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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    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 5
      Helmut
      Para Germany
      28/08/2024
      Gerne wieder
      Die Stadt bietet ein angenehmes touristisches Leben. Etwa ruhiger im "alten" Stadtteil, mehr Stimmung am großen Strand. Es gibt sehr schöne Strände. Teils Kiesel, teils Fels. Eine schöne Auswahl. Geschäfte für den täglichen Bedarf und ein schöner Markt gibt es im Zentrum. Die Nähe zum Biokovo-Nationalpark ist praktisch. Ein Besuch des neuen Skywalk absolut zu empfehlen. Es gibt viele Anbieter, angefangen von Bustour, über Quad und E-Tuktuk. (Unser Favorit ) Kulinarisch ist alles geboten, was das Herz begehrt. Makarska lohnt sich, nochmals besucht zu werden.
      Translate to English
    • Very good 3.2
      Robert
      Para Hrvatska
      25/08/2024
      Ljepo mjesto i cisto more. Ljepo za prosetati navecer sa puno restorana i kafica.
      Previse ljudi i guzve za nas ukus. Mirnija okolna mjesta za kupanje sa manje guzve i ljepim plazama.
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    • Excellent 5
      Gergő
      Rodzina Hungary
      25/08/2024
      Szuper
      Csodás környezet nagyon kedves személyzet bármilyen problémánk volt azonnal megoldást találtak
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    • Excellent 4.6
      Laura
      Rodzina Romania
      19/08/2024
      Makasrka is a very nice location, with beaches along the coast. Still, it is a relativelly expensive location, you should be prepared to pay including daily parking at each beach, and it is not a cheap cost. Good food, nice views. Locals are somehow polite, but distant, they are lacking the warm welcoming spirit which greeks have.
    • Excellent 5
      Gabriel
      Rodzina Slovakia (Slovak Republic)
      15/08/2024
      Veľa turistických a iných možností zábavy
      Pulzujúci nočný život, pestré možnosti pláží, množstvo barov a reštaurácií
      Translate to English
    • Excellent 5
      András
      Rodzina Hungary
      07/08/2024
      Tökéletes!
      A nyüzsgő sétány, a szuper éttermek, a nagyszerű strandok.
      Translate to English
    • Excellent 5
      Zsolt
      Rodzina Hungary
      31/07/2024
      Tökéletes tengerparti nyaralóhely
      Nagyon barátságos, segítőkész szállásadók, a város elhelyezkedése, hangulata, strandok, éttermek bőséges kínálata.
      Translate to English
    • Fabulous 4.4
      Nóra
      Rodzina Hungary
      24/08/2023
      Csodálatos és nagyon szép volt.
      Translate to English
    • Fabulous 4.4
      Karl
      Rodzina Netherlands
      19/07/2023
      Holiday
      Heerlijke locatie. Wel hoog gelegen, maar dat zort er ook voor dat het lekker rustig is. Overigens is een auto een must, want het is helling op 10-15% !
      Translate to English
    • Very good 3
      Davud
      Grupa przyjaciół Bosna i Hercegovina
      24/07/2022
      Divni Jadran i neobicni domacini.
      Boravak u gradu i na lijepom Jadnanu je ono sto je zadovoljstvo.
      Odnos domacina prema gostima je neprimjeren. S obzirom da su bili u pitanju mladji gosti to ne daje pravo vlasniku objekta da ih tretira kao huligane ili tinejdzere koji su, po osjećaju vlasnika prostora, došli da pokradu nešto iz objekta. Radilo de o pristojnoj djeci koja su odgojena u etički ispravnom okruženju i nisu ta vrsta djačaka koji dolaze na odmor činiti štetu drugim ljudima. Niko nema pravo svoga gosta tretirati na taj način. Frižider sobi je neuredan i ispunjen neugodnim mirisom, namještaj je star i dotrajao. Uglavnom iskustvo koje nećemo ponovii na ovom mjestu.
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    Pula recommended accommodation

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

    • Pula,
    • Persons: 2-4
    • Guests rating: 4.9
    • Most recent reservation 3 days ago
    Room - Pula Rooms Aurora From 871 zl
    • Pula,
    • Persons: 1-2
    Apartment - Pula Apartment Doris From 435 zl
    • Pula,
    • Persons: 2-4
    • Guests rating: 4.7
    • Most recent reservation 10 days ago
    Apartment - Pula Casa Laura From 457 zl
    • Pula,
    • Persons: 1-4
    • Guests rating: 4.6
    • Most recent reservation 4 days ago

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