Travel information
- The Arena, the 6th largest surviving Roman amphitheatre. Towering over the nearby buildings this huge structure was barely saved from destruction several times during its life, mostly by various Venetians with plans to take to to Venice stone by stone as demonstration of the might of the Venetian empire. Many stones were taken to build houses and other structures around Pula, but fortunately this practice was stopped before the whole structure was destroyed. Entry (20 kn) gives you access to wander the inside of the Colosseum and visit the caverns beneath. The audio tour is very worthwhile.
- The Forum is the main square in the center of the city. The square is built on the place of the ancient Roman forum. On the square there is city hall that was built in 10th century (parts of an old temple were used for the building as it can be seen on the rear side of the hall) and the Temple of August, from the first century.
- Archeology Museum (12 kn).
- Zlatna vrata (Triumphal arch, 1st century BC), Dvojna vrata (Twin gate, 2-3rd century), Herkulova vrata (Hercules gate, 1st century BC).
- St. Francis church and monastery, 14th century
- Orthodox church, 6th century
- Kaštel, a Castle from the 17th century features Istrian history museum
- Malo rimsko kazalište, Little Roman theatre behind the Archeology museum
- Mornaričko groblje, Sailors' cemetery (1866. - about 150 000 soldiers of Austro-Hungarian nations were buried there) and Mornarička crkva, Sailors' Church
Photos from Pula, Croatia
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By Air
Pula has its own international airport with daily flights to Zagreb, and direct services from many European cities including Amsterdam, Dublin, Edinburgh, London, Manchester, Oslo, Vienna and Zurich. Ryanair operates direct flights from Dublin and London three times a week. Many flights to Pula are charter rather than scheduled, while other flights are seasonal (summer only).
There is a scheduled bus service from the bus station in town to the airport. Buses are operated by Brioni and connect to most major flights. The cost of a one-way ticket is 25kn. A taxi from the bus station to the city should be around 85 kuna in the low season and much higher in the summer.
It is possible to also consider Rijeka Airport on the island of Krk and Trieste Airport in nearby Italy to access Pula as they are close by and offer flights to different destinations.
By Land
The large and modern bus station is located on the edge of the 'old town' district and is the hub of local, domestic and international bus routes. There are direct buses from Zagreb, Rijeka, Split, Trieste, Ljubljana, Belgrade and Venice. Online timetables are listed at [1] and [2].
There is also a train station near the waterfront with services serving Istria and into Slovenia due to historical circumstance rather than back towards the rest of Croatia (though a connecting coach service operates for services to Rijeka and Zagreb). Ticket prices, timetables and other information are on the Croatian Railways website.
Hitchhiking from Zagreb works very well. In Zagreb start from the petrol station after the "Billa" supermarket on the southside of the Sava river. In Rijeka ask people to drop you off at the little SOS stop after a pretty sharp right bend of the motor way around Rijeka.
By Sea
Hydrofoil services operate from the wharf both around the Croatian coastline, and across to Venice. These are pricey, though provide a quick journey and provide some great views.
Venezia Lines ferry connects Pula with Venice. It runs five times a week, travel time is around 3hr.
Photos from Pula, Croatia
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For local transport the cheap taxis from CityTax (25/30 Kuna) can be a good alternative for the public buses (10 Kuna per person). (This taxi service my no longer be available.)
If you want to take a small backpack with you on an AUTOTRANS bus, first ask the driver if this is OK before buying the ticket. Otherwise you might be refused entry on the bus and your ticket will not be refunded, even if you have bought it off the driver just 2 minutes earlier. (The Brioni company seems OK - onboard small backpacks are allowed, but you have to insist.)
All buses have a luggage area. The service is charged separately from the ticket and it usually costs 7kn. Every ticket can be refunded at the ticket office (a fee will be charged). There should be no problem taking a small backpack or a small suitcase on the bus as long as you can fit it in the overhead compartment (which is rather small) or under your seat/legs..
Photos from Pula, Croatia
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- Restaurant Galeb. You won't find this one in any tourist guide, but everyone in the city knows the place: they serve best "chevapchichi" (minced meat, 2in long, 1/2in wide) in the city.
- Restaurant Gina[5]. Excellent food in a unique setting that combines elegance with history.
- Restaurant Asterix. The best pizza in town. You should try the Asterix pizza, which means you can have a pizza divided into thirds, with a different set of toppings (kinds of pizza) on each one.
- Pizzeria Bambino. Good quality pizza and grill.
- Pizzeria Jupiter. Near Arena, the Roman amphitheatre - very good pizza.
- Restaurant El Pulari. A mexican restaurant.
- Restaurant Biska.
Photos from Pula, Croatia
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