Pula

This bustling city of 65,000 at the southern tip of Istria is a working port as well as a repository of some of the best Roman ruins in Europe, including a well-preserved amphitheater from the 1st century that is Pula’s biggest draw. Pula has other vestiges of Roman occupation (Temple of Augustus, Forum, Arch of the Sergi) that are worth seeing, too. Besides its cache of Roman artifacts, the city is home to a graceful Gothic Franciscan monastery erected by the monks when they arrived at the end of the 13th century, as well as a 17th-century fortress that now houses Istria’s history museum. It was built by the Venetians.

Historical attractions aside, Pula is a busy commercial city on the sea that has managed to retain a friendly small-town appeal. Just a short bus ride away, a series of beaches awaits at the resorts that occupy the Verudela Peninsula to the south. The coast is dotted with fragrant pine groves, seaside cafes and a clutch of fantastic restaurants. Further south along the indented shoreline, the Premantura Peninsula hides a spectacular nature park, the protected cape of Kamenjak.