First historical mentions of Pula are more than 3000 years old. Ancient Rome left in this town at the tip of Istria many monuments, theatres, temples, thriumphal arche, mosaics… Among them roman amphitheater Arena is surely the most famous one, the reason why one come to visit Pula. In the summer it is a very animated city with a lot of cultural events. Pula Film Festival is worth noting due to its long tradition, intimate connection with the people from Pula and beautiful experience of watching films in Arena under stars. If you are lucky enough, you can even attend (for free!) big ship launching in Uljanik, Pula’s shipyard founded by Austro-Hungarian monarchy in 1856.
More about Pula

Here is a small guide to the most important beaches at the south of Istria.

View South Istria beaches by LacoDeLama – apartmentRavnic in a larger map

Well, there are a few kilometers between Italy and Istria, but if you decide to use Slovenian highways the toll sticker (vinjeta-vignette) must be purchased. To save you more than 30 EUR we made two driving guides that will lead you through local roads. We hope this will be helpful to you.

From Istria to Italy without Slovenian Vignette (Toll Sticker)

After months of planning finally we started with modernization of the apartment Marta. Our plan is to have two separate bedrooms with double bed and a private bathroom for each room. There will be also another bathroom, the third one, to be used by guest sleeping on the sofabed. The kitchen is moving to the big living room. We are sure our future guests will like the new look of the apartment.

According to our guests two beaches are the reason to come back to Ližnjan. The first one is the beach under the Svetica hill. It is a part of the coast between Ližnjan and Šišan looking towards the east. We call this place “the small Kamenjak” because it looks like the real Nature park Kamenjak in Premantura but it is smaller and free to visit. Instead of explaining and describing this beaches I have taken some photos and put them in the gallery. You will see for yourself it is a wild place. The macadam road that goes from Šišan toward the beach is very bad so you need to drive carefully and slowly. Once you come back to the civilization your car will be completely dirty in desperate need of a car-wash, but this is a fair price to pay if you want to stay away from crowded beaches and get in touch with untouched nature. Here is a gallery of beaches under the Svetica hill.

When you are going on holiday, probably you would like to know what are climate conditions of the region you will be visiting. Istria has a Mediterranean climate, or in other we have warm summers and mild and pleasant winters. Average summer temperatures vary from 25ªC in June and September to 28ºC in July and August. Beware that here we are talking about average temperatures so do not be surprised if you have bad luck to experience the heat wave with 38ºC in the shadow. There are three types of winds here. First there is Bura, cold and dry wind appearing mostly in the winter that brings clear weather. Then there is Jugo, humid and warm, that brings rain, bad mood and quarrels. Finally we have Maestral, a summer breeze that brings some refreshment on hot summer nights. If you would like to know more about weather and climate here are some links to visit.

EuroWeather for Pula
Croatian Meteorological Service – 7 days forecast 

If you enjoy wine and would like to discover and taste “the blood” of red South Istrian soil a visit to the Trapan Wine station is recommended. It is located in Šišan, a village located only five minutes by car from Ližnjan. You can read the story about this winemaker by visiting Manjada. The winery can be visited every day in the afternoon. Here are some pictures of the wine station.

I built this Google map to explain which road to take once you exit the highway in Pula. Please note that the Google map is not updated yet for the new Pula bypass. Anyway, the descriptions I made are correct.

View Arriving to Liznjan in a larger map

Kamenjak is a protected natural area situated at the very tip of Istrian peninsula and it is often described as “a wonder of Nature’s architecture”. It has a 30km long coast with many beaches, bays, coves and more than 550 plant species. At the most southern promontory there is famous and popular Safari bar whose particularity is that it is entirely built from the materials found in the immediate surroundings. If you enter Kamenjak nature park with car or motocycle an entrance ticket must be purchased, otherwise the entry is free. From Ližnjan take a road to Medulin, proceed towards Pula, then after few kilometers turn left to Pomer, proceed towards Banjole and finally turn left to Premantura. From Ližnjan to Premantura is about 13km. Some pictures of Kamenjak are here, and this are some external links about Kamenjak.
Kamenjak – oficial web
Kamenjak – Wikipedia in italian
Kamenjak – pictures from Google

Brijuni National Park is a group of fourteen islands located west of Pula that are well worth visit for anyone visiting South Istria. Brijuni can be reached by shuttle boat from Fažana, a small village with long fishermen tradition, which is 18 km from Ližnjan. The boat ride is included in the entrance ticket to the National Park. It is recommended to book in advance the visit by calling the following numbers: +385 52 525883 or 525882. Here are some links to find out more about these islands of paradise.
Brijuni – Wikipedia
Brijuni – oficial web
Brijuni – pictures from Google