Istrian Villages - A (Love) Story in Pictures

It happens to us a lot: In Istria, we were rather unimpressed by the top rated sights but fell in love with the places we discovered spontaneously – some small sleepy towns not mentioned in any guidebook and aesthetical fixer-uppers topping over vineyards and Istrian rolling hills.

Kotli

A sleepy village, waterfalls and an old water mill.

Istrian Villages
Kotli
Istrian Villages
Kotli, on the trail along the river
Istrian Villages
Kotli

Groznjan

Beautiful location on the top of a hill, atmospheric old houses. It looks like this place may become packed during the high season. In April, we were one of the seldom visitors...

Istrian Villages
Groznjan
Istrian villages
Istrian Villages

Oprtalj

The village that really is off the beaten path. We enjoyed strolling through its atmospheric streets. Some of them consisted primarily of houses falling apart...

Istrian Villages
Istrian Villages
Istrian Villages
Opratlj

Vineyards

There are plenty of small family wineries all over Istria. The biggest and most famous ones, Kozlovic and Kabola boast spectacular locations...

Istrian Villages
Kabola
Istrian Villages
Kozlovic. A view from the terrace over the vienyards and a castle.

Hum

With its 17 inhabitants, Hum is apparently the world's smallest town.

Istrian Villages
Istrian Villages

Motovun

Probably the busiest town of central Istria. In summer, be prepared to park several miles away from the town and take a bus to the town centre. But the view from the old town walls over the sleepy hills is rewarding.

Istrian villages
Motovun

BTW, somewhere there in the hills, there was an old house we 'sitted'.

Rovinj and Porec

These famous seaside towns lack the charm of the inland villages, but staying there has its advantages as well: Here, they have both spectacular town beaches and atmospheric cobblestone streets in one place.

Istrian Villages
Rovinj
Istrian Villages
Rovinj
Danielle2019-07-19 01:42
If you go back to Croatia, ask me where to go and I can tell you about some very awesome quieter villages to go to! My family is Croatian and every time I go I get the best tips and locations to go to! I live in Canada but plan to move there one day soon! Labin is a fantastic little picturesque town and a local sent us to a beach that tourists don't even know about called Duga Luka! It was great and right up my alley!
Guini2019-07-20 06:36
Thank you for your tip Danielle!
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