Rovinj, Croatia -- any experiences?

[cruisemom42]

I will be on a cruise stopping in Rovinj in October, a port in northwestern Croatia on the Istrian peninsula. 

 

I want to get to nearby Pula to see the Roman temple and amphitheatre there -- supposedly it is about 40-45 minutes from Rovinj. (Originally Azamara listed the port as Pula, now says Rovinj, which is slightly annoying...)

 

Has anyone experienced a day in Rovinj and if so, what did you do?  I'm curious if shore excursions to Pula will be offered. As of now, there are no shorex for this port.

 

 

[edinburgher]

 

Has anyone experienced a day in Rovinj and if so, what did you do?

Thinking you are super lucky to be going to Rovinj as far fewer cruiselines visit. 

 

We had a day there and can honestly say it is one of the prettiest towns we ever visited in Croatia(and we visited many of them). We mostly only walked around, which sounds a little boring but it is a really charming  town to walk around with something of interest around every corner..

 

Pax will be taking photos even before leaving the ship, but many more  will be taken from the tenders as they travel in both directions.

 

Tender port.  You will see the promontory from your ship.  We tendered into a spot next to a car park to the left of the promontory as you face it from the sea, only a couple of minutes walk into town from there. We firstly turned right towards it but soon headed up a side street  to the left and explored most of that area. We then headed to the promontory itself.  Super quaint with tiny narrow cobbled streets and covered  alleyways leading to the rocks and sea.  From the tenders you will have seen the houses  built almost  into the sea itself, the water lapping their walls.  Some of the little alleyways led down to rocks where cafe and bar owners had placed cushions for their clients to sit next to the sea.  That area (pre-pandemic) had many little independent craft shops selling everything from ceramics to jewellery to artworks, fashion items and much more.  We walked up to the bell tower. Iit was all totally charming.

 

Had lunch in a restaurant in a pedestrian square next to the actual harbour.  The harbour is a sort of division between town and a hotel/promenade area.  After lunch we headed right (with back to the sea)and walked along the promenade which skirts the sea.  There are no sandy beaches, mostly rocky, pebble areas, but bathers used large flat rocks and beach clubs where some seating was provided.  The views were pretty but it was extremely hot and there was little shade so we didn't walk too far before turning around to head back.  By this time it was already mid-afternoon anyway.

 

We discovered that a UK travel company offered hotel based package holidays to Rovinj and considered returning for a week or so, as that would have given us more time in Rovinj also the option to visit Pula for the Roman sites, then a couple of years later the world turned topsy turvy and we never did get to stay there..  This was unfortunately one of these classic port days which posed a dilemma. Stay in town or go to Pula.  Wil be a difficult decision for you, but do look at online  reviews and images of Rovinj itself before deciding.

 

Should you travel to Pula either independently or on a shorex, but would still have a little time to spare on return to Rovinj, i would use it to explore the promontory area as that would be better than missing the town altogether.

Edited February 12, 2023 by edinburgher

[cruisemom42]

Thanks for your trip report, much appreciated. I had looked up some photos from Rovinj and it does look lovely. 

 

Fortunately for me, the choice of what to do will not be hard:  I am (as you probably realize) a major Roman history geek and I have been wanting to visit Pula for years. I can't believe so few ships stop at either Rovinj or Pula but perhaps the port isn't suitable for larger ships. (I will be on a 700 passenger small ship.)

 

I'm mainly trying to figure out whether the ship will offer a tour or transport to Pula or whether I should figure out how to get there on my own. It looks like the ship is only there from 8am to 3pm, so probably will not be able to do both. 😥

[edinburgher]

I'm mainly trying to figure out whether the ship will offer a tour or transport to Pula or whether I should figure out how to get there on my own

 

.Knew you would really prefer Pula, but so annoying is it not when these occasional dilemmas come along and a difficult decision must be made.

 

We are more fortunate as we have easier access to archaeological sites in Europe as I think you may be based further away than that?

