A Complete Travel Guide To Porec Croatia

We have put together this Porec Croatia Travel Guide for all of you who plan to visit Porec. This is our hometown for the last 19 years. We ended up here by pure coincidence, without ever planning it, but we have never regretted it.

Indeed, many times we remind ourselves how well we are here, and what a beautiful region we live in.

Porec Croatia is a small town on the west coast of Istria. The town has a long history dating back to Roman times. The old town still has a typical Roman street layout; it’s mostly symmetrical, with two main intersecting streets – Decumanus Maximus (stretching from east to west), and Cardo Maximus (stretching from north to south).

Town’s Episcopal Complex of the Basilica is a Unesco World Heritage site and its oldest parts date back to the 4th century, although the basilica itself is from the 6th century. Venetian-style houses dominate the old town.

Porec is very touristy, but not in a bad way. Actually, as a tourist destination, it has the most balanced tourist offer in all of Istria. It is above all a family destination. But its nightlife offer is enough exciting to satisfy the younger people and partygoers as well.  Porec offers a variety of accommodations to choose from (hotels, apartments, campsites), good bars and exciting nightlife, a wide range of sports and water activities, historical sites, and other attractions.

It’s also one of the best-organized towns with ample parking lots, nice traffic flow (even when it’s congested), and one of the cleanest towns in Istria (although all towns in Istria are pretty clean).

Where is Porec Croatia

Porec Croatia is located on the west coast of Istria, 30 km north of Rovinj, and 20 km south of Novigrad. Trieste in Italy is 70 km northwest of Porec.

Below you’ll find a map of Porec Croatia.

Best time to visit Porec

Summer is the best time to visit Porec. Yes, it is busy and there are crowds everywhere, but if you want to experience the best of Porec, you’ll have to bear with it. If you really cannot stand hustle and bustle, just avoid the last week of July and the first two weeks of August. For the rest, you should be fine.

Reasons to visit Porec

Porec is one of the most visited towns in Croatia. Every year over 600.000 people visit Porec, and they stay on average 5 nights in the town. Considering that Porec has just around 20.000 permanent residents, this is really a lot of tourists. However, except on rainy days in the peak season (if it happens), when people can’t stay at the beach and then everybody goes to the town at the same time, it doesn’t really feel that overcrowded. There are lots of beaches and a long coast that provides space for everyone. All this is to say that tourists visit here for a reason.

So, if you are not sure whether you should visit Porec or not, here are a couple of reasons to make you come and enjoy all that Porec has to offer.

Porec has a rich history and culture. The town’s main sight, the Episcopal Complex of Euphrasian Basilica, is the UNESCO World Heritage Site. Other top sights include a Roman temple, medieval town walls, and fortresses, gothic, baroque, and romanesque palaces.

Porec has the best choice of accommodation in all of Istria. Two large Croatian hotel chains, Valamar, and Laguna Porec operate the majority of large hotels, resorts, and campsites in Porec. Besides, there is a variety of apartment and villa rentals to choose from, and a couple of youth hostels located right downtown.

Porec is perfectly located to explore the entire peninsula. You can visit all Istrian top sights within an hour’s drive from Porec.

Porec really offers good value for money when it comes to your holidays. While it’s not the cheapest place to stay in Istria (check Rabac, or Novigrad for cheaper stays), it has a lot to offer for your money: a variety of activities, historical sights, a choice of restaurants, great bars, cafes, and night clubs. Porec hotels offer buffet breakfast and dinner included in the room rate. This fact alone can make you save lots of money.

From north to south, Porec has over 10 km of coastline. Beaches here range from rocky, cemented, pebble to (even!) sandy. Plenty of choices for everybody. Sun and sea are still the number one reason to visit Porec.

Porec, along with Novigrad, is the best cycling destination in all of Istria. Porec has over 250 km of marked cycling trails, of various lengths and difficulty levels; it also has bike-friendly accommodations.

