Destination guide
Pula
Croatia
Pula (Italian: Pola, Slovene: Pulj) is a nice town at the tip of the Istrian peninsula in northwestern Croatia.
AI insights
AI-written from the Wikivoyage listings, transport section and the video stats on this page
Prioritize the audio tour when visiting the Pula Arena; the structure lacks detailed interpretive signage, and the audio guide is essential for understanding the history of the subterranean caverns and the amphitheatre itself.
Skip the dining spots directly on the main Forum square and head to smaller, tucked-away restaurants like Orfej for seafood; you will get better value and a more authentic local experience away from the primary tourist thoroughfare.
Avoid bringing a car into the historic city center, as parking is both scarce and rather expensive, with attendants making frequent rounds; rely on walking for the main sights and use local bus lines for trips to coastal areas like Zlatne Stijene.
Because most of Pula's major archaeological sites are clustered within the old town, you can comfortably cover the Forum, the Arch of the Sergii, and the Castle in a single day on foot before heading to the coast for the sunset.
If you are looking for a unique pizza experience in town, visit Pizzeria Asterix, which offers a signature pizza divided into thirds, allowing you to sample three different toppings on a single pie.
How we vet these picks
Every pick is drawn from real sources — YouTube creators, Wikivoyage, and Wikipedia. We only surface sources that actually exist and that we've checked for authenticity — no filler, no dead-end searches.Watch first
Ranked by views and how well each landed with the people who watched it, judged against the other coverage of this place — plus a local creator where we found one.
Pula centar grada
PULA TRAVEL GUIDE 🇭🇷 Top 10 Things to do in Pula, Croatia 🌊 Ancient Ruins, Pizza, and Adriatic Coast
Bajkovita Hrvatska: Pulska Arena - Amfiteatar Pula (BH-064)
Pula - Top 15 Things to Do & See in Pula, Croatia
A historical tour of the Pula Arena
Pula, Croatia |Walking Tour 4K | Exploring the Largest City in Istria 🇭🇷
Best time to go
Best window: March–August and October
Kind weather all year — there is no month to avoid.
Rated from ten years of daily temperature and rainfall recorded at this destination, via Open-Meteo's ERA5 reanalysis. Hover a month for its real numbers.
Getting around
By bus
Most tourist destinations in Pula should be accessible by foot. Outside of Pula there are interesting destinations such as Fazana or Vodnjan. Buses in and around Pula are provided by Pulapromet.
By taxi
Taxi Cammeo offers taxi services for /5 km. Local, owner-operated taxis are more expensive.
By car
Be aware that parking in the city center can be hard to come by and is rather expensive at /hr. Parking tickets generally cost and the attendants make the rounds frequently.
Transport notes from Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0.
What to see
Places are listed from Wikivoyage and our own sourced research. Worth it means a second, independent source names the place too; “3 sources agree” means three or more do — and each card names them, so you can check.
Arena (Pula)
6 sources agreeAlso recommended by Samuel and Audrey - Travel and Food Videos and 5 others
· Moderate
The 6th largest surviving Roman amphitheatre. Towering over the nearby buildings, this huge structure was barely saved from destruction several times, mostly by various Venetians who intended to rebuild it in Venice stone-by-stone to…
Vetted sources
Pula Arena
6 sources agreeAlso recommended by Lonely Planet and 5 others
A remarkably intact Roman amphitheatre — the only one in the world with all four side towers surviving — still used for summer concerts.
Vetted sources
The Forum
3 sources agreeAlso recommended by Samuel and Audrey - Travel and Food Videos and 2 others
The Forum is the main square in the centre of the city, built on the site of the ancient Roman forum. On the square there is a city hall built in the 10th century (parts of an old temple were used for the building as it can be seen on the…
Vetted sources
Castle (Pula)
Worth itAlso recommended by Samuel and Audrey - Travel and Food Videos and 1 other
A castle from the 17th century features Istrian history museum
Vetted sources
Roman theatre
Worth itAlso recommended by Lonely Planet
Little Roman theatre behind the Archaeology museum
Vetted sources
Temple of Augustus
Worth itAlso recommended by Lonely Planet
A near-perfectly preserved 1st-century Roman temple standing in the middle of Pula's Forum square, dedicated to Emperor Augustus.
Vetted sources
Small Roman Theatre (Malo Rimsko Kazalište)
Worth itAlso recommended by Lonely Planet
A smaller, 1st-century Roman theatre beside the Venetian-era castle, still hosting concerts today.
Vetted sources
Arch of the Sergii
Worth itAlso recommended by Lonely Planet
A 1st-century BC triumphal arch built to honour a Pula family, standing at the entrance to the old town's main pedestrian street.
Vetted sources
Naval cemetery
Sailors' cemetery (1866), about 150,000 soldiers of Austro-Hungarian nations were buried there, and Mornarička crkva, Sailors' Church
Vetted sources
What to eat
Pizzeria Asterix
Piranesijev prilaz 11
The best pizza in town. You should try the Asterix pizza, which means you can have a pizza divided into thirds, with a different toppings on each one.
Vetted sources
Restaurant Orfej
Ul. Porta Stovagnana 15
Great seafood in the centre, and cheaper than surrounding restaurants.
Vetted sources
Where to stay
Amfiteatar Hotel
Worth itAlso recommended by ADRIA TON production
100 m from the Roman Amfiteatar and the Marina
Small modern hotel with en suite, flat screen TV, A/C, free Wi-Fi and a top class restaurant. Close to bus, rail and ferry, 12 minutes from the airport.
Vetted sources
Youth Hostel
Zaljev Valsaline 4
And youth camp. Not such a nice looking place, but it is 10 meters from the beach, so you can almost jump directly from your bedroom right into the sea.
Vetted sources
Hostel Pipištrelo
Flaciusova 6 (na Rivi)· Moderate
In the centre of Pula, close to the main town square forum. The rooms are individual mini art galleries and the whole hostel is a design project bursting with spirit.
Vetted sources
Apartments Alexandra & Erika
Kozada 12/a, Štinjan, Pula
Attractive apartments in the proximity of the well-known Brijuni Islands national park. A quiet place in a family house, built in 2004. in Štinjan only a few kilometres away from the centre of Pula.
Vetted sources
Villa Mihaela
3 apartments for 2-4 persons. Each of the apartments has a parking lot, and is equipped with air conditioner, SAT TV, and all other appliances that will make your stay pleasant.
Vetted sources
Hostel Art & Joy
Marulićeva 41· Moderate
Small, family-run, refurbished art hostel in the centre of Pula. This hostel offers 2 fully equipped kitchens and beds for couples; grill on terrace; free Wi-Fi; 24-hr access; cable TV.
Vetted sources
Travel essentials
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Travel content from Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0. Encyclopedic context from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Videos via the YouTube Data API.