NOVEMBER 2023
One of Croatia’s most magical sights is Rovinj. Definitely not a hidden gem anymore, very popular with Dutch tourists and highly worth a visit. The combination of the Adriatic sea and colorful Venetian architecture is a stunning combination. You can easily stay in Rovinj for a week, as you can do many interesting daytrips from Rovinj. In this blogpost I will give my recommendations for this area.
Practical information
Though not the capital of Istria, Rovinj is arguably Istria’s most famous destination. The colorful old town and its location at the Adriatic sea make it a popular tourist attraction. It therefore is recommended to book your accommodation early if you are visiting in the high season. Campsites and hotels do get fully booked, so if you want some choice you need to be early. When we visited in July all campsites were full and we ended up in a hotel that cost more than € 200 a night, which I found steep.
Experiencing Rovinj
The main street of Rovinj gets busy early during the day, but I must admit that the side streets weren’t that bad. Until about 11AM it was possible to take pictures without too many distractions. One of the best photo destinations in Rovinj is the view from the harbor on the old town near the Aquarium. During sunset the old town gets a lovely golden glow. It was very easy to take pictures here, apparantly other tourists don’t venture all the way here to take pictures. Below you will find the pictures I took during the day and at night! Just a gorgeous spot 🙂
The best way to enjoy Rovinj is by taking a dip every now and then. I had been to Rovinj before and remembered the Mediterraneo Cocktail bar and I just had to get back. This cocktail bar has delicious cocktails and it directly located at the sea, in between cocktails you can get in the water to cool down. At Valentino and Mirador al mar you will find other good swimming options. If you swim out into the sea from these locations and turn around you will be rewarded with the most spectacular views of the old town!
Besides some kid friendly activities, there aren’t a lot of activities that you can do in Rovinj, besides relaxing, eating, shopping and swimming. But why would you need more if a town is this colorful and beautiful? Rovinj’s architecture is in the Venetian style, as the Venetians once ruled Rovinj. I absolutely love the combination of this architecture and the deep blue colors of the Adriatic and would love to go back later in the season, once the crowds have gone home, but the water is still a lovely temperature.
Daytrips from Rovinj
Rovinj has a very good location and it is very easy to do some interesting daytrips if you have time. I would recommend the following:
Venice: You can take a high speed ferry to Venice from Rovinj. If you have never been I would highly recommend it. Venice gets very crowded, but for good reason, as it is so beautiful. If you love Rovinj, you will love Burano island, close to Venice, too. Read my blogpost on Venice here.
Dolphin spotting: Yes there are dolphin tours in Rovinj, most of them leave in the evening. So if you want to add some nature magic to your trip, this is your chance.
Kotli waterfall village: Within one hour drive you will find Kotli, a tiny village surrounded by waterfalls and natural pools. We loved our visit, I wrote a separate blogpost on Kotli. If you’re not convinced: Kotli is located in the truffle area of Istria.
Pula: Pula definitely isn’t as pretty as Rovinj, but it has a fabolous Roman ruin of a theatre. It is only an one hour drive, so I couldn’t miss it!
