Poreč Riviera

The old Poreč town centre on small peninsula is especially interesting because of the urbanistic lines of the proper Roman orthogonal scheme on a north-south axis, with the central street Decumanus, which Cardo transects. Poreč has preserved other remains from the Roman period, like for instance the remains of Diana and Neptune's sanctuaries, while the gothic houses in the old town centre give a special picturesque quality. The most famous object is of course Euphrasian's basilica, the jewel of Byzantine art. And classical concerts are held inside it from May to September while in the lapidarium of the Poreč museum there are jazz evenings. The town from the side of the sea is protected by the island of Saint Nicholas, on which there are shingle and sandy beaches, and in the beautiful pine tree surrounded bay south of the town can be found a bathing area and large campsite. Further south are located two famous tourist complexes – the Blue and Green lagoons with hotels, restaurants, sports and entertainment facilities and of course beaches. If you are one of those people who don't like to be in one place, in the surroundings of Poreč you can find different cultural monuments, rustic holiday homes, picturesque hamlets and at the end of the Nova Vas village, you can visit the Baredina cave. In the place Višnjan, behind Poreč, is an observatory which has become world famous thanks to its discoveries.

After founding a meteorological station in Poreč in 1863, the Marquis Polesini had a castle built on the islet of Saint Nicholas, where many distinguished people would stay over after a visit to the famous Euphrasian basilica. Since then only a century has passed and Poreč has become one of the most prestigious Croatian tourist destinations. One can gauge the importance of Poreč from the fact that with the beginnning of the 20th century a train line existed, which connected Trst and Poreč – the famous Parenzana – which unfortunately was destroyed during the 2nd World War, and on which today are well-kept bicycle and pedestrian paths.