'''Pula''' (Pola in Italian) is a nice town at the tip of the Istrian peninsula, Croatia. Once a predominantly Italian city, Pula was occupied by anglo-americans in 1945 and annexed to Yugoslavia in 1947. At that time most of the Italians who lived there moved to Italy into exile. Today there still is an Italian minority and many locals speak Italian.
Most tourists visit in the summer months, with most tourist trips and restaurants closing between October and May.
Get in
By plane
Pula has its own international airport [http://www.airport-pula.com/en/home/] with daily flights to Zagreb, and direct services from many European cities including Amsterdam, Edinburgh, London, Manchester, Oslo, Vienna and Zurich. Ryanair operates direct flights from London three times a week. Many flights to Pula are charter rather than scheduled, while other flights are seasonal (summer only).
There is a scheduled bus service from the bus station in town to the airport. Buses are operated by Brioni [http://www.brioni.hr/brioni.asp?m=prp&o1=prijevozzl&l=hr/] and connect to most major flights. The cost of a one-way ticket is 25kn. A taxi from the bus station to the city should be around 85 kuna in the low season and much higher in the summer.
It is possible to also consider Rijeka Airport [http://www.rijeka-airport.hr/] on the island of Krk and Trieste Airport [http://www.aeroporto.fvg.it/UK/html/index.html/] in nearby Italy to access Pula as they are close by and offer flights to different destinations.
By land
The large and modern bus station is on the edge of the 'old town' district and is the hub of local, domestic and international bus routes. There are direct buses from Zagreb, Rijeka, Split, Trieste, Ljubljana, Belgrade and Venice. Online timetables are listed at [http://www.brioni.hr/brioni.asp?m=prp&l=hr] and [http://www.pulainfo.hr/en/autobus.asp].
There is also a train station near the waterfront with services serving Istria and into Slovenia due to historical circumstance rather than back towards the rest of Croatia (though a connecting coach service operates for services to Rijeka and Zagreb). Ticket prices, timetables and other information are on the Croatian Railways [http://www.hznet.hr/] website.
Hitchhiking from Zagreb works very well. In Zagreb start from the petrol station after the "Billa" supermarket on the southside of the Sava river. In Rijeka ask people to drop you off at the little SOS stop after a pretty sharp right bend of the motor way around Rijeka.
By sea
Hydrofoil services operate from the wharf both around the Croatian coastline, and across to Venice. These are pricey, though provide a quick journey and provide some great views.
Venezia Lines [http://www.venezialines.com/] ferry connects Pula with Venice. It runs five times a week, travel time is around 3hr.
Get around
For local transport the cheap taxis from CityTax (25/30 Kuna) can be a good alternative for the public buses (10 Kuna per person). (This taxi service my no longer be available.)
If you want to take a small backpack with you on an AUTOTRANS bus, first ask the driver if this is OK before buying the ticket. Otherwise you might be refused entry on the bus and your ticket will not be refunded, even if you have bought it off the driver just 2 minutes earlier. (The Brioni company seems OK - onboard small backpacks are allowed, but you have to insist.)
All buses have a luggage area. The service is charged separately from the ticket and it usually costs 7kn. Every ticket can be refunded at the ticket office (a fee will be charged).
There should be no problem taking a small backpack or a small suitcase on the bus as long as you can fit it in the overhead compartment (which is rather small) or under your seat/legs..
See
The '''Arena''', the 6th largest surviving Roman amphitheatre. Towering over the nearby buildings this huge structure was barely saved from destruction several times during its life, mostly by various Venetians with plans to take to to Venice stone by stone as demonstration of the might of the Venetian empire. Many stones were taken to build houses and other structures around Pula, but fortunately this practice was stopped before the whole structure was destroyed. Entry (20 kn) gives you access to wander the inside of the Colosseum and visit the caverns beneath. The audio tour is very worthwhile.
The '''Forum''' is the main square in the center of the city. The square is built on the place of the ancient Roman forum. On the square there is city hall that was built in 10th century (parts of an old temple were used for the building as it can be seen on the rear side of the hall) and the Temple of August, from the first century.
'''Archeology Museum''' (12 kn).
'''Zlatna vrata''' (Triumphal arch, 1st century BC), '''Dvojna vrata''' (Twin gate, 2-3rd century), '''Herkulova vrata''' (Hercules gate, 1st century BC).
