Poreč, Croatia revisited

Visiting during the off season

Southside of the Poreč waterfront.

In the past few years Croatia has been the go to destination. It's fascinating for me to listen to people place it on their 'must see' and 'wish lists' I've always known what a great travel destination it was. The town and area I'm most familiar with is Poreč in Istria, I've been visiting since babyhood as it's the largest town in my ancestral homeland! My aunt also lived in the town and I spent a few summers staying with her, so there's that added familiarity, I've watched the town grow.

Last year I visited in the off season, the weather was still warm but the majority of the crowds were gone, there were still tourists but generally older Europeans. Poreč has been a major summer destination for Europeans, especially Austrians, Germans and Dutch since the late 1950s when as my aunt told me, they used to bring down their caravans (trailers) and live in them for their summer break. Tourism in the area is older than that, Poreč was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and the first visitors arrived in the 1840s, with the first tourist guide published (in German) in 1845. By the 1960s hotels had sprung up and the locals built homes with small apartments attached to take in tourists. Tourism is a major industry in the area and tourists are well catered for.

The waterfront on the south side of the peninsula where the old town is situated. Looking down to the hotel currently called the Palazzo, it was built in 1910 and was the first hotel built in the town. The waterfront is where the boats that take tourists out for boat trips can be found as well as the hydrofoil that makes the crossing to Venice. There's a small customs jetty, for the ships coming from other countries, I once arrived there on a boat from Trieste, Italy. In peak summer, this area is very crowded! Early October it's just a bit more mellow, with a few people wandering around.

Same waterfront looking in the opposite direction, towards the newer part of the old town.

Going inland, a small piazza, the town had been part of the Venetian Republic for 300 years and some of the buildings reflect that part of its history. Much of Venice is built of Istrian stone.

Poreč has an UNESCO heritage site in the Euphrasian Basilica, I've written about it previously.

Euphrasian Basilica

On this visit I went up the bell tower for the first time.

And there were great views over the town.

View looking inland with the 'new church' built in the 17th century, the 'old church' is the basilica from the 6th century!

View to the suburbs and the marina.

View of the back of the Palazzo Hotel and beyond, St. Nicholas Island.

The old town was built on a peninsula and was walled to protect it, two towers remain and a section of the wall on the northern side of the peninsula.

There's a nice walk which can be done along the waterfront of the southern side of the peninsula, around the tip by the hotel to a purpose built walkway along the northern side and then you can enter through this gate or keep walking to the newer part of the town.

The old town has a main street that bisects the town, there are interesting little streets with bars and restaurants away from the main street.

There are holiday rental apartments, but also the locals still live in the old town.

The old town is a pedestrian zone, but I have some vague childhood memories where cars and motor scooters would be in the streets!

Just outside what had been the walled part of the town, there are buildings dating back to the Austrian era.

This beautiful and beautifully restored art nouveau building I've since discovered is the Open University Building.

Poreč is a lovely place to visit, lots of history, great weather, fabulous food, perfect place to have a relaxing holiday or get involved the tourist specific activities for a more active break. There's plenty to do there!