Istria nowdays (at least during the summer) is well connected with the rest of Croatia, as well as the with the rest of the Europe. The picturesque peninsula of Istria is surrounded by crystaline clear Mediterranean Sea and is still the most accessible by car but considering the fact that the Croatian road is often congested during the summer to drive normally, it should not be ignored by any other means of the transport.

Airline connections - Flights in Istria

The largest Croatian peninsula has only one international airport, the one in Pula inspite of that there are two airports in 100 kilometers distance like Ronchi (Trieste) in Italy with many connections and airport Rijeka on the island Krk. The national airline company Croatia Airlines daily runs only from Pula to Zagreb, and once a week to Zadar (to both cities there is currently the cheapest flight prices in one direction for 300 kunas which is around 40 euro), Pula is linked to a dozen major European airports as well. Dubrovnik Airlines maintains a summer charter connection from Pula to Split and Dubrovnik. With the international airport in Pula, Istria also has two smaller sport airports namely Sport Airport of Vrsar and Tourist Airport of Medulin.
Regarding the Pula airport, there are many foreign flights run by different companies from late April to mid-October including the SAS, JAT, KMW, Belavia, and Rossija, as well as low-budget Ryanair, Germanwings and Norwegian Air Shuttle. At the same time of year there are numerous charter flights so Istria along with Pula throughout the summer by air line is very well connected with Great Britain and Germany, moreover even with some more distant destinations such as Copenhagen, Oslo, Moscow and Kiev.

Boats, ships, ferries, carriers, catamarans and tankers

Sea passenger transport between Istria and the rest of the Croatian coast is actually almost non-existent. Istria is at the present time better connected with Italy, and from April to October, when the Italian passengers with high speed catamarans and ferries connecting Venice and other North Italian ports with Porec, Rovinj, Pula and Rabac, although it must be noted that some of these routes operate only during the highest tourist season. In addition to these international connections there is a ferry line that connects island Unije, Pula, Mali Losinj, Ilovik and the mainland, which runs from early July to late September.

Car ferry in Istria

Car ferry from Pula to Zadar was introduced only three years ago, runs twice a week out of season and five times a week in the highest tourist season (from 3 June to 4 August). Line shipping company maintains a national navigation (LNP) from Split, there is a fast catamaran ferry for Bisevo which can accommodate up to 325 passengers. The trip from Pula to Zadar takes 4 hours and 45 minutes and costs 100 kuna (around 14 euro).

Trains in Istria

The main train stations in Istria are in Pula and Pazin. They are connected with the rest of Croatia over the city of Rijeka, but the track is not complete because of the mountain of the Lupoglav and the shifting of passengers to Rijeka over the mountain is done buy bus. Without the help of a bus link, the train lines operate from Slovenia, which is across from Pula and Pazin to Buzet and Lupoglav and it runs daily from late June to late August (driving from Ljubljana to Pula is four and a half hours and costs 19 euros).
Also, there is a track from Zagreb to Pula in Croatia over the Rijeka without changing (not counting the part that exceeds the bus!) cost 139 kunas in the second class and lasts for about seven hours, whereas the same way transportation from Ljubljana (the option with only one changing in Ljubljana) costs at least 60 kunas (9 euro) more and takes at least 11 hours.

Bus connections in Istria

All larger Istrian towns (Umag, Rovinj, Pula, Porec, Pazin and Rovinj) operate with numerous direct bus routes to the rest of Croatia, but also with neighboring Slovenia and Italy. Italian cities of Venice and Trieste are connected by regular bus lines to Pula, a Slovenian Piran, Koper and Portoroz with Pula, Porec and Rovinj. Direct lines from a number of Croatian inland cities (as well as from Dalmatia, but with the transit over Rijeka), unlike those of air and sea, there are daily lines that work through the whole year, not only during the high tourist season.

Many Croatian companies do transport over the mainland Croatia, we will list here only to show you for example that the direct line from most east place Vukovar to Umag the ticket costs about 300 kuna (40 euros, takes just over 9 hours), for a five-hour trip from Zagreb to Pula is around 200 kn and up to Dubrovnik is about 550 kunas which is around 68 euro (for 15 hours trip). On most lines the average discount on a return ticket is 20 percent.

Car connections and tolls

To come to Istria on daily basis is most practical yet to reach it by car and from the east side from Rijeka to Zagreb there is a highway and then through the tunnel of Ucka that enters Istrian peninsula where the main road is 140 km long and is called Istrian Y, so named because its shape on the map. It will be fully built in their full profile by the beginning of 2011, Y extends from the Rijeka to Novigrad, alower part of the letter Y goes from Kanfanara down to the largest Istrian city of Pula (60.000 inhabitants and 70.000 with the surrounding places). By car to the largest Istrian city of Pula, for example from Varazdin (350 km away), the fastest route goes from Varazdin - Zagreb - Karlovac - Rijeka - Pazin - Kanfanar to Pula. The one-way journey takes about four hours, at a cost of 240 kuna for petrol and 111 kuna for toll bridges and tunnels. From Italy and Austria, many enter Istria from Slovenian side of Istria. There are 15 kilometers that are missing to complete the highway from Italy over Slovenia to Istria.

Through Slovenia and Ljubljana there is highway apart of these 15 km just before entering Istria Croatia. One week toll over Slovenia costs 35 euro.

All travel on two or four wheels, and their cost is best to plan with the help of internet service ViaMichelin (www.viamichelin.com), and their Croatian part is easier to do with excellent interactive map on the website HAK (map.hak.hr ).

Important telephone numbers for passengers

(01) 464 08 00 - Automobile Club - useful information on road conditions (which, along with state of the roads include the weather forecast, information on fuel prices, tolls and ferries on the Adriatic cost. Number 1987 Automobile Club is for roadside assistance, for assistance in the event of broken vehicle, its help on-site with repair or removal from the scene of an accident (within 200 km). This is a new number, which has been in operation recently (from May 17), but by the end of the year they use the old number 987, which is completely abolished until 1 January 2011.

0800 0111 Phone Info Rijeka Zagreb Motorway

Toll in Istria (for cars)

Tunnel Ucka cost 28 kn for the 5.06 km

Kanfanar - Pula - 12 kn for 30 km

The bridge Mirna is 14 kn for 1.35 km

How do I navigate around the region

Istrian destinations are not interconnected by the sea, the train connections between them are also weak so the best way to move through the region is on the four wheels or by a bus. Local bus services are truly spred throughout the interior of Istria, and are frequent and reliable. Tourists may face a problem only with the fact that the bus station once is outside the station to which it travels, that is up to them from the majority of villages perched on hills must be walked for several hundred meters, and even a few kilometers ... So many to choose your own car or rent a car for a tour of Istria, are really most comfortable.