15 Reasons To Visit Pula Croatia

The main city of Istria, Pula is known for the near-intact Roman monuments that are still the main features of its city centre. The Amphitheatre hosts major concerts and festivals in summer, while a short drive or bus ride away lie the beach destinations of Verudela and Medulin.

1. For Pula Market

Market, Food Stall, Food Stand, Croatian, Vegetarian

Pula Market has been at the centre of the commercial life of the city since 1903, when it opened. Completely reconstructed in 1997, it now houses some 60 fixed outlets, with sections for fish and meat traders. Outside, fruit and vegetable stalls are piled high with produce from nearby gardens and orchards.

2. For the Milan restaurant

Restaurant, Hotel Restaurant, Croatian

For that final, formal, holiday blow-out, head to the Milan, a top-notch hotel and restaurant set near the Naval Cemetery. Shellfish is the speciality, as your waiter will indicate as he shows you the impressive display case. A full range of Istrian wines is also available, though it a quality bottle might push the bill from reasonable to pricy.

For Outlook

Occupying two key locations around Pula, Outlook is a celebration of underground dance music that takes place every September. The main site is the abandoned fort of Punta Christo, its surrounding beach and substantial greenery on a headland a short drive from the centre. The other is the Roman amphitheatre right in town, providing a historic backdrop to the house, techno and dubstep.

Punta Christo, Pula, Croatia

Pula Arena, Pula, Croatia

3. For the Archaeological Museum

Museum

Much of this impressive collection was housed in the original Museum of Antiquities that stood near the Arch of the Sergii in the early 1900s. Constantly replenished with new finds, today’s Archaeological Museum is divided into Prehistoric (stone implements, pottery and jewellery), Roman (statuary, coins and kitchenware) and medieval sections (floor mosaics, items engraved with vernacular Glagolitic script).

4. For the Cathedral

Cathedral

First built in the sixth century, Pula Katedrala, officially Katedrala Uznesenja Blažene Djevice Marije, has been added to, destroyed, rebuilt then added to over the centuries. You can still make out Romanesque and Byzantine features that have survived the various onslaughts.