 

Have you checked Rome2Rio for transport options? It is our #1  "go to" choice for transport info between two points. Used it often as we are mostly DIYers.

 

if all else fails, you could try to taxi share with others on your RC?

Edited February 12, 2023 by edinburgher

[YoHoHo]

On 2/12/2023 at 4:20 AM, edinburgher said:

 

Has anyone experienced a day in Rovinj and if so, what did you do?

Thinking you are super lucky to be going to Rovinj as far fewer cruiselines visit. 

 

We had a day there and can honestly say it is one of the prettiest towns we ever visited in Croatia(and we visited many of them). We mostly only walked around, which sounds a little boring but it is a really charming  town to walk around with something of interest around every corner..

 

Pax will be taking photos even before leaving the ship

<CHOP>

 

Thank-you @edinburgher for sharing your day in port. This is very helpful. We will be there until late night so going out out town in the morning then will wander about with your details in mind in the late afternoon / early evening.

[YoHoHo]

@cruisemom42 have you made it to Pula, yet? I have read a number of your (informative) posts and I know it was high on your list. We will be there next month and wondering of your experience. It will likely be so hot we will be limiting our activities but looking forward to what seems like an excellent walk-about.

[edinburgher]

5 hours ago, YoHoHo said:

@edinburgher for sharing your day in port.

And thank you for acknowledging as not everyone does.

 

Rovinj really is lovely.  Lots of reviews and images on Tripadvisor to help you decide your priorities.

[cruisemom42]

9 hours ago, YoHoHo said:

@cruisemom42 have you made it to Pula, yet? I have read a number of your (informative) posts and I know it was high on your list. We will be there next month and wondering of your experience. It will likely be so hot we will be limiting our activities but looking forward to what seems like an excellent walk-about.

 

Not yet. My cruise is in October. 

 

I did find and book a driver who was willing to shorten his normal tour and take me to Pula, so that is my plan at the moment. 

 

It would be lovely if you'd come back and report your experience and what you decided to do as there are not many posts on Rovinj. 

[marazul]

We were there on a cruise a few years ago and had a long port day.  Of course, Pula was the target for me. Thankfully,  we did have a ship excursion with the added attraction of a ship's lecturer accompanying us.  

But Rovinj itself was a delightful stop.  We did have plenty of time to wander around from the church to the port. Edinburgher's description is very good.  And that is the gist of it - walk around and enjoy it even if you only have an hour or so to do it.

[edinburgher]

On 7/22/2023 at 5:12 AM, YoHoHo said:

It will likely be so hot

20 hours ago, marazul said:

And that is the gist of it - walk around and enjoy it even if you only have an hour or so to do it.

 

 

It does seem rather tame to suggest "go walk about", but there are no really top sights/sites there that we could find of interest to us, but we honestly did not miss them, enjoying our "walkabout" despite the afternoon heat.

 

A word of warning though for YoHoHo visiting in August. Croatia (and the Adriatic in general) is one of the European areas currently experiencing the severe heatwave making the news.  Should temps remain as high in August, I would advise  avoiding  the promenade/waterfront walk which is a shame as it is very scenic with nice views, but there was no shade at all and even then, too hot for us and tired as we were  having already walked around town. I think the older part of town and the promontory will offer the most shaded areas, but do take plenty water with you.

Edited July 23, 2023 by edinburgher

[texasstar]

We were there on a Windstar cruise and took the ships excursion because there was no other option. It is a lovely town and we had lunch at a "truffle " restaurant, which the area is famous for.

[edinburgher]

7 hours ago, texasstar said:

We were there on a Windstar cruise and took the ships excursion because there was no other option. It is a lovely town and we had lunch at a "truffle " restaurant, which the area is famous for.

texasstar, would you be kind enough to add a few more comments about your time in Rovinj?

Only asking because there is so little info on the boards for Rovinj and I am sure that others reading this thread would welcome additional thoughts and impressions from more cruise pax.

