Novigrad, Istria

Novigrad is one of Frank’s favorite places in Istria. Situated halfway between Porec and Umag, Novigrad is often overlooked by tourists. Novigrad kept its charm of a fishing town with its fishing boats lined in the town harbor Mandrac.

Its fishing harbor always seems busy. Fishermen keep knitting their nets, washing buckets, talking… Probably complaining one to another about bad economy, lack of fish, high gas prices… Seagulls keep screaming, reminding fishermen that despite everything they need to eat.

During the winter time, Skipper, a small bar in the fishing harbor, is one of the rare bars open. It is interesting and relaxing to sit there and watch harbor’s life.

Map of Novigrad

Below you’ll find a map of Novigrad. You can click on the icon and read our posts about Novigrad landmarks, things to do, restaurants, etc.

[mappress mapid=”19″ width=”98%”]

Novigrad at a glance

Best time to travel is June and September. July and August are too hot, too crowded, and the most expensive moths to stay in Novigrad. In June and September, you can still enjoy the nice weather, prices are lower, and all the shops and restaurants are already open.

Food: Novigrad may be one of the smallest tourist resorts in Istria, but it doesn’t lack for excellent places to eat. Many visitors to Novigrad, visit the town only for the food. It features some of the best seafood restaurants in Istria.

Accommodation: Novigrad is relatively small compared with the neighboring towns. Novigrad has four hotels: 4star hotels Maestral and Nautica, and 3star hotels Laguna and Villa Cittar. There are two campsites, Mareda and Sirena, that also offer bungalows to rent. Besides, there are lots of apartment rentals. Prices in Novigrad are cheaper than in the neighboring Porec or Rovinj.

Internet: There are three free wifi hot spot zones in the center of the town: in harbor Mandrac, near the church at the main square and near the market. Many bars offer free Wi-Fi, but you need to ask for the password.

Transportation: Istria is not very well connected with public transportation. The train is inexistent. Buses are infrequent. Pula airport is the only airport in Istria and it isn’t very busy with regular flights. There are many charter flights during the summer. Taxis are expensive. The best way to get to Istria and within Istria is by car. Novigrad is small and you can move everywhere by walk or by bicycle. Electrical tourist train runs between Novigrad harbor and hotels.

Beaches in Novigrad are typical for Istria. There is a town beach just out the town walls. It is not a beach in a real sense of the word, but cemented sunbathing platforms. There is a nice pebble beach Karpinjan, just north of the downtown, direction Umag.

Events: Gnam, Gnam Festival is an open air gourmet festival taking place few times a year. Local restaurants prepare delicious, traditional and contemporary dishes based on one particular ingredient, local wine and olive oil producers offer their products, and craftsmen offer souvenirs and handicrafts. The event takes place in town harbor. Beside food, there are also live music and traditional dances.  In 2012, Festival will take place on April 28, 2012 for Asparagus Day and on June 1, 2012 for Scallops Day.

Bars in Novigrad: There are many bars in Novigrad, but Frank’s favorite bar is Vitriol. Frank loves coming to Vitriol for a drink, and particularly for an aperitif. Vitriol serves tidbits with drinks and offers a free Wi-Fi (although signal can be weak). It is located at the seafront, you can enjoy beautiful sunsets while sipping your drink at Vitriol terrace. Excellent choice of beer and local wine (served by a glass). Another popular bar in Novigrad is Waikiki Beach Bar. It is located at the town beach, and it is mainly place for younger crowd. During the day you can play a game of beach volleyball or water polo, and at night time, it is a party time with Hawaiian rhythms.