Situated on Croatia’s Instrian Peninsula, Pula is a city immersed in ancient Roman culture, wine making, and a beautiful beach-lined coast. The Venetian culture weighs heavy in this town and it’s not difficult to notice this in the city’s old quarter. We spent a long weekend in Pula relaxing by the water and dining on fresh seafood and local wine.

We stayed at the Hotel Park Plaza Arena which is located on the coastline with beach access and a couple of miles out of the city center . It was easy to take a taxi in to the city at night for dinner and sightseeing. During the day, we spent our time resting on the beach and swimming in the Adriatic water.

Pula has the most well-preserved Roman ruins outside of Italy. Don’t miss seeing the Arena in town and the city’s old Forum. As a major foodie destination, Pula has tremendous Italian influences (it was a part of Italy up until 1947), and the fresh seafood options cannot be beat. Pula would not be my first choice when travelling to Croatia – I enjoyed Rovinj more than Pula and have yet to explore Southern Croatian cities such as Dubrovnik.