booked through your hotel or the tourist information office in Pula.

The Brijuni islands are a national park, consisting of 14 islands, but only two can be visited and you must be part of an organised excursion. There are dinosaur footprints, local wildlife featuring over 250 bird species, quarries and the resting place of the owner of the Brijuni Islands. Trips include a tour of the islands and a mini safari.

Photo from Wikipedia

Food and Drink

For those of you who want to try the local cuisine, three recommended restaurants are Galeb, Milan 1967 and Valsabbion, where much of the food is inspired by Italian dishes, along with Austrian and Hungarian influences on the Croat’s cooking. Seafood is no stranger to any menu, with Frogfish, sea bass and clams a popular choice among locals. If you want to try a traditional Croatian meal, then be sure to order buzara with Kvarner scampi.

Flickr photo by Intiaz Rahim

Other traditional dishes include fritaja and omelette; made with asparagus, truffles and dried sausages, or a thick local soup called maneštra which consist of beans, garlic, potatoes and bacon, accompanied by either chickpeas or corn. If you don’t want to try anything new, then you can order an Italian dish such as gnocchi and Fuži, which are both prepared with eggs and flour, and sauces made with onions, chicken and tomatoes.

Residents of Pula take pride in their local wine, as the region is the countries leading producer of top quality wines. If you’re after a red wine drinker, then a glass of Teran will go down a treat. The most popular white wine is Malvasia, while there are also other regional wines such as Borgonja and Hrvatica.

Croatian truffles which grown locally in the heart of Istria, and are rare outside of the region should be sampled, as it is unlikely you will anything else remotely similar anywhere else and the restaurants will laud you for asking for their delicacy.

Photo from come-to-adria.com

Transport in Pula

Pula has an extensive bus & rail network; buses are fairly cheap with most short journeys costing around £1, although there may be an additional charge for your backpack, so ask the driver if it is ok to bring a bag on the bus, some may say no, while others will just wave you on. If you are charged for your bag, it will only be a small fee of around 25p.

If you want to hop on a train to Zagreb for the day, a return ticket is around £28 (depending on the exchange rate), or if you wish to venture further and check out Slovenia, a train runs once a day to Ljubljana at around 9.15 each day, with a return costing between £25-30. Ferries to Trieste and Venice in Italy run daily from the main port.

If you decide to rent a car for a few days, please be aware that the speed limit in Croatia is a maximum of 55mph in most places, and you could end up with a large fine should you get caught speeding.

Car hire in Croatia is no more expensive than anywhere else in Europe, but be aware that if you hire a car in Croatia and drive into Serbia (or vice versa), you could become a target for locals as they are not too keen on their Balkans neighbors.

Local Information

Croatians speak English as a second language, don’t expect all restaurant staff to understand what you are saying, so try and learn a bit of the local lingo – you will endear yourself to those you try and converse with.

Pula enjoys a nice warm summer, as temperatures hit 28 degrees. Should you need to contact the British Embassy during your visit, their contact number is 385)(1) 6009 100.