[Vineyard View]

We took a ship excursion this May to Rovinj and Porec. We loved both towns. They were charming and uncrowded. We did not like the excursion piece of it, but it was the only way to visit that I could find. Both were charming enough to spend the day, doing both in one day was short changing both as there was quite a bit of drive time involved. 
If we had docked in Rovinj I would consider Porec or Pula for part of my day, but I think carving out so,e time in Rovinj is well worth your time. 

[texasstar]

Edinburgher, it was a low key excursion, in that it was mainly just walking in the town.  It is a quaint little town and the views were exceptional.  The excursion went to Motovon also, where we had lunch at a restaurant that was famous for truffles. Every course, even the ice cream had truffles. It was in 2017, so my memory is a little sketchy.

[edinburgher]

6 hours ago, texasstar said:

Edinburgher, it was a low key excursion, in that it was mainly just walking in the town.  It is a quaint little town and the views were exceptional.  The excursion went to Motovon also, where we had lunch at a restaurant that was famous for truffles. Every course, even the ice cream had truffles. It was in 2017, so my memory is a little sketchy.

Thanks for adding  that as anything is better than nothing when there is so little.

 

Truffle ice cream sounds.....intriguing!😄

Edited July 25, 2023 by edinburgher

[marazul]

5 hours ago, edinburgher said:

Thanks for adding  that as anything is better than nothing when there is so little.

edinburgher - you keep looking for more so here it is:

https://www.rovinj-tourism.com/

But it all comes down to a beautiful little town in a lovely setting. 

[edinburgher]

2 hours ago, marazul said:

edinburgher - you keep looking for more so here it is:

https://www.rovinj-tourism.com/

But it all comes down to a beautiful little town in a lovely setting. 

It is indeed lovely.  Thanks for posting the link to the website as it is nicely done and brought back lovely memories.

 

I never like to post a link as I am wary of copyright( which I have no knowledge of so don't understand what can and cannot be linked to another website without an infringement.)

 

I always ask for any further feedback on any location where there is little already to be found.

Edited July 25, 2023 by edinburgher

[marazul]

59 minutes ago, edinburgher said:

It is indeed lovely.  Thanks for posting the link to the website as it is nicely done and brought back lovely memories.

You can be sure that any tourist office website is meant to be shared. 

[fruitmachine]

16 hours ago, edinburgher said:

I never like to post a link as I am wary of copyright( which I have no knowledge of so don't understand what can and cannot be linked to another website without an infringement.)

Other than specific CC rules around travel agents, links to Facebook groups, etc., there is no reason you can't post a link.  That's the way the Internet works.

Copying & pasting content is what risks copyright infringement.

[edinburgher]

5 hours ago, fruitmachine said:

Copying & pasting content is what risks copyright infringement.

Thanks for explaining that fruitmachine as I was completely in the dark and understandably wary.

[cruisemom42]

I thought I'd come back and post about my day in Rovinj, as I was the one who originally started this thread.

 

When I first booked my cruise, the port was listed as Pula -- one reason why I booked it, as Pula is a place that's been on my list for quite a while, due to its Roman ruins.

 

Little did I know that the port would change to Rovinj, and I was equally clueless about why until getting onboard the ship. Apparently the powers-that-be at Azamara had planned and choreographed a special photo shoot that morning, off the coast of Rovinj, with all 4 Azamara ships, presumably for marketing use. The fun commenced at around 6:30 am, when the four ships met and executed a couple of pretty formations. Guests were encouraged to be up top to watch and hot chocolate was offered (though it wasn't really chilly....)

 

So....with that said, I still wanted to get to Pula but we had a short-ish day (ship departed around 3:00 pm). The cruise line did not offer any excursions to Pula. I ended up booking a private tour guide through "Get Your Guide" and it was a great decision.

