Pula



Pula (Italian: Pola, Slovene: Pulj) is a nice town at the tip of the Istrian peninsula in northwestern Croatia.

Understand
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.

Climate
The climate of Pula is warm to hot during the summer months, and cool to cold during winter. Average temperatures during July, the hottest month range from 18° to 29°, while in January, the coldest month, temperatures range from an average low of 1° to 10° Spring and autumn are generally mild in comparison

By plane


There is a scheduled bus service from the bus station in town to the airport. Buses are operated by Brioni and connect to most major flights. The cost of a one-way ticket is. A taxi from the bus station to the city should be around in the low season and much higher in the summer.

It is possible to also consider Rijeka Airport on the island of Krk and Trieste Airport in nearby Italy to access Pula as they are close by and offer flights to different destinations.

Shuttle buses from the Pula bus station to Pula airport leave at 5-10 times a day. The cost is.

By land
The large and modern bus station is on the edge of the 'old town' district and is the hub of local, domestic and international bus routes. There are direct buses from Zagreb, Rijeka, Split, Trieste, Ljubljana, Belgrade and Venice. Online timetables are listed at Brioni and Pula Info.

There is also a train station near the waterfront with services serving Istria and into Slovenia due to historical circumstance rather than back towards the rest of Croatia (though a connecting coach service operates for services to Rijeka and Zagreb). Ticket prices, timetables and other information are on the Croatian Railways website.

Hitchhiking from Zagreb works very well. In Zagreb start from the petrol station after the "Billa" supermarket on the southside of the Sava river. In Rijeka ask people to drop you off at the little SOS stop after a pretty sharp right bend of the motor way around Rijeka.

By sea
Hydrofoil services operate from the wharf both around the Croatian coastline, and across to Venice. These are pricey, though provide a quick journey and provide some great views.

Venezia Lines ferry connects Pula with Venice. It runs five times a week, travel time is around 3 hr.

Get around
For local transport you can use the taxi service. There's a company offering taxi services now for /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 ( per card, per person, per ride), however, if you plan on using the Pulapromet only, you should make yourself a BusCard. The BusCard is an electromagnetic ticket that you can fill with money and then use cheaper bus rides. The price of a buscard is but they usually sell them for  which includes  credit you can use on the bus. The BusCard reduces drastically the price of the ride making it a 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. 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 /hr. Parking tickets generally cost and the attendants make the rounds frequently.

See

 * 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
 * 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

Do

 * Football: NK Istra play soccer in HNL, the top tier. Their Stadion Aldo Drosina (capacity 8900) is 1 km southeast of old town centre.
 * 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 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.
 * Pula Film Festival takes place yearly in the Arena in the second half of July.

Buy

 * 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.

Mid-range

 * Restaurant Farabuto. Excellent light and delicious slow food. (updated May 2022)
 * Restaurant Galeb, Osječka 37, Monterizzi, Stoja. You won't find this one in any tourist guide, but everyone in the city knows the place: they serve best "chevapchichi" (minced meat, 5 cm x 1½ cm) in the city. (updated May 2022)
 * Restaurant Gina . Temporarily closed as of May 2022. Excellent food in a unique setting that combines elegance with history.
 * Pizzeria Jupiter. Near Arena, the Roman amphitheatre - very good pizza. (updated May 2022)
 * Restaurant El Pulari. A Mexican restaurant. (updated May 2022)

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

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

Unclassified

 * Hotel Riviera (1-star). Fabulous looking hotel built in 1907 for the high-ranking officers in the Austro-Hungarian army. Never properly refurbished since then it is now showing its age, but structurally it is impressive and looks oh-so-grand from the outside. The rooms are decked out with 1960s/70s fittings (orange bed covers, brown wooden panelling, lime green phone), with the sparseness showing the lack of funds for upkeep. Having said all that, it's clean, tidy, and comfortable. No doubt within a few years someone will make the investment to bring it back to its former glory. Quite expensive for its facilities.

Connect
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.

Go next

 * 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