'''St. Francis church and monastery''', 14th century
'''Orthodox church''', 6th century
'''Ka?tel''', a Castle from the 17th century features Istrian history museum
'''Malo rimsko kazali?te''', Little Roman theatre behind the Archeology museum
'''Mornari?ko groblje''', Sailors' cemetery (1866. - about 150 000 soldiers of Austro-Hungarian nations were buried there) and '''Mornari?ka crkva''', Sailors' Church
Do
Buy
'''Truffles'''. Istria is famous for its truffles and various truffle products.
'''Malvazija''' and '''Teran'''. Autochthonous Istrian wine sorts.
'''Medica'''. A honey rakija[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rakija].
'''Biska'''. A rakija[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rakija] with mistletoe.
Eat
Restaurant '''Galeb'''. You won't find this one in any tourist guide, but everyone in the city knows the place: they serve best "chevapchichi" (minced meat, 2in long, 1/2in wide) in the city.
Restaurant '''Gina'''[http://www.gina-restaurant.com/]. Excellent food in a unique setting that combines elegance with history.
Restaurant '''Asterix'''. The best pizza in town. You should try the Asterix pizza, which means you can have a pizza divided into thirds, with a different set of toppings (kinds of pizza) on each one.
Pizzeria '''Bambino'''. Good quality pizza and grill.
Pizzeria '''Jupiter'''. Near Arena, the Roman amphitheatre - very good pizza.
Restaurant '''El Pulari'''. A mexican restaurant.
Restaurant '''Biska'''.
Drink
Drinking is a pleasurable pastime in Croatia
Sleep
Tourist information can provide you with a list of accommodation in Pula, although they will not make reservations for you.
'''Hotel Riviera''' (1-star). Fabulous looking hotel built in 1907 for the high-ranking officers in the Austro-Hungarian army. Never properly refurbished since then it is now showing its age, but structurally it is impressive and looks oh-so-grand from the outside. The rooms are currently decked out with 1960s/70s fittings (orange bedcovers, brown wooden panelling, lime green phone), with the sparseness showing the lack of funds for upkeep. Having said all that, it's clean, tidy, and comfortable. No doubt within a few years someone will make the investment to bring it back to its former glory. Quite expensive for its facilities.
'''Youth hostel''' and youth camp.[http://www.hfhs.hr/front/index.php?topic=hostel&sethostel=pula&jezik=en&310106372573] Not such a nice looking place, but it is situated some ten meters from the beach, so you can almost jump directly from your bedroom right into the sea. (To get there, take bus 2a from the city (3a to return) and get off at Zlatne Stijene then follow the signs.)
'''Luxury accommodation ''' Villa Mihaela [http://www.villa-Mihaela.com/]
Villa Mihaela offers 3 luxury apartments for 2to4 persons.Each of the apartments has a parking lot, and is equipped with air conditioner, SAT TV, and all other appliances that will make your stay pleasant.
Only few miles from the Villa is BI VILLAGE complex with rich sport and recreational activities like beach volley, diving, surfing, parasailing, as well as many restaurants. We will kindly help all guests with suggestions and information about the visit to National park of Brijuni.
Apartments Alexandra & Erika. ozada 12/a, ?tinjan, Pula. 385 52 223505. ttp://www.pula-apartmani.com/en/index.html. Attactive apartments in the proximity of the well known Brijuni Islands national park. A quiet place in a familiy house, built in 2004. in ?tinjan only a few kilometers away from the center of Pula. Air condition, SAT TV, fridge with freezer, kitchen with all the accessories, cooking stove (electricity+gas), washing machine, balcony.
Get out
'''National Park Brijuni''' - The beautiful Brijuni islands (also referred to as Brioni) [http://www.brijuni.hr/en/Home.aspx?PageID=1] stretch alongside the south-west coast of the Istrian peninsula. The national park offers too many attractions for all of them to be described here (dinosaur footprints, archaeological finds and sites, a little zoo, extremely rich flora and fauna, beautiful beaches, a former resort for European royals) so visit their website for more information [http://www.brijuni.hr/en/Home.aspx?PageID=1].
'''Rovinj''', Rovigno [http://www.rovinj.hr/rovinj/stranica.php?g=0&j=3]
'''Pore?''', Parenzo [http://www.istra.com/porec/]
'''Gro?njan''', Grisignana [http://www.groznjan-grisignana.hr/]
'''Motovun''', Montona [http://www.motovunfilmfestival.com/], [http://www.swebart.net/www_tzmotovun/dobrodosli.asp]