 

The Romans conquered the area in around 175 BC, but Pula (known as Pola to the Romans) didn't really become a bustling place until it became a "colonia" under Julius Caesar. Later, it was an important port under Augustus and the early emperors. It boasted a number of fine buildings and structures constructed in the 1st c. AD, of which some impressive pieces remain.

 

The distance between Rovinj and Pula is covered in an easy 30-minute drive. Once in Pula, we went immediately to the Roman amphitheatre, a very imposing structure with much of its outer structure still visible and with some interesting features not clearly seen on all amphitheatres. It is one of the finest examples located outside Italy and is unusual for having been located so close to the waterfront and also for being built on a slope. Amazingly, it was built in the same time frame as the Colosseum in Rome. Some photos below showing one of the main entrances and the interior:

 

 

 

The amphitheatre is still used for outdoor concerts and events in the summer; I was lucky to catch it after all of the "modern" seating had been removed for the season. While the ancient seating hasn't survived, the inside size of the area is impressive; it could originally hold about 23,000 spectators:

 

 

 

My guide (who lives in Pula) was very knowledgeable about the construction and also showed me the area underneath, which has a small museum about this and other Roman remains in Pula. Afterwards we walked past a park with a model of the ancient Roman city, which was quite large, en route to more Roman goodies, including one of the original city gates, the Porta Gemina ("twin gates) constructed between the end of the 1st and the beginning of the 2nd c. CE.

 

 

A second city gate we passed, not as well preserved, is known as the "Hercules gate" because of the head of Hercules and his club carved into the lintel:

 

 

 

Working our way toward what was the Roman forum, there is a surviving Triumphal arch from the early days of the city that is lavishly decorated and most interesting because it was commissioned and paid for by a wealthy woman from a noble family to commemorate the role that family members played in a key battle that established Augustus as sole emperor of Rome (the battle of Actium). This is known as the "Arch of the Sergeii" after the family name. Much of this history is known via inscriptions found on the monument.

 

 

 

As we got close to the forum, the guide had a surprise for me: an unearthed mosaic found in the basement of a public building that was once a Roman house. According to the guide, few people in Pula even realize this treasure is there, for all to see -- it's sort of in a back alley behind the main street:

 

 

And finally, the grand finale was to be found in what was the old Roman forum, now almost completely surrounded by Venetian-era large public buildings, except for this one gorgeous surviving Roman temple from the early first century CE that served as the temple to Roma and Augustus. It is similar to the somewhat larger Maison Carrée in Nîmes. These two temples are considered the two best complete Roman monuments outside Italy:

 

 

After spending a bit of time in the forum, we hopped back into the car and drove back to port. The guide generally gives a longer tour with the possibility of some other things such as olive oil tasting, but we had to keep it short in order to return to port in time for departure, which was no problem at all.

 

I would recommend this for anyone interested in Roman history and particularly for anyone who has already visited Rovinj and has seen that quaint town previously.

 

 

[edinburgher]

23 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

When I first booked my cruise, the port was listed as Pula -- one reason why I booked it, as Pula is a place that's been on my list for quite a while, due to its Roman ruins.

Thank you SO much for taking the time to upload your photos and description of your day in the area.  You were very keen to get to Pula and we note you managed to do that, something which must have made you very happy if the pictures are anything to go by.  We too would have enjoyed exploring Pula, had thought when we were in Rovinj that we might actually take one of the Edinburgh to Pula flights and spend several days in the area focusing mostly on Rovinj and Pula as the Roman ruins were also of interest to us. Sadly the direct flight route was withdrawn not long afterwards, I think at the beginning of lockdowns so we never did get around to it.

 

Loved the photos and descriptions and it was good to see a mosaic as  mosaics are amongst our favourite Roman antiquities. We very recently watched a tv documentary about the progress of the ongoing excavation of a luxury villa near Pompeii. There were some fabulous wall frescoes, mosaics,  a rare  four wheeled processional chariot and a couple of horses.(The excavations of Civita Giuliana should you want to see online images and descriptions)

 

In passing, just wondering if you also took a few minutes to look into Caferaga Medresesi during your time in Istanbul?

