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When my friends and I decided to go on vacation together, Croatia was not on their radar. Having heard such wonderful things from my co-workers I did my best to sell my friends on the destination. When words alone didn’t seem enough, I told them to simply search for images on the Internet. Less than a minute later I had two emphatic “YES” text messages.
A member of the EU since 2013, Croatia is one of those forgotten countries. Geographically located on the Adriatic Sea, east of Italy, the country is situated between Slovenia and Bosnia-Herzegovina. Weather patterns vary depending on location within the country itself but Pula’s location on the Istria peninsula typically has a climate consisting of hot, dry, and sunny summers (think 80 to 90 F) and relatively mild, at times wet, winters. With crystal clear waters and a history dating back more than 3,000 years, my friends and I were incredibly excited to see what the city had to offer. Luckily, we had some help from my co-workers.
Traveling Basics
Baumholder Middle High School Teacher Michele Dube went to Croatia with her family and two other families over spring break. She chose Pula, “because it was recommended and we wanted to go somewhere that would be warmer than Germany.”
She and the rest of her group soon discovered how inexpensive the cost of the trip would be. At the time of their travel, airfare flying from Frankfurt Hahn with a low-cost carrier was less than 100 euro per person, round trip.
Joanna Rodriguez, Baumholder Middle High School Registrar, emphasizes, “it was less than 225 Euro for my family of four for our flights, round trip.”
If Frankfurt International Airport is geographically closer for you, you are in luck! Starting this summer you can also opt to fly out of Frankfurt International Airport to Pula on Mondays or Fridays. One downfall is tickets out of Frankfurt are significantly higher in cost.
In fact, while tickets do vary in price depending on the time of year, it is common to find round-trip flights out of Frankfurt Hahn for less than 70 euro a person. My round-trip ticket out of Frankfurt Hahn Airport ended up being around 110 euro. I expected a little bit of a jump in price since the summer time is Croatia’s busiest and most popular time of year for tourists.
Typically the next step in traveling is finding accommodation. All three families I spoke to stayed in a rental apartment, found on sites like www.airbnb.com or www.vrbo.com, etc. If you’re not familiar with such sites, be sure to check out their offers. More often than not, they are cheaper than hotels and can save a good deal of money.
Joanna says the duplex they rented was, “for five days and four nights. It cost less than 180 Euro for our family of four.”
Additionally, when looking for rentals try to be flexible. Although most of us want to stay directly in the center of a major city, flexibility has its perks.
Michele explains: “We stayed in the Stoja area of the city, which is about two kilometers from the center of town. Our apartment was 100 meters from the beach!”
If you’d prefer the traditional hotel, those are definitely available. Sites like www.booking.com will show a large range of prices depending on how many stars you would like your hotel to have. Personally, I always recommend three stars and above. When checking prices for my trip, the total was just over 450 euro for four days and three nights at a three star hotel. When scouting out places on another site for rental apartments, my friends and I found an entire apartment for 70 euro per night for four days and three nights.
The next thing to think about is how will you get around? It should be noted there is no major public transportation system in Pula, so renting a car should be included in your budget.
“I think we paid 30 euro a day for the car we rented.” Joanna explained, “it was definitely worth it, especially once we realized there was no public transportation.”
In fact, the car my friends and I rented cost just 71 euros for four days and that is during peak season! There are several ways to book a rental car. Some websites allow you to book your flight, along with your rental car all at once.
Time to Explore!
So, you’ve figured out the travel portion, now it’s time to decide where to go and what to do!
Pula is known for its first-century Roman amphitheater. This 20,000-seat amphitheater, smack in the heart of the city, is one of the best preserved in the world. In the summer it serves as a venue for concerts and festivals.
The Istrian port city sits just three kilometers from two main pine-covered islands and 12 islets that make up the Brijuni archipelago.
Joanna and Michele took the boat ride to Brijuni National park on the largest of the islands, Veli Brijun. Both agree it was one of the highlights of their trip. The boat ride to the island also includes a train ride around it, offering interesting views of the island.
The sightseeing package offers visitors a chance to see the remains of the first century B.C. Roman villa rustica, a visit to the Church of St. Germain, as well as a tour through the safari park that includes zebras, llamas and elephants. During peak season (July and August) tickets cost as much as 28 euro per adult. During off-peak season, tickets cost as little as 17 euro per adult. Prices vary for children depending on age.
The beach is always an option in the summer. There are five popular beaches to visit in Pula: Valkane, Kamenjak Premantura, Histria, Ambrela, and Gortanova Uvala beach. Most of the beaches are sandy but visitors should be prepared for a few areas with rocks as most of the coast is made up of flat rocks.
Visitors should also take the time to venture down to the city’s 19th century Uljanik shipyard. One of the world’s oldest working docks, the location has been fitted with a lighting scheme of more than 16,000 different colors that light up the evening sky four times every evening on the hour for about 15 minutes at a time. It is spectacular.
One of the last “must do” items on the list is the Zerostrasse. An underground system of tunnels built before and during WWI, it was used as a place to store ammunition and provide shelter.
Take the time to enjoy the food! Pula is known for its focus on Mediterranean food.
“We ate a lot of seafood because it was inexpensive and fresh,” Joanna said. The also loved that there were “plenty of places to eat by the water to watch a beautiful sunset all for a very affordable price.”
Indeed, the food is a strong selling point. Similar to that which you would find in Italy, Pula has it’s own olive oils and wines but for much less than you would find just across the Adriatic.
Pula is small but that is part of its charm. If you’re planning to spend longer than a few days, you may want to add a few other travel destinations within Croatia to your itinerary.
Michele says: “Since we were there for a week, we had time to go beyond the city. We did take the time to visit some of the local wine villages and took the kids go-carting.”
Too good to be true?
It may seem like Pula is one of those places you simply “hear” about but don’t actually believe the hype. I can assure you, the hype is accurate. It is definitely a place to visit.
Michele strongly suggests considering Croatia for your next vacation.
“Pula has something for everyone. The costs while there are pretty low and the people are very friendly. It was easy to get around, traffic is not too congested, and the city is extremely clean.”
So….what are you waiting for?
