Exploring the Area

Brijuni Archipelago (Brioni)

The Romans built summer villas on these islands northwest of Pula; the Austro-Hungarians spent their holidays there; and Marshal Tito chose them as the site for his private residence and official retreat. For 30 years Tito spent 6 months of the year receiving world leaders and celebrities amid Brijuni's natural wonders, but before that, the 14 islands and islets were swamplands teeming with malaria carriers. It wasn't until Austrian steel magnate Paul Kupelweiser bought Brijuni in the late 19th century and cleaned it up to build a luxury health resort that the islands became a tourist destination. Today Brijuni is a national park and an official state residence. Consequently, only two of the islands -- Veliki Brijuni and Mali Brijuni -- are open to visitors, who must arrive via organized tours unless they are staying at one of Brijuni's hotels.

Visitor Information -- Almost all tourist agencies on Istria's west coast offer excursions to Brijuni. Once there, your itinerary is limited unless you plan to stay in one of Brijuni's hotels. It is a good idea to check with the national park office to see what's off-limits. The Brijuni National Park Tourist Office at Fazana (tel. 052/525-882; www.np-brijuni.hr) is open from 8am to 10pm daily in July and August; from 8am to 8pm daily in June and September; and from 8am to 3pm Monday through Saturday other times. Tickets sold at Fazana cost 190kn for adults and 95kn for children.

Getting There & Getting Around -- You don't need more than a day to see the accessible parts of Brijuni, and it is easy to book an excursion. Tours leave from the dock at Fazana (which is a half-hour drive from Pula) three to five times per day, depending on the season. The trip to Brijuni from Fazana takes about 20 minutes and the guided land tour takes about 4 hours, including breaks and waits for the boat back to shore. (Fazana is also reachable by the no. 6 Pula bus.) Tip: Agencies in Pula sell tickets for Brijuni excursions, some of which include bus transportation between your hotel and Fazana. This can be a good choice if you must start and finish your tour at a specific time. But if you don't need that convenience, book at the Brijuni National Park office on the waterfront when you get to Fazana, a choice that saves a considerable amount of money. If you are booking anywhere but the National Park office, be sure you are getting a tour that lets you off on the islands. Some tours merely cruise around Brijuni without docking.

What to See & Do -- Once you land on Veliki Brijuni, you'll be escorted by an English-speaking guide through the park both on foot and on an environment-friendly tram. The guided tour takes about 4 hours and hits the island's safari park (population is down to a few older animals), a 1st-century Roman villa complex at Verige Bay, the ruins of a Byzantine fortress, and the outskirts of Tito's White Villa. Other points of interest are the "Old Lady," a 1,600-year-old olive tree in the running for oldest tree in Croatia; a small archaeological museum, Church of St. Germaine, with copies of the Baska Tablet and Dance of the Dead Fresco from Beram; and Josip Broz Tito Memorial Museum (tel. 052/525-883 or 052/525-822). The museum is open daily 8am to 7pm in summer; 8am to 2pm at other times, or when excursion boats come in. The Tito is a natural history museum with a collection of taxidermic animals on the ground floor, and a photo exhibit titled "Tito on Brijuni" on the second floor. The guide will explain that the animals (some endangered species) either died of natural causes on Brijuni's preserve or en route from exotic lands. The photos document Tito's activities on Brijuni and should not be missed, as they give context to Tito and his style of leadership: Each image shows Tito shaking hands or dining with a different head of state or celebrity, proof of his ability to use his strong personality to advantage for his country. There is a small concession outside the museum that serves baguette sandwiches, pastries, and beverages.

Inland Istria

It isn't easy being green in a country where blue is the dominant color, but the Istrian interior's countless hues of vegetation hint at the unspoiled nature and unique experiences that await those who venture into this often overlooked part of Croatia. It hits you as you exit the deep blackness of Ucka Tunnel in the east or as you drive away from the golden brightness of the Istrian Coast in the west: This is territory that feeds the senses -- all of them. In Green Istria you can take time to breathe the perfumed air, listen to the birds chatter, touch the rough stone of a medieval castle, or savor the taste of local wines.

Inland Istria is a land of discovery where you can climb a hill to listen to cool jazz at Groznjan, travel the wine road through Momjan, watch films under a night sky in Motovun, or soak in hot-spring waters at Istarske Toplice. Inland Istria is where you can marvel at still-vibrant 15th-century frescoes in a woodland church near tiny Beram, or tramp through the woods outside Buzet while following a couple of dogs hunting truffles.

Inland Istria is where you can feast on an elaborate dinner in an award-winning restaurant in Livade and wake up the next morning to a breakfast of home-smoked ham, homegrown fruit, and homemade cheese in the kitchen of the rural farmhouse where you spent the night. During the day, you can nose around Glagolitic artifacts in tiny Hum or explore the historic walled city of Roc. Inland Istria is the perfect place to immerse you in the land and its people who reside there.

Visitor Information -- Every town in Green Istria has its own tourist information center, though some offices in smaller towns have limited hours and are difficult to find. To help visitors get the most out of their trip, the Istria County Tourist Association has produced some exceptional materials. These include attractive publications on farmhouse stays, cultural itineraries, wine roads, olive-oil roads, and truffle-hunting opportunities. Information on those and many other topics is available through the association, whose main offices are in Porec at Pionirska 1 (tel. 052/452-797; fax 052/452-796; tzzi-po@pu.hinet.hr), and in Pula at Forum 3 (tel. 052/215-799; fax 052/215-722). The association also maintains an excellent website with English-language links to almost every town: www.istra.com.

Getting There -- No matter how you get to Istria -- by plane to Pula, by boat to one of the coastal cities, by bus to Pazin, or by any other method, you will need a car to thoroughly explore the inland area unless you are on a guided excursion.

Getting Around -- Most towns in inland Istria are small; one of them, Hum, is known as the smallest town in the world. The main attractions in all of Istria's inland towns can be readily accessed on foot, but many of these are extremely hilly and must be approached by walking over irregular cobblestone streets. To get to Motovun, for example, you have to leave your car at the bottom of a steep street and walk more than a quarter of a mile uphill. In addition, some of the smaller towns are remote, so driving your own car is the only practical way to cover the territory between them.