Best of Pula

What to do and see in Pula ?

The Roman Amphitheatre is one of the city’s cultural highlights; the theatre is one of the largest of its kind still remaining and in the summer houses the city’s film festival. The market hall is one of the city’s most beautiful buildings exhibiting some fantastic architecture where you can buy local produce and souvenirs. There are also plenty of museums in the city celebrating Pula’s heritage and culture.

Amphitheatre, Arena

The most famous of the buildings in Pula is its 1st-century amphitheatre, which is among the six largest surviving Roman arenas in the world and locally known as the Arena. This is one of the best preserved amphitheatres from antiquity and is still in use today during summer film festivals.

Arch of the Sergii

Temple of Augustus

Augustus’ temple dedicated to goddess Roma and Emperor Augustus

The Twin Gates (Porta Gemina)

One of the few remaining gates after the city walls were pulled down at the beginning of the 19th century. It dates from the mid-2nd century, replacing an earlier gate. It consists of two arches, columns, a plain architrave and a decorated frieze.

The Gate of Hercules

Dates from the 1st century. At the top of the single arch one can see the bearded head of Hercules, carved in high-relief, and his club on the adjoining voussoir. A damaged inscription, close to the club, contains the names of Lucius Calpurnius Piso and Gaius Cassius Longinus who were entrusted by the Roman senate to found a colony at the site of Pula.

Cathedral of the Assumption

The Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary was built in the 6th century, when Pula became the seat of a bishopry, over the remains over the original site where the Christians used to gather and pray in Roman times. It was enlarged in the 10th century.

Chapel of St. Mary Formosa

The Byzantine chapel of St. Mary Formosa was built in the 6th century (before 546) in the form of a Greek cross, resembling the churches in Ravenna. It was built by deacon Maximilian, who became later Archbishop of Ravenna. It was, together with another chapel, part of a Benedictine abbey that was demolished in the 16th century. The floors and the walls are decorated with 6th-century mosaics.

Church of St. Nicholas

The Orthodox Church of St. Nicholas with its Ravenna-style polygonal apse, originally dates from the 6th century, but was partially rebuilt in the 10th century. In 1583 it was assigned to the Orthodox community of Pula, mainly immigrants from Cyprus and Nauplion. The church owns several icons from the 15th and the 16th century and an iconostasis from the Greek artists Tomios Batos from the 18th century.

Church of St. Francis

The Church of St. Francis dates from the end of the 13th century. It was built in 1314 in late Romanesque style with Gothic additions such as the rose window. The church consists of a single nave with three apses. An unusual feature of this church is the double pulpit, with one part projecting into the street.

Historical Museum of Istria

The star-shaped castle with four bastions is situated on top of the central hill of the old city. It was built, over the remains of the Roman capitolium, by the Venetians in the 17th century, following the plans of the French military architect Antoine de Ville.

Aquarium Pula

The Aquarium Pula is the biggest aquarium in Croatia, located in the Austro-Hungarian fortress Verudela, which was built in 1886 on the peninsula 3 km (2 mi) from the centre of the city of Pula. Transforming the fortress into the aquarium has been in progress since 2002. The installation encompasses about 60 tanks on the ground floor, the moat, and the first floor of the fortress.

Pula Film Festival

The oldest Croatian film festival

Festival, Days of Antique

On the way of life and culture of the old Rome

Excursions from Pula

Excursions around the nearby islands are popular as well as through the mountains that surround the city covered in pine trees and cypresses.

Panorama flights

Panoramic flights around the region are also a fantastic way to view the spectacular scenery of the Istrian Peninsula.

When is the best time to travel ?

The best time to visit Pula and Croatia is May, June, September and October. The weather in these months are very nice. July and August are peak season with peak prices and furthermore it can be very hot, especially in the afternoon.