What to do in Porec, Croatia

Porec offers a variety of things to do while on holidays here: from various water, and motorsports, to cycling, olive oil, and wine tasting. We’ve already written an entire post on things to do in Porec Croatia, but below we give you a short overview of a couple of them.

Explore Porec’s old town! Old town Porec is located on a small peninsula. It’s small, and it takes no more than two hours to visit all the sights. The Episcopal Complex of Euphrasian Basilica is the UNESCO World Heritage site and Porec’s most popular landmark. Other interesting sites include remains of Roman temples, various gothic, baroque, and renaissance palaces, fortification walls, and towers.

Swim! Basking in the sun, and swimming are still activities number one in Porec. Between Cervar Porat to the north and Zelena Laguna to the south, you have a variety of beaches to choose from: from the wild beaches of Porto Bussola to the fun-filled beaches of Pical, Brulo, and Zelena Laguna Resorts.

Try high-octane sports! Motodrom Porec, located halfway between Porec and Tar, is a great high-octane adventure sports center. You can have fun with a go-kart, cross-cart, quads, off-road Segway ride, paintball, rope park, and more.

Olive oil tasting! Istrian olive oil is of excellent quality and absolutely yummy. Our fav olive oil producer is Chiavalon from Vodnjan. In Porec, you can visit the Agrolaguna tasting room where you will learn more about olive oil, and taste Agrolaguna’s olive oils.

Have fun in Aquacolors Water Park! Aquacolors, the first water park in Porec Croatia, opened in May 2015. It quickly attracted the crowds and became one of Porec’s top activities. Here is our full post about the water park Aquacolors Porec.

Visit Venice for a day! There are two boat lines connecting Porec with Venice from May through September: Venezialines and Adriatic Lines which operates the Prince of Venice boat. Venezialines operate more like a typical passenger line where you choose a one-way or return ticket, the same day, or a few days apart.

On the other hand, the Prince of Venice offers round trips with departure from Porec at 7.30 am and departure back from Venice at 4.30 pm. This gives you enough time to explore Venice.

READ OUR FULL POST ON THINGS TO DO IN POREC

What to see

The old town of Porec, located on a small peninsula, is small in size but it boasts over 2000 years old monuments. Even today’s town layout follows the original layout, laid out centuries ago by urbanists of the Roman Republic.

The Euphrasian Basilica is Porec’s most popular landmark and a UNESCO World Heritage site. The complex dates back to the 4th century; while the basilica itself is from the 6th century. The complex consists of a church, memorial chapel, atrium, baptistery, and an episcopal palace. A must-visit sight in Porec.

Once completely surrounded by defensive walls, today they only remain on the north side of the peninsula, while the south side of the peninsula serves as a port for fishing and tourist boats, with medieval and modern time buildings lining the seafront.

The three remaining towers include the round, pentagonal, and northern towers. The round tower houses a cafe, and the pentagonal tower is a restaurant, while the northern tower remains in ruins.

Decumanus Maximus street boasts some of the most beautiful historical palaces in Porec, including the Gothic Palace from 1473, the Baroque Palace Sincic from 1719, Zucato Palace, the Romanic House dating back to the 13th century, etc…

Marafor Square served as the main square – forum, in Roman times. However, today it looks a bit worn out, but it has a couple of bars, cafes, and restaurants and it is a popular spot in Porec.

Just at the edge of Marafor Square, near Villa Polesini, you will find remains of Neptun and Big Temple, dating back to the 1st century.

Other interesting monuments include Canonica, the House of Two Saints, and the Istrian Assembly Hall.

HERE IS A POST ON POREC TOP SIGHTS!

Food and Restaurants

In Porec, you’ll find a variety of restaurants. The majority of them are very similar in the offer: grilled meat and fish, pasta and risotto, and seafood like mussels na buzaru or fried calamari. Many of those restaurants offer fix tourist menus consisting of main, side, and dessert for 12 to 15 € per person. While you’ll get your money’s worth with a meal like this, it won’t make for a memorable experience.

