Umag

Umag is a town in Istria on the Adriatic coast of Croatia.



Understand
Umag is a picturesque small Mediterranean town - harbour, the Croatian gate to Europe, the first tourist destination you come across on arrival to the northern part of the Adriatic coast. Umag has excellent road and air connections with all large towns in the world (at only 50 nautical miles from the famous Venice!). It is located in an attractive bay with one of the most prestigious ACI marinas awarded the Blue Flag. Its natural beauties, the history and tradition of the old town of Umag and of the surrounding Istrian area, a warm Mediterranean climate with an abundance of sunshine during most months of the year and high quality hotels, campsites, apartments and bungalows make Umag an ideal vacation place for the whole family. The history of Umag is exceptionally interesting: In ancient times it was discovered by Roman aristocracy who adopted it for their summer residence.The town has preserved parts of the town walls and defence towers, Renaissance and Baroque houses and churches, the most famous among them being the parish church of the Assumption of Virgin Mary and the church of St. Peregrine. Umag is a widely known site of the international ATP tennis tournament, which has been successfully organized since 1990.

By plane

 * Trieste International Airport (45 km)
 * Airport Pula (65 km)

By train

 * Rail Station Pazin (35)
 * Rail Station Buzet (40)

By car
Ljubljana -Kopar - Border Kaštel / Plovanija - Umag Zagreb - Rijeka - tunnel Učka -Buzet - Buje - Umag Pula - Vodnjan - Bale - Sv. Lovrec - Porec - Novigrad - Umag or Pula - Vodnjan - Bale - Sv. Lovrec - Baderna - Vižinada - Buje - Umag
 * From North:
 * From East:
 * From South:

Get around
The Arena in Pula, the Roman amphitheatre is located in the centre of Pula. It was built in 1st century BC and took its present form in 1st century when it could seat about 20,000 spectators. It served for gladiator fights that took place in it until 5th century.
 * Arena in Pula 

The Cretaceous Park with fossilized dinosaur footprints, Byzantine castrum and the remains of Roman villas, archaeological and natural-science collection, the exhibition “Josip Broz Tito on Brijuni”, the Mausoleum of Kupelwieser family are only some of the sights you should not miss. And while walking along the islands you will be accompanied by numerous tame bird species, deer, mouflons and other big game. In the town of Poreč, near Umag, there is one of the most beautiful early Byzantine churches in Europe called Euphrasian Basilica after the bishop of Poreč who had this marvellous three-nave church built over the site of an older church. Of special interest are the impressive mosaics over the apse of precious stones and mother-of-pearl. The walls surrounding the small medieval hilltop town of Motovun present an invaluable cultural and historical heritage of Istria. The very well preserved old town core is surrounded by impressive defence walls. According to the Guinness Book of Records, with its 23 inhabitants, Hum is the smallest town in the world. It is situated in the central part of Istria and famous for the Alley of the Glagolitic priests – a unique memorial to the old Croatian Glagolitic script. It is a geo-morphological phenomenon with overgrown canyon cliffs rising up to 150 m above sea level. With its narrow, 11 km long inlet it represents one of the most beautiful landscapes in Istria. The Učka mountain and its highest peak Vojak at 1401 m offering breathtaking 360° panoramic view over the Istrian peninsula, north Adriatic islands, Gorski Kotar mountains, Venice, Italian Alps...
 * Brijuni Islands - national park 
 * Euphrasian Basilica – part of the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage
 * Motovun walls 
 * Hum – the smallest town in the world 
 * Lim Channel 
 * Nature Park Učka

See
Due to Umag’s stormy history the buildings from the Late Antiquity and Early Middle Ages were completely destroyed. The present historical core has inherited the urban structure of the Middle Ages. There are numerous reminders of that era: wall remains, Venetian villas and above all, picturesque narrow streets. The one that is best preserved is also the oldest one – the west tower now housing the Museum of Umag, keeper of a valuable collection of archaeological artefacts found on the site of the town of Umag. Not far from Umag, on the Rosazzo promontory there is a small, very old Church of St. Peregrine. It was built by the inhabitants of Umag to mark the spot where, during the Diocletian era. The oldest lighthouse on the Adriatic Coast built in 1818, 36 m high with the light visible from the distance of 32 kilometres. The construction of the lighthouse is connected with a love story of Count Metternich, who although married, fell in love with a local girl and had the lighthouse built to her honour. Between Savudrija and Umag during low tides a small 200 m long and 50 m wide promontory and a pile of stones rise from the sea: These are the only remains of the ancient Castle of Sipar from the 5th century. The town of Siparis existed here during the Roman era, a proof of this being the foundations of villas and houses, mosaics, marble, ceramic, urns and coins found in this location, all dating from the era of Constantine and Valerius. Sipar was totally plundered and destroyed in 876 by the Neretvian pirates led by the Ban Domagoj and never regained its previous significance. A real paradise for divers! This luxury villa had its own Roman spa, water cistern, huge dwelling quarters lavishly decorated with mosaics on the floor and frescos on the walls. The remains of a pier measuring 30 metres in length and 6 metres wide are located in the sea near the villa, while the remains of an enormous construction can also be recognized, most likely a pool of another Roman villa.
 * Old town of Umag 
 * Church of St. Peregrine 
 * Lighthouse in Savudrija
 * Sipar Promontory
 * Villa Tiola