Croatia Travel Blog

Archive for the ‘Istria’ Category

Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor inaugurated a 28km dual carriageway section of the Istrian Pula-Kanfanar motorway which should greatly improve driving times to and around the Istrian peninsula. The Y motorway project is the largest in Istria and represents a strong governmental commitment to improving the Istrian infrastructure.

The project has been a joint venture with France’s Bouygues Telecom which is fitting as Istria is the most accessible part of the Croatian coast for French tourists. The modern motorway should do a lot to increase French travel to Istria. Another 50km section of the Y motorway is due to open in about a year and an additional 18km section will open by the end of 2011.

See

• a road map of Istria
• more about Istria
• driving in Croatia

It’s just gotten easier for visitors who want to travel the northern Croatian coast by boat. LNP has just started their summer catamaran service that connects Pula in Istria with Mali Losinj and Zadar, stopping at Unije and Ilovik islands en route. The service began on 2 June and continues until 30 September. The catamaran runs twice a week except in July and August when it runs up to five times week.

The same company runs the ferry between Lopar on Rab Island and Valbiska on Krk Island. Service is all year but more frequent in the summer. See the schedules and booking information.

Where are the best beaches in Croatia? Today’s Telegraph has a photo essay on the best beaches in Istria and the best beaches in Dalmatia. I found that there are some surprising choices. But then again, everyone has their own, highly personal beach preferences. The author of this article, Jon Bousfield, certainly knows Croatia as he’s written a number of excellent books for Rough Guides. His taste clearly leans toward the remoter outposts. Sandy beaches are not a priority for him. He likes Rovinj‘s Lone Beach (so do I) and Lovran‘s Medveja despite the fact that neither are sandy. There are a few (very few) sandy beaches in Istria but they are generally known only to locals. See more on  sandy beaches in Istria.

In Dalmatia, I found that Proizd islet off Vela Luka was a curious choice. As he makes clear, the “beach” is basically a slab of rock. Yuck. Not for me. I’ll take Saplunara on Mljet Island any day. His choice of sandy Sunj Beach on Lopud Island (an easy day trip from Dubrovnik), I’ll heartily second but it can get uncomfortably crowded in summer. And as for Kraljicina Plaza, near Nin, I confess I don’t know it. But it looks splendid and well worth the effort to find it.

See a photo gallery of Croatia beaches; my choice of the best beaches in Croatia and the best beaches in Istria.

This week’s Telegraph has a wonderful article about Croatia’s Summer Festivals. Sure, everyone’s heard of the Dubrovnik Summer Festival. It’s great but how about something less, ahem, touristy? The article suggests a number of great festivals where you can enjoy the arts and avoid the mobs. For example, there’s the Rapska Fjera in Rab Town, a startlingly original medieval festival. A film buff? Try the Motovun Film Festival in beautiful Motovun. Foodies flock to the October Truffle Festivals in Istria. Music lovers are serenaded at Groznjan (contrary to the article, it’s not only jazz available) and the Lubenice musical nights in Cres Island.

See more about when to go to Croatia.

So you’ve been to Istria and you want to set up house there? The Financial Times has a highly informative article covering all aspects of buying a house or apartment in Istria whether for a residence or a rental property. From feuding families to bureaucratic hurdles the buyers profiled in this article managed to overcome it all to build their dream houses.  Unlike the fevered buyers that swept down from the UK a few years ago, today’s buyers are more likely to be Italians and Slovenians than Brits.  Russians are also entering the picture even though non-EU citizens must obtain government approval of a property purchase. It’s true that the property market in Croatia has cooled down this past year but Istria remains a good investment as well as an extraordinarily good place to live.

Go to article.

Read more about buying property in Croatia or about Istria.