If you are looking for a budget option, check out Arman Grill, Fish Store Batana, or Fish store Ankora. Arman Grill, located at Porec green market, offers marenda, a daily lunch for less than 10 €. It’s not top quality, but it is cooked, and not too expensive. Fish store Batana and Fish Store Ankora don’t have a sitting option, but they do have five, or six different fish and seafood dishes daily, for a takeaway, for 7 € to 9 € a dish. Take your order, and eat in a nearby park, or by the sea.

Mlinar and Concentino are the most popular bakeries in town. They also make sandwiches, various pastries, and cakes. We also have a sourdough bakery Bread Point that makes good bread, but it is a bit pricier.

We don’t eat in Porec often, but when we do we like Chili Fusion Street Food; a small street food joint serving Asian dishes like green curry chicken, satay chicken, kung pao pork, or tuna poke. We can also recommend San Nicola at Porec’s seafront, restaurant Hrast with a great seafront location and fresh seafood, Sarajevska prica for affordable Bosnian specialties, and Selo Mekisi in nearby Vizinada for the best traditional Istrian food.

And before we move on, Il Gelato di Salvatore near the Basilica has the best ice cream in town.

FOODIE’S GUIDE ON THE BEST POREC RESTAURANTS!

Accommodation in Porec

Porec offers a variety of accommodation options. Valamar and Laguna, two main hotel companies in Porec, operate the majority of hotels, resorts, and campsites.

Hotels, resorts, and campsites are concentrated in a few Porec neighborhoods. Along the seafront, in Porec’s old town, you’ll find Valamar Riviera Hotel & Residence, and two small, independent hotels – hotel Mauro, and BO Hotel Palazzo.

On a small St. Nicolas Island, just a 5-minute boat ride from the center, you can stay at the Valamar Isabella Resort.

In Porec’s northern neighborhoods of Pical, Spadici, and Materada, you will find three-star properties like hotel Pinia, and hotel Materada, but also 4-star Laguna Park Hotel, and 5-star Valamar Marea Suites.

South of the old town, and only a 15-minute walk away, you’ll find the Brulo neighborhood with two four-star hotels, Valamar hotel Diamant and Valamar Crystal Hotel, and three three-star properties: Sunny Hotel Rubin by Valamar, Valamar Diamant Residence, and Laguna Mediteran.

Plava and Zelena Laguna resorts are further south. Here you’ll find a variety of hotels, and apartment complexes, as well as two large campsites – Zelena Laguna and Bijela Uvala.

Many people offer holiday rentals in and around Porec Croatia. If you are looking for a good apartment to rent in Porec, our friend Goran rents nice apartments in Porec – Urban Premium Apartments located in a quiet neighborhood. Check also our villa to rent located in a small village just outside of Porec.

FULL POST ON WHERE TO STAY IN POREC CROATIA!

Beaches

Porec Riviera spreads from Cervar to the north to Zelena Laguna to the south, and it offers many beaches to choose from.

We personally like the beaches of Zelena Laguna the most.

Porto Bussola (see location) is a wild beach frequented mostly by locals. It stretches from the campsite Ulika to the village of Cervar Porat.

Just north of Porec, Pical beach (see location) is a popular beach among tourists and locals alike. It has pebbly, rocky, cemented, and even sandy parts. The beach is bordered by a thick pine forest, and it’s shaded. Here you will find lots of water and sports activities, children’s playgrounds and sandpits, deck chairs and sun umbrellas rental, as well as changing cabins, toilets, showers, and a couple of bars and restaurants.

Delfin Beach (see location) is in Zelena Laguna resort, just below hotel Delfin. It is a shaded pebbly beach with long pier and sea jumping platforms. Delfin beach offers lots of facilities and activities. At the far end, the beach becomes rocky with a few difficult entrances to the sea but also offers more privacy, space, and seclusion. This is our favorite beach in Porec.

HEAD HERE FOR THE FULL POST ON POREC BEACHES!

