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Pula

Tourist destination info Pula

Pula is a modern city with rich history and a multitude of cultural monuments. The largest on the Istrian peninsula, it is a city of extraordinary beauty and culture with a long and tumultuous past. Familiarize yourself with its cultural heritage: the amphitheater, the Temple of Augustus, the Triumphal Arch, the City Hall, the Gate of Hercules, the Forum, the Castle, Twin gates and city walls, the church and monastery of St. Francis, the chapel of Maria Formosa and many other sites that have made this city famous. Its rugged coastline and crystal clear sea offer an opportunity to enjoy the beautiful sandy and rocky beaches, the most famous being the Umbrella beach. For those who want to relax far from the crowds there are "wild" beaches sheltered by intact vegetation.
Sports fans can play basketball, tennis, golf, or enjoy hiking in the nature, diving, biking and panoramic flights. Visit the many restaurants where you can enjoy the delicacies of this area (Istrian prosciutto, goat cheese, various kinds of homemade pasta, seafood and various specialties made with the famous truffles). Take a relaxing walk through the city in the evening and make sure you visit the amphitheater, which hosts many international stars of the music scene in the summer. Pula is the perfect destination to spend a dream vacation filled with many events.

Did you know? The city was founded by the Illyrian tribe Histri, the oldest population in Istria. They founded an important colony (Colonia Pietas Iulia Pola).

The legend:

Legend has it that Pula is mentioned in the mythological story of Jazon and Medea who stole the Golden Fleece. Colchians pursued Jason all the way to the northern Adriatic. Since they were not able to catch him and get the Golden Fleece back, they were not permitted to return home, and so, on the nearby shore where the Illyrian tribe lived, they built a settlement and called it Polai, meaning the "city of fugitives."

Be sure to visit

Arena Pula: ancient monument in the center of Pula. The first amphitheater in Pula was built in the 1st century BC, taking its current shape in 1st century AD and could accommodate 20 000 people. It is the 6th largest ancient amphitheater in the world.

Legend says:

The arena was built by hundreds of fairies, stone by stone, all night long. As the dawn was nearing the fairies flew into their hiding places and the arena still remains unfinished.

Arch of the Sergii - Golden Gate: the arch was erected by members of the Sergi family, in honor of three of their members that held high clerical duties in Pula. The arch used to lean against the main city gate Porta Aurea (Golden Gate), which together with the city walls was demolished in the early 19th century due to urbanization. The Arch of the Sergii was built in the Corinthian style. Since the side facing east was not visible, it remained very simple, while the west side, visible from the city, is richly decorated.

The gates of Hercules are located between two, probably medieval towers. Built with undecorated stone blocks, the top of the arched opening, although damaged and hardly recognizable, feature a carved head of Hercules and his club. The inscription on the club, also damaged, is of historic importance because it mentions the names of two Roman officials.

Forum: the central square of the ancient and medieval Pula is situated on the west side of town along the coast. In order to construct the forum in the first century BC, the coast was artificially widened to get more space. In the northern part of the Forum, there were two side temples and one central temple dedicated to Jupiter, Juno and Minerva. The temple of Augustus is the only one preserved, while the other side of the temple’s wall was used in the construction of the City Hall in the 13th century.

Entertainment

You can enjoy a rich repertoire of events in Pula. You can soak the atmosphere of the squares and streets of this city in a variety of cafe-bars and attend many events. If you intend to party till the early morning hours, visit one of the numerous discotheques.

"Pula night – along the streets of our city" - The program takes place in six locations, stretching from the Forum to the Giardin.

Istrian Hand Made - Fair original Istrian souvenirs and handicrafts.

Istria gourmet - Istrian gourmet products fair.

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Keep exploring Pula Region:

Destinations nearby

  • Stinjan (Pula) ( 3.86  km)
  • Banjole ( 4.99  km)
  • Valbandon ( 5.55  km)
  • Fazana ( 7.48  km)
  • Brijuni ( 8.51  km)
  • Medulin ( 8.52  km)
  • Premantura ( 8.88  km)
  • Liznjan ( 9.65  km)
  • Muntic ( 10.06  km)
  • Vodnjan ( 10.13  km)
  • Peroj ( 10.14  km)
  • Divsici (Marcana) ( 15.03  km)
  • Krnica (Pula) ( 17.7  km)
  • Bratulici (Marcana) ( 18.67  km)
  • Sajini (Barban) ( 19.82  km)
  • What our guests say about Pula

    Fabulous
    4.2
    Overall guest rating
    Atmosphere
    4.4
    Security
    4.5
    Beaches
    3.9
    Touristic offer
    4.1
    Friendly locals
    4.3

    • Very good 3
      Ognjen Mr. Botica
      Solo traveler Hrvatska
      14/11/2012
      Pula komentar
      Very nice town
    • Very good 3.8

