Things To Do
Rovinj Regatta
June 6 to June 8, 2025 - 19th Edition of the traditional regatta The Rovinj regatta of traditional boats with lug and lateen sails will take place June 6 to June 8. The goal of the event has always been not only to preserve the traditional knowledge and lug sailing techniques, but also the art of lugsail design and painting. A fleet of about 40 boats from the wider Adriatic area will gather for the regatta, especially from Northern Italy, Slovenia, and our Istria and Primorje-Gorski Kotar County. The event program is a creative and artistic celebration of maritime culture and our BATANA boat, offering an array of activities for all ages. The regatta is followed by a Capela singing throughout the town.
Istria - Wineries
Istria is known for excellent wine. The best known are Malvazija (white wine) and Teran (red wine). There are a number of wineries where you can have wine tastings, sitting in breathtaking surroundings. Some are Damjanic, Degrassi, Andjelini, Benvenuti, Sosich, Matosevic, and Meneghetti. Here is the list of the best of the best, based on the Decanter World Wine Awards 2024: https://awards.decanter.com/DWWA/2024/search/wines?competitionType=DWWA&country=Croatia®ion=Coastal&subRegion=Hrvatska%20Istra A favorite of ours is Kozlovic, which has an Instagram worthy winery with spectacular views.
Rovinj Restaurants and Bars
There is a plethora of great restaurants and bars in Rovinj, from Michelin star rated to local joints. Here are a few suggestions: Michelin level - Monte, Agli Amici Rovinj, Cap Aureo, Puntulina Mali Raj La Nuvola Bookeria Tunaholic Fish Bar Fish House Tutto Bene Santa Croce Bars: Mediterraneo Cocktail Bar Trevisol Bar La'Moura Bar Monte Carlo Outside of Rovinj, our favorite restaurants are: Alla Beccaccia, Valbandon Stari Podrum, Momjan Konoba Batelina, Pula
Grisia Street
Grisia is a beautiful street with cascading steps that lead up to the plateau of the parish church of St. Euphemia and St. George. Its paving is one of the oldest in the historic center. At the very top, paving stones are laid in a herringbone pattern. The toponym ‘Grisia’ indicates that this is an old cobbled street that steeply climbs to the top. At its beginning, on the left side, there is a courtyard locally called ‘dei Bachièri’ (‘the butcher’s), which is one of the most beautiful original areas of high townscape value of the medieval old town. In the Venetian period, a small Jewish community lived on the corner of Porečka Street. There is a plate at No. 38 with the inscription: EXIGUI DVRATE LARES VIRTVTE PARATI // ET MEVS ER SERE POSTERITATIS HONOS // C.K. Since 1967, Grisia has been hosting a one-day art exhibition in the open, which is one of the most important artistic attractions. Grisia Street leads directly to the Church of St. Euphemia.
Church of St. Euphemia
Locals refer to it as the Church of St. Fuma, a Baroque church located on a hilltop in the heart of the historic part of Rovinj. Built from 1725 to 1736, this imposing structure – the largest baroque church in Istria – dominates Rovinj from its hilltop location in the middle of the old town. Its 61m-high bell tower is older than the present church; construction commenced in 1654 and lasted 26 years. It's modelled on the campanile of St. Mark’s in Venice and is topped by a 4m copper statue of St Euphemia, who shows the direction of the wind by turning on a spindle.