Cafes, Bars, Clubs, and Nightlife

Porec, just like the rest of Croatia, has a very strong coffee culture. Locals love hanging out in the bars, meeting friends, and people watching. And even business meetings often take place in cafes and bars.

There are lots of cafes, and bars in Porec, and dozens of them are really popular among locals and tourists. Along the seafront, you’ll find Habitat (location), a daily cafe serving yummy juices and shakes; the Saint & Sinner (location), a night bar popular among the young crowd; and the Epoca (location), a chill-out cocktail and wine bar.

At the Marafor Square, you can hang out at the Old Time (location), one of the oldest bars in Porec, or Comitium (location), a small cocktail bar with a large outdoor terrace.

Just out of the town walls, north of the main square, you’ll find the Corner-LeMat (location), a cozy little bar with live music and stand-up comedy shows. We also like Garage Bar (location) for the summer evening out. And the coolest bar with non-stop entertainment is Ski Lift in Zelena Laguna Resort (location). Entertainment is due to watching the guys and gals waterskiing and water skating.

Other popular bars include Tequila at the Pical beach (location), Villa Club at the town beach (location), and Byblos, a nightclub located in Zelena Laguna Resort (location).

If you would like to know more about Porec bars, clubs, and nightlife, read our full post.

Popular events

The town of Porec organizes a variety of events, from sports events like cycling competitions, and swimming marathons, to food and wine festivals, and cultural events like Jazz in Lapidarij or Giostra.

These events mostly take place from May to October.

The best Istrian wine fest, Vinistra takes place in Zatika, Porec sports hall, for over 28 years. This is the best place to taste local wines and get to know Istrian winemakers. The admission fee is 20 € per person per day, and it includes as many wine tastings as you can take.

The Concerts at the Basilica is a festival that takes place in the atrium of the Euphrasian basilica since 1962. The festival includes a series of classical music concerts from June through August. The admission fee depends on the concert, but it’s generally around 7 €.

Jazz in Lap is a series of jazz concerts that take place in the Lapidarium of Porec Heritage Museum every Wednesday throughout the summer. Admission is free.

Street art Porec is a street art festival that brings colorful performers, artists, street acrobats, and musicians to Porec streets and squares. It takes place in August.

Traveling to Porec

Porec can be reached by bus, plane, car, and even by boat.

By plane! Pula Airport is the closest airport to Porec. It’s a small and seasonal airport, with a couple of low-cost airlines (Eurowings, Easyjet, Norwegian, Ryanair, Volotea) connecting Pula with dozen European cities.

You can fly into Pula airport from Berlin, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Koeln, Bruxelles, Paris, Oslo, Stockholm, Helsinki, London, Leeds, and Manchester, among other destinations. Most flights operate from May to October. Other airports that you can consider when planning to visit Istria are Trieste, Krk, Zagreb, Ljubljana, Venice, and Treviso.

Pula Airport is 50 km away from Porec. Shuttle service is operated by Brioni – Fils company. A one-way ticket costs 32 € – extremely expensive if you ask us. Consider taking a shuttle from Pula Airport to Pula main bus station (6 ), and then catch a regular bus line to Porec (an additional 9 €).

By car! Traveling by car is by far the most convenient way to reach Istria. The roads in Istria are excellent. The motorway, called also Istrian Ypsilon because it is shaped like the letter Y, is a modern and fast road, connecting Istria with a Slovenian border, and also with Rijeka to the southeast.

It is a nice modern motorway with two or three carriageways each way. A couple of kilometers before the tunnel as well as the tunnel itself remain a single-carriageway road. Road tolls apply to Istrian Ypsilon. More details on the Bina Istra website.

By bus! It’s easy to reach Porec by bus from Pula, Zagreb, Rijeka, and Trieste. Buses depart throughout the day, and more frequently during the summer. A one-way bus ticket from Pula to Porec costs 9 €; from Zagreb to Porec a one-way ticket costs 24 €; from Rijeka to Porec 14 €; and 15 € from Trieste to Porec Croatia.