      Couple
      16/09/2012
      Portuary city
      Old roman vestiges, friendly locals, good food. Many nationals parks nearby. We went there because of the proximity of the dimension festival, which one i recommend by the way.
      No beaches in center of the city, all the restaurants in the center serve the same menu, so before try to find some gastronomic restorans outside the city, in example istria konoba, or villa meduin.
    • Fabulous 4.2

      Couple
      25/06/2012
      Pula
      Apartment location was good. Restaurants and Pizzerias were good. Fresh fruits and wegetables were available. Pekaras exested owerall. The Weather was just fine.
    • Excellent 4.6
      Antonia
      Par Austria
      Kuća 53861-K1 19/10/2024
      Wunderscölne Lage, kommen gerne wieder.
      Translate to English
    • Excellent 5
      Marcel
      Par Slovakia (Slovak Republic)
      Kuća 53861-K1 21/09/2023
      Ochotný majiteľ, úplný kľud.
      Translate to English
    • Excellent 5
      Marcin
      Obitelj Poland
      Kuća 53861-K1 26/07/2023
      Perfect place for those who value peace and independence
      Beautifully located, well-maintained house in a great location (5 minutes from the Korčula port). Surrounding the house is an olive grove, lavender, rosemary, orange trees, and pomegranates. A large pool with clean and well-filtered water - perfect for bathing both during the day and at night. The house (bathroom/kitchen) is equipped with everything needed. The owners are incredibly kind and helpful, eager to answer any question/request. A welcoming liqueur and delicious cake awaited us 😋. The house is situated high up, offering breathtaking views of the sea, the Pelješac peninsula, and Orebić. 3-10 minutes by car to a store, bakery, vegetable market, and fish market. I recommend it for couples and families with kids who never leave the pool 😁.
      Translate to English
      Nikica  
      Dear Marcin, thank you for your kind words! Your favorable review provides great satisfaction. We are happy to be a part of your beautiful memories of your vacation in Croatia. We are at your service. With kind regards, Adriagate
    • Excellent 5
      Jessica
      Obitelj Poland
      Kuća 53861-K1 10/07/2020
      A dream-come-true holiday.
      Perfect place to spend the time with your family, without any noise or crowds. Extraordinary view! Our kids loved to check the garden each day and find cucumbers, tomatoes or eggplants for dinner. Of course the best part, swimming pool all day! :-) Driveway well prepared, but very steep at some points, so please be careful when traveling with a big van. In this case, when in doubt, contact the owners, they will help for sure :-) Thank you to the owners for the hospitality and help!
      Translate to English
    • Excellent 5
      MAJA
      Par Slovenia
      Kuća 53861-K1 30/09/2019
      Owners are very kind and helpful. House is on gregorious place.
    • Excellent 4.6
      Daniela
      Par Germany
      Kuća 53861-K1 19/07/2019
      Schönes Haus , Top Inhaber
      Haus ist schön gelegen , einfache aber gute Ausstattung , toller Pool, Ein Wort zu den Inhaber : Selten so nette , freundliche, hilfsbereite Inhaber getroffen, da langen keine 5 Sterne., vielen Dank Ostoja und Gruß an deiner Frau für den super tollen Kuchen Dani + Thorsten
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    • Excellent 4.8
      Ton
      Par Netherlands
      Kuća 53861-K1 12/07/2019
      A dream on earth! A place you would never leave.
      We enjoyed our holiday soooo much. A lovely house up on the hill, marvelous vieuw, total privacy, a great swimmingpool (and even greater swimmingpoolboy ☺) a bakeoven in the open air and in 10 minutes in the cosy old town of Korcula. Thank you Ostoya en Jelena for your hospitality and making our staying so pleasant. Nothing we asked was to much for you. We surely will come back next year.
    • Excellent 4.8
      Milan
      Par Czech Republic
      Kuća 53861-K1 21/09/2018
      Krásné prostředí, příjemní a vstřícní majitelé.
      Ubytování je na krásném místě (samotě) uprostřed olivového háje, ze kterého je krásný výhled na Pelješac. Malý nedostatek byl v tom, že každou noc byla slyšet nedaleká diskotéka.
      Translate to English
    • Excellent 4.6
      Martina
      Par Switzerland
      Kuća 53861-K1 25/06/2018
      Sehr schöne Unterkunft
      Wunderbare ruhige Lage, freundlicher Empfang. Wir waren sehr zufrieden.
      Translate to English
    • Excellent 5
      Klaus
      Par Austria
      Kuća 53861-K1 28/05/2018
      Ein Paradies
      Wir wohnten nicht nur inmitten der phantastischen Natur in einem entzückenden Haus, welches mit viel Liebe gestaltet wurde und mehr als genügend Platz bot. Es fehlte an Nichts. Die Gastgeberfamilie bestach durch Aufmerksamkeit, Zuvorkommenkeit Großzügigkeit und nicht zuletzt durch Herzlichkeit. All dies war in Summe für eine wunderschöne, außergewöhnlich entspannende Zeit verantwortlich - herzlichsten Dank dafür!
      Translate to English
    See more13/99

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    * prices for June 2025 based on the maximum capacity for a minimum stay of 7 days

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