Poreč

Poreč and the surrounding region are entirely devoted to summer tourism. “Something for everyone” could be Poreč’s motto—the seaside resort offers a wide variety of attractions, from a UNESCO World Heritage basilica complex to endless shopping opportunities to slick resort hotels crammed with activities and services. Old Town is the epicenter of this mecca, with immaculate cobblestone streets, precisely clipped plantings, multilingual signs explaining all points of interest, and enough jewelry stores and gelaterias for every tourist in Croatia.

The coast of Poreč measures 37 km, islands included, but the ancient town is confined to a peninsula 400 m long and 200 m wide. The Romans conquered the region in the 2nd century BC and made Poreč an important administrative center from which they were able to control a sweep of land from the Limska Draga Fjord to the Mirna River. Poreč’s street plan was laid out by the Romans, who divided the town into rectangular parcels marked by the longitudinal Decumanus and the latitudinal Cardo.

Hotels, travel agencies and excursion boats are on the quayside Obala Maršala Tita, which runs from the small boat harbour to the tip of the peninsula. The bus station is just outside the old town.