The most popular bus companies are Aviva, Flixbus, and Brioni – Fils. The Getbybus website is the best place to consult a bus timetable and buy tickets online. The Porec bus station is located in the center of town, just 100 m away from the old town.

By boat! The Venezia lines company operates a hydro boat between Venice and Porec, from the end of April until the beginning of October. Starting in May, the boat departs three times a week, and in July and August, daily except on Wednesday. A one-way ticket costs 85 € per person. More info on the Venezia Lines website.

The Liberty Lines company operates a passenger ferry between Trieste in Italy and Porec. The one-way ticket costs 15€ per person. Consult their website for more information. They still didn’t confirm the sailing schedule for 2023. We’ll check back later in the year.

Transport in Porec

Porec is small and easy to get around. The best way to get around Porec is on foot or by bicycle.

A tourist train connects the center of Porec with Brulo, Plava, and Zelena Laguna Resorts, and also to Pical, and Spadici. A one-way ticket costs 2 € to 3 € depending on your destination.

Resorts north of Porec (Zelena & Plava Laguna, and Brulo) also have a regular boat line to the center of Porec. A one-way ticket costs 3 € per person. You can also use taxi boats to move between resorts and the center.

Zelena & Plava Laguna are also connected with the center by bus. A one-way ticket costs 2 €.

Taxis are expensive.

Car rental in Porec

When renting a car online, we always use Rentalcars.com. They are consolidators and offer by far the largest choice of cars to rent in Croatia. Their prices are also competitive.

However, if you prefer to rent a car directly through a local company, below we listed contacts for local car rental companies.

Vetura

Vetura is a local Istrian car rental company with offices in all major Istrian towns.

Central Office Contacts | a: Trg J. Rakovca 2, Porec | t: +385 52 434 700 | m: +385 91 206 3070 | e: vetura@vetura-rentacar.com

Zelena Laguna Office | a: Zelena Laguna, Porec | t:+385 52 451 391 | m: + 385 91 483 7000 | e: zelena.laguna@vetura-rentacar.com | Website

Sixt

A large international car rental company also has a branch office in Porec.

Contacts | a: Rade Koncara 1, Porec | m: +385 95 438 2416

Working hours | Mon-Sat: 8 am-8 pm | Sun: 8 am-12 pm

Parking in Porec Croatia

Parking in Porec is generally easy to find. However, it doesn’t come for free. Porec offers street parking divided into 3 zones, and parking on the designated parking lots.

The most convenient place to park is the parking lot Veliko gradsko parkiraliste (location). This parking is next to the town’s farmer’s market. The parking fee is 2 €/h. An alternative parking lot, Parking Vrtovi, just across the street from this one, costs 1.5 € an hour, and it. is literally just 100 m away (location).

At the Karla Hugues parking (location), just across the street from the bus station, the parking also costs 2 €.

Parking Zatika (location) is located at the entrance of town, near the sports hall Zatika, and the town’s cemetery. This parking is large, and it disposes of parking spots for cars, buses, and camping vans. It’s a bit further out of the old town (10 minutes walk), and it’s the cheapest parking in Porec.

Parking is also available in the designated areas on the streets. Street parking is grouped into three zones, zone I and II are closer to the town, parking is limited to 2 hours at once, and a parking fee is 2 €/ hour in zone I, and 1.5 € Kn per hour in zone II. It costs 1 €/hour to park in zone III. From May, 1 to September, parking fees for street parking apply from Mon-Sun from 7 am to 11 pm. For the rest of the year, parking fees apply Mon-Fri: 7 am-7 pm; Sat: 7 am-2 pm; free on Sundays and holidays.

Street parking can be paid for in three ways: with coins through a coin-operated machine, sending an SMS to the designated phone numbers along with your license plate (708527 for zone I, 708538 for Zone II, and 708539 for Zone III).

