4 Best Sights in Istria, Croatia

The Brijuni Islands are a group of 14 small islands developed in the late 19th century, once the summer home to Yugoslavian president Tito and now one of Croatia's national parks. You'll need to pass through Fažana to catch the boat that will take you to the islands, and pausing in the seaside town at one of its collections of touristy restaurants and charming cafés along its small harbor can be restorative. Fažana's main cultural attractions—all just a short walk from the harbor—are the 16th-century Church of Saints Kosmas and Damian and the smaller 14th-century Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, which you enter through an atmospheric loggia and whose ceiling features several layers of fascinating 15th-century Renaissance frescoes. But you are presumably here to visit the archipelago. Book tickets—whether by phone, at the box office, or directly on the Brijuni National Park website—at least one day in advance to reserve your seats on the boat. After the 15-minute national park ferry from Fažana, the entire tour of the park takes about four hours when using the tourist train (you can also rent golf carts or bikes). Your first view is of a low-lying island with a dense canopy of evergreens over blue waters. Ashore on Veliki Brijun, the largest island, a tourist train takes you past villas in the seaside forest and relics from the Roman and Byzantine eras. The Romans laid down the network of roads on this 6½-km-long (4-mile-long) island, and stretches of original Roman stonework remain. Rows of cypresses shade herds of deer and peacocks strut along pathways. The train stops at the Safari Park, a piece of Africa transplanted to the Adriatic; its zebras, Indian holy cattle, llamas, and elephants were all gifts from visitors from faraway lands. In the museum, an archaeological exhibition traces life on Brijuni through the centuries and a photography exhibition, "Tito on Brijuni," focuses on Tito and his fascinating guests.

The Brijuni Pocket Guide app gives you a self-guided tour by foot, bicycle, or electric car.

Perched in all its compact medieval redolence atop a hill a short drive or walk from the sea, Labin is Croatia's former coal-mining capital and the birthplace of Matthias Flacius Illyricus, a Reformation-era collaborator of Martin Luther. Its narrow historic streets are well deserving of a good walk—followed, if time allows, by a dip in the sea in Rabac. From Labin's endearing main square lined with cafés and boutiques to its 16th-century loggia and bastion, it's an easy stroll to Šetalište San Marco, a fountain-filled promenade with spectacular views of the sea. Walk to the end and take a sharp left up the steep cobblestone road to the onetime fortress, Fortica. At the top, you will enjoy sweeping panoramic views of Ucka Mountain, Cres and Losinj islands, Rabac, and the sea. As you go down the other side of the hill toward the main square, you will pass the Crkva Rođenja Blažene Djevice Marije (Church of the Birth of the Virgin Mary). With a facade featuring a 14th-century rose window and a 17th-century Venetian lion you will encounter elsewhere in Istria, the church is a mix of architectural styles dating back to a late 16th-century renovation, though its foundations may date to the 11th century. Working art studios, souvenir shops, museums, and galleries are dotted throughout Old Town Labin. The Labin Art Republika hosts art openings, live musical concerts, and an outdoor documentary film festival in July and August.

With its beautiful aqua-blue bay and splendid natural surroundings down rocky cliffs that call to mind the Amalfi Coast, the seaside resort town of Rabac has transformed from a quiet 17th-century fishing village into one of the most popular tourist destinations in Istria. Perfectly situated just below Old Town Labin and equidistant from Opatija and Pula, Rabac offers an endless number of white pebble beaches and untouched nature ideal for hiking, biking, kayaking, windsurfing, fishing, diving, and snorkeling. Many hotels, resorts, boutique hotels, villas, apartments, and campgrounds host international tourists looking for family-friendly holiday experiences. Yet, despite its growing popularity, Rabac still manages to transmit the same casual coastal charm and welcoming spirit of the 17th-century village it once was. A bonus is having the medieval hilltop town of Labin just 10 minutes up the road, where its numerous chic restaurants, live music programs, art galleries, and historical sites further enrich your holiday.

The Limski kanal is a 13-km-long (8-mile-long) karst canyon, whose emerald-green waters are flanked by forested valley walls that rise gradually to more than 300 feet inland. The canyon was formed in the last Ice Age, and it is Istria's most fertile breeding area for mussels and oysters—hence, you'll find the excellent Viking seafood restaurant on-site. Tours are available from both Poreč and Rovinj, with various agencies and independent operators whose stands and boats are impossible to miss. A reservation a day or two in advance can't hurt, though, particularly in midsummer. Expect to pay approximately €25 for the four-hour tour or €50 for a daylong tour that includes a "fish picnic." You can also visit the canal on your own by car. And hiking enthusiasts can take a trail to the Romualdova Cave, which is open daily from June to September.