Istra Kayaking
Kayaking is very popular in Istra. Tripadvisor provides suggested companies: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g303833-Activities-c61-t191-Rovinj_Istria.html
Art Galleries Rovinj
In Rovinj, there are a number art galleries in the historic town: PoliteBastART Room of Portraits Nothing to Sea Behar Art Gallery ARTeria Riberia Art Gallery Arca
Rovinj Walking Tours
Viator offers a number of walking tours, in groups or private. Check them out: https://www.viator.com/Rovinj-tours/Walking-Tours/d32799-g16-c56 Next, The Tourist Board of Rovinj offers free guided walking tours as part of the “Feel the breeze of Rovinj” program. Departure and meeting with the guide is planned in front of the Rovinj Tourist Board, Trg na mostu 2. During the 2 hour tour, participants will be greeted by a music program with musicians who will perform old traditional Rovinj songs. Guidance is free of charge and take place every Tuesday, starting from 10:00 to 12:00. Registration is required. If you want to join a guided tour, please email info@rovinj-tourism.hr. Here is a tour company that offers walking tours every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday: http://rovinjwalkingtours.com/
Pula
About 30 minutes from Rovinj is the town of Pula. Pula is most known for its Roman Colosseum. It is the only remaining Roman amphitheatre to have four side towers entirely preserved. It was constructed between 27 BC and AD 68, and is among the world's six largest surviving Roman arenas. The arena is also the country's best-preserved ancient monument. There are many organized trips from Rovinj to Pula. You can also catch an Uber, taxi, private transfer or bus to Pula, and explore on your own. During the summer months, the Pula Colosseum hosts concerts. In the summer of 2024, artists such as Dua Lipa, Simple Minds, Lenny Kravitz, Duran Duran, and Andrea Bocelli had concerts inside the ancient Colosseum. Check out the schedule for Summer 2025 (not posted yet :)): https://www.visitpula.hr/pula-best-events/
Brijuni
The Brijuni Archipelago is a breathtaking group of islands near Rovinj, where the main island Veli Brijun is a National Park. It was used by the elite of Austrian, Hungarian and German aristocracy as a winter retreat when Istria was part of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy. In more recent history, almost every major statesman visited the islands as the Brijuni islands were a residence of the late President Tito of Yugoslavia. After a boat ride from Fažana, you will get off at the Veli Brijun main pier from where a small tourist train will take you for an island sightseeing tour. You will see a golf course, safari park, remains of a Roman villa Rustica, a small archaeological museum, church, as well as the permanent exhibition ‘Tito on Brijuni’ where you can see artefacts and photos of Tito and his guests staying on the islands from the 1960s to 1980s. After the tour, you can rent a bike or an electric golf cart to explore the rest of the island on your own.
Motovun and Hum
Motovun is a picturesque village in central Istria, Croatia. In ancient times, both Celts and Illyrians built their fortresses at the location of present-day Motovun. Motovun is known as the city of Veli Jože, the good gentle giant, depicted in a book written by Vladimir Nazor, one of the most important Croatian writers of the 20th century. Today, Motovun is visited for its film festival, spectacular views, every imaginable food made with Istrian truffles, and good wine. Hum - There’s a famous Croatian legend that says that giants built the cities in the Mirna Rivery Valley, and that they threw their leftover stones on top of a nearby hill. Supposedly, those same stones helped to create the town of Hum. Hum is best known as the "smallest city in the world", with only about 30 inhabitants. Explore its two cobblestone streets, try the famous Biska brandy, and walk along the Glagolitic Alley dotted with stone sculptures that honor the traditional Croatian Glagolitic script.
Olive Grove Visits and Olive Oil Tastings
A few suggestions, all around Vodnjan: https://brist-olive.hr/ Brist Olive Oil tours offers two types of tours: an Olive Grove Walking Tour all year round and the Evening Under Olives in the summer which is a walking tour combined with a beautiful late evening picnic under their century old olive trees. Feedback from visitors is that it’s an amazing visit! https://chiavalon.hr Visit Chiavalon for a tasting of one of the best olive oils in the world. They have designed several interesting programs, where you will learn about extra virgin olive oil, and after, in the middle of their olive mill they will teach you how to properly recognize and appreciate a real extra virgin olive oil. Some of the tastings include Istrian tapas, wine, and olive oil! https://oio-vivo.com/en/ Offer several types of visits and tastings, including one where they take you around their olive groves in their Range Rover and tell you about their story and about olive oil.
Lim Fjord
Just north of Rovinj, the Lim Channel runs inland from the coast through the Lim Valley for 12 kilometers. It passes through spectacular scenery, including dramatic cliffs, and very closely resembles a fjord (it is actually a submerged karst canyon). The water is pristine and there are boat tours from Rovinj that will take you on a cruise down the channel. If you’d prefer to get out into the surrounding nature though, there are also hiking trails all throughout the region from where you can soak in the truly outstanding scenery while walking through lush forest. Lim is known for its restaurants serving oysters and mussels, one of the best in the world due to the pristine Channel’s waters.
Bicycling in Istria
Istria is known for fantastic bike trails. Bicycling enthusiasts come from all over the world to bike through the various regions of Istria. If you are interested, check out the website for more information.
Venice
Visit Venice for a day! Reserve a round trip fast ferry trip to Venice. The ferry ride takes about 3 hours (almost 1 hour is spent entering the Venice lagoon). You leave around 7:30am and return to Rovinj around 9pm. Note that Venice is now charging a small fee for daily tourists. You can buy your ferry ticket through the hotel concierge or online at https://www.directferries.com/
Golf Course Brioni, National Park Brijuni
There are two golf courses near Rovinj: Brioni - https://www.1golf.eu/en/club/old-golf-course-brioni/ Savudrija - https://www.1golf.eu/en/club/golf-club-adriatic/
Cave Romane EDM Music Festival
Gates of Agartha EDM Music Festival Pula June 5-8, 2025
Casanova Tour of Vrsar
Casanova supposedly loved Istria. Take an interactive tour of Vrsar.