Shopping in Porec Croatia

Grocery shopping in Porec is easy, and you’ve got a vast choice of supermarkets to choose from. Almost all supermarkets in Porec are located along Mate Vlasica Street, and each has a large parking lot. You’ll find here two Croatian-owned supermarket chains Konzum, and Plodine, as well as large European chains – Lidl, Kaufland, and Eurospin. Spar supermarket is located downtown, just next to the bus station.

Lidl has the fastest cashier service of all, and it is cheaper than the others. We do our groceries in Kaufland and Konzum, but we like to check Lidl for international products, as Lidl regularly has products promoted by countries like French, Spanish, or American week. Konzum has automatic cashiers where you can check your groceries yourself, pay, and go without any human assistance (unless you ask for it).

We have really good butcheries in Porec: Cikili in Gaspara Kalcica Street (location), Arman butchery in the covered part of the Porec farmers market (location), and Butchery Ive above big Konzum (location). The best fish stores are Ancora at Gaspara Kalcica 10 (location), and Batana in Pietra Kandlera Street (location). Both offer to clean the fish you buy, and also to grill it or fry it for you should you wish.

There are four pharmacies in Porec. Pharmacies work long hours Mon-Sat, and on Sundays and holidays, one keeps open (they rotate for Sunday shift).

There are three drugstores in Porec – Bipa, DM, and Mueller. Bipa and DM have stores downtown, while Mueller, as well as Bipa, has a shop in a small shopping mall just across the Kaufland.

Two stores sell camping and outdoor gear – Parens and Meridian.

Many small boutiques in Porec’s old town offer various clothing items. Among others, you can find Sisley, Benetton, and St. Oliver, but no high-end brands.

The Galerija Mall features Mueller, BIPA, a couple of electronic stores, and clothes stores like C&M, Hermes, and New Yorker. And the Leggiero cafe serves one of the best ice creams in town.

Money and ATM

From January 1st, 2023, Croatia has adopted Euro as an official currency.

The exchange rate is around 0.93 € for 1 US$, 0.7 € for 1 CAD, 0.65 € for 1 AUD, and 1.13 € for 1 GBP. You can exchange money at many places in Porec: exchange offices, banks, and at any hotel’s reception.

ATM machines are also everywhere; near every bank, at prominent places in town, and at many hotels. ATM machines have an option for different languages, so they are easy to operate. Look for ATM machines operated by banks as they tend to have lower fees.

When paying with a credit card, if given a choice, always choose a charge in a local currency. Banks use dynamic exchange rates, which is just a fancy name to take you a few more bucks for nothing.

Internet in Porec Croatia

I always hear people complain that the internet in Croatia is slow. I generally don’t need super-fast internet, 4 Mbps is fast enough for me.

The problem is that not all places in Croatia get a decent and stable connection. And the connection tends to get worse in summer when many people use the networks. Actually, this is the biggest issue. In the last two years, after the pandemic, we got more tourists in Croatia in July and August than in any previous year. This caused sky-high internet usage that completely blocked the network, as it simply isn’t made to support that many users.

However the closer you stay downtown, the better the internet you should get.

Almost all accommodation comes with free WiFi internet, and you should expect a speed of at least 4 to 10 Mbps. Mobile mostly runs on 4G, and on some 5G.

Many bars and restaurants offer free WiFi for their guests, but you need to ask for a pass.

The town also offers free WiFi hot spots, but this connection, unfortunately, most of the time just doesn’t work.

Further reading about Porec Croatia:

• Learn all Porec essentials with our Porec Travel Guide.
• Plan your activities in Porec with our detailed guide to things to do in Porec. Or check our list of things to see in Porec.
• If you plan to stay in Porec, consider renting our villa. Or check a list of recommended accommodation in Porec.
• Find out where to eat in Porec with our post on the best restaurants in Porec.
• Detailed info on Porec beaches you’ll find here.
• A list of Porec bars and clubs.
• Staying in Porec for a day or two? Here is our post on how to spend 48 hours in Porec.

Have a question? Please leave it in the comments below.