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From Wikitravel

Pula (Italian Pola, Slovene Pulj) is a nice town at the tip of the Istrian peninsula, Croatia. Its history started about 3000 years ago when it was built by Illyrians. Romans occupied Istria in 177 B.C. After destruction of Western Roman empire, 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 middle ages from republic of Venice to Genoa to Illyrian Provinces to Austria–Hungary and many others. After second world war it has been part of Croatia. In that time Italians fled to mother Italy and Pula was inhabited by Croats. Although most of the population still consists of Croats there are lots of quite big minorities in Pula such as Serbs, Italians, Bosniaks and Slovenes.

Most tourists visit in the summer months, with most tourist trips and restaurants closing between October and May.

[edit] Get in

[edit] By plane

Pula has its own international airport [1] with daily flights to Zagreb, and direct services from many European cities including Amsterdam, Edinburgh, London, Manchester, Oslo, Vienna and Zurich. Ryanair operates direct flights from London three times a week. Many flights to Pula are charter rather than scheduled, while other flights are seasonal (summer only).

There is a scheduled bus service from the bus station in town to the airport. Buses are operated by Brioni [2] and connect to most major flights. The cost of a one-way ticket is 25kn. A taxi from the bus station to the city should be around 85 kuna in the low season and much higher in the summer.

It is possible to also consider Rijeka Airport [3] on the island of Krk and Trieste Airport [4] in nearby Italy to access Pula as they are close by and offer flights to different destinations.

[edit] 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 [5] and [6].

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 [7] 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.

[edit] 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 [8] ferry connects Pula with Venice. It runs five times a week, travel time is around 3hr.

[edit] Get around

For local transport the cheap taxis from CityTax (25/30 Kuna) can be a good alternative for the public buses (10 Kuna per person). (This taxi service my no longer be available.)

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 off 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 7kn. 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..

[edit][add listing] See

• The Arena, the 6th largest surviving Roman amphitheatre. Towering over the nearby buildings this huge structure was barely saved from destruction several times during its life, mostly by various Venetians with plans to take to to Venice stone by stone as demonstration of the might of the Venetian empire. Many stones were taken to build houses and other structures around Pula, but fortunately this practice was stopped before the whole structure was destroyed. Entry (20 kn) gives you access to wander the inside of the Colosseum and visit the caverns beneath. The audio tour is very worthwhile.

• The Forum is the main square in the center of the city. The square is built on the place of the ancient Roman forum. On the square there is city hall that was built in 10th century (parts of an old temple were used for the building as it can be seen on the rear side of the hall) and the Temple of August, from the first century.

• Archeology Museum (12 kn).

• 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 Archeology museum

• Mornaričko groblje, Sailors' cemetery (1866. - about 150 000 soldiers of Austro-Hungarian nations were buried there) and Mornarička crkva, Sailors' Church

[edit][add listing] Do

• Visit Brijuni. Group of islands famous for their scenic beauty. They are a holiday resort and a Croatian National Park. They were also setlement in roman times and were part of Republic of Venice. There is also now famous Tito (leader of former Yugoslavia) residence. Boats go from small town near Pula named Fažana [9].

• Go on Fish picnic. You can take a walk through local marina and check out timetables and prices. Prices are usually around 30€ (250hrk)per person.

• Visit Pula Film Festival [10] takes place in Arena and lasts from 18th to 25 july.

• Walk down the Sergijevaca street where are many small shops, souvenir shops, bars and even sweet shops.

[edit][add listing] Buy

• Truffles. Istria is famous for its truffles and various truffle products.

• Malvazija and Teran. Autochthonous Istrian wine sorts.

• Medica. A honey rakija ,
• Biska. A rakija with mistletoe.

[edit][add listing] Eat

• Restaurant Galeb. You won't find this one in any tourist guide, but everyone in the city knows the place: they serve best "chevapchichi" (minced meat, 2in long, 1/2in wide) in the city.

• Restaurant Gina[11]. Excellent food in a unique setting that combines elegance with history.

• Restaurant Asterix. The best pizza in town. You should try the Asterix pizza, which means you can have a pizza divided into thirds, with a different set of toppings (kinds of pizza) on each one.

• Pizzeria Bambino. Good quality pizza and grill.

• Pizzeria Jupiter. Near Arena, the Roman amphitheatre - very good pizza.

• Restaurant El Pulari. A mexican restaurant.

• Restaurant Biska.

[edit][add listing] Drink

Drinking is a pleasurable pastime in Croatia

[edit][add listing] Sleep

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

• 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 currently decked out with 1960s/70s fittings (orange bedcovers, 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.

• Youth hostel and youth camp.[12] Not such a nice looking place, but it is situated some ten meters from the beach, so you can almost jump directly from your bedroom right into the sea. (To get there, take bus 2a from the city (3a to return) and get off at Zlatne Stijene then follow the signs.)

• Villa Mihaela [13] 3 apartments for 2to4 persons.Each of the apartments has a parking lot, and is equipped with air conditioner, SAT TV, and all other appliances that will make your stay pleasant.

• Apartments Alexandra & Erika, Kozada 12/a, Štinjan, Pula, ☎ +385 52 223505, [14]. Attactive apartments in the proximity of the well known Brijuni Islands national park. A quiet place in a family house, built in 2004. in Štinjan only a few kilometers away from the center of Pula. Air condition, SAT TV, fridge with freezer, kitchen with all the accessories, cooking stove (electricity+gas), washing machine, balcony.  edit

• Pula Art Hostel, ☎ +385(0)95/846-65-17, [15]. Small, family-run, newly refurbished art hostel in the centre of Pula. The hostel offers 2 fully equipped kitchens and beds for couples; grill on terrace.  edit

• Apartments with Swimming pool Slivar (Apartments pool Pula), Samagher 17 (veli vrh, Pula North), [16]. checkin: 14:00; checkout: 10:00. 3 modern fully equipped apartments for 2-6 persons in a calm part of Pula 150m from the sea and 3km from the beach. The spacious swimming pool in situated in our award winning garden (over 1500m2). Our apartments feature: SAT TV, microwave owen, coffee machine, and two apartments also offer a wash machine and air condition. We also offer free of charge the use of grill and bikes and a save place  edit

[edit] Get out

• National Park Brijuni - The beautiful Brijuni islands (also referred to as Brioni) [17] 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 [18].

• Rovinj, Rovigno [19] [20]

• Poreč, Parenzo [21] [22]

• Grožnjan, Grisignana [23] [24]

• Motovun, Montona [25], [26] [27]

This is a usable article. It has information for getting in as well as some complete entries for restaurants and hotels. An adventurous person could use this article, but please plunge forward and help it grow!