Edited October 30, 2023 by edinburgher

[cruisemom42]

21 minutes ago, edinburgher said:

We very recently watched a tv documentary about the progress of the ongoing excavation of a luxury villa near Pompeii. There were some fabulous wall frescoes, mosaics,  a rare  four wheeled processional chariot and a couple of horses.(The excavations of Civita Giuliana should you want to see online images and descriptions)

 

In passing, just wondering if you also took a few minutes to look into Caferaga Medresesi during your time in Istanbul?

 

I have watched the excavations at Civita Giuliana with interest. It's so nice that they are undertaking new excavations at Pompeii again after many years -- techniques have improved so much in the intervening time, and there is much to be learned. I'm not sure if all of these finds are on permanent exhibition yet, but I actually saw a few of them -- they were showcased at a special exhibit in Rome that I saw in Nov 2019, including the preserved horse remains!

 

If you want to see lavish Roman living, I suggest Villa Oplontis -- have you been there? I've not see the equal of the frescoes there anywhere else; they are truly opulent and were clearly done by top artists, not your everyday painters from Pompeii.

 

As to the madrese, I was there when it was newly finished and still rather empty, a few years ago. I didn't look into it this time, but anything built by Sinan is worth seeing. The crowds in Istanbul were absolutely staggering, even in mid-October, even a week or so after the Hamas attack. I confined myself to the wonderful archaeological museum (no crowds there) and a quick walk around the new port facility area.

 

[edinburgher]

23 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

f you want to see lavish Roman living, I suggest Villa Oplontis -- have you been there? I've not see the equal of the frescoes there anywhere else; they are truly opulent and were clearly done by top artists, not your everyday painters from Pompeii.

Sadly not visited and that one is supposedly the creme de la creme so far although excavations of other villas continue, and there will no doubt be more waiting to be discovered, but not in our lifetime. Civita Giuliana excavations  began less than 10 years ago  when tunnels and signs of tomb raiders were discovered, prompting an "official dig" to be authorised before any more looting or damage could occur. As these villas and estates on the outskirts of Pompeii were  owned by the most affluent and well connected individuals, a high level of workmanship would be expected.

 

anything built by Sinan is worth seeing. 

 

We have visited several of the buildings he designed in Istanbul, probably one of the most interesting for us being the small Rüştem Paşa Mosque which was the most difficult to  find given its location on a busy street lined with shops. Beautifully tiled, and a  work of art,.and Sulimaniye Mosque of course. much easier to find! (his tomb is in the small cemetery just outside the mosque)and a small number of tombs and a mosque  in the Eyup district, an area well worth visiting for a number of reasons, Topkapi, Cemberlitas hamam, Caferaga and possible a few more that we were unaware of being by the same architect. Istanbul is probably our favourite European city and we have loved each day we spent there, I think 13 or 14 in total and always finding new places and attractions to explore.  And I agree that the archaeological museum is a rare calm oasis in a city which is busy day and late into the evening every day of the week.. I think we were inside the different buildings of the archaeological  museum for around 3 hours (our museum time limit) and hardly saw another visitor during that time, but not everyone has the luxury of time and I suppose prioritise the better known sights above "secondary" sights.  I do not know, but there are some amazing exhibits inside, and again, a little to our surprise, we were also drawn to the Iznik tiles we had admired in the Rustem Pasa mosque..

Edited October 31, 2023 by edinburgher

[cruisemom42]

5 hours ago, edinburgher said:

We have visited several of the buildings he designed in Istanbul

 

I think I now remember that we had a conversation about the baths he designed and how put out I was not to be able to experience the "grander" spaces of them. 😖. I've also visited the two mosques you mention. Sinan was indeed a master builder but it is also impressive to me how he studied and learned from the existing Roman constructions, e.g., how to create domes and so on.

 

Istanbul is certainly a fascinating city due to its unique location and history. But my heart belongs to Rome... 🥰