Porec Croatia (Parenzo in Italian) is the most developed tourist center, not only in Istria region but in entire Croatia. The entire Porec area is totally devoted to summer tourism.
The whole zone is a concentrate of a broad system of tourist resorts that stretches north and south along the west coast of Istria, attracting thousands of holidaymakers from June to September, mainly tourists from Italy and Germany.
The tourist infrastructures are scattered along 37 kilometers of Porec Riviera coastline between Mirna (river) and Limski Kanal (Limski Channel) .
In the south there are large tourist villages such as Blue Lagoon, Green Lagoon, White Cove and Brulo while in the north are Materada, Cervar, Ulika and Lanterna.
More than 30% of foreign tourists are staying here on the west coast of Istria, as the tourist most intense part of Croatia.
Porec, Croatia Map & Details
Porec (Parenzo in Italian) is located on the western side of Istria peninsula. The old city of Porec is nested on well protected peninsula, 400 m long and 200 m wide.
Porec harbor has a natural protection by several islands, among which the island St.Nicola (Otok Sveti Nikola) is the biggest one.
The wider area of Porec Riviera extends (see the map) from Novigrad in the north to Vrsar in the south, in the length of 37 km.
Its favorable geographical position makes Porec easily reachable from any important cities of central Europe. It’s only 49 Km (31 Miles) from Trieste (Italy) and 102 Km (63 Miles) from Venice.
The nearest airport is Pula airport only 44 Km from Porec while Zagreb airport is 197 km to Porec.
If you are traveling by car from Italy or Slovenia take highway A9 a north–south motorway in Croatia, with a length of 78.3 km (48.7 miles).
Beginning in Pula, it runs north to the Croatian motorway and at the Kanfanar interchange, meets the A8 motorway, forming the Istria Y road system. For more info go to Wikipedia A9 highway page !
Many travelers visiting Venice as a top Italian destination, have a chance to to hop over to Istria peninsula (see the map) to visit for a day or two, some Istria’s highlight spots like Porec, Rovinj and Pula.
Venezia Lines is a high speed passenger ferry operator linking the North Adriatic coast of Italy with Croatia (Istria region). This company keeps regular connections to the Croatian coast (only passengers) in the period from the end of May to the mid of September.
Porec Croatia Weather
Porec benefits from a mild Mediterranean climate. Summers are pleasantly warm, with low humidity and more than 10 hours of sun daily. The sea temperature in the summer sometimes can reach up to 28°C, more than in south Adriatic.
Winds in the region of Porec blow moderately and in summer blows mostly the light mistral. Winters are moderate and the snow very rare.
Porec Croatia History Overview
During the 2000 years old history of Porec, this town was under the rule of different states and rulers. The most prominent periods of Porec history are:
- In 2 BC, a Roman settlement was established along this natural harbor, which developed into a fortified town. The ancient Roman town of Porec (Parenzo in Italian and Pentium in Roman times) was built with orthogonal street grid, where the main streets, Cardo Maximus and Decumanus and the Forum in the center, have remained unchanged until the present day.
- During the period of Christian persecution in the 3rd Century, the first Bishop of Porec, Mauro, was a victim of the persecution of the Romans rulers. Later in the 6th Century, the Bishop Euphrasius built a basilica, which is the pearl of the architectural heritage of the town.
- For the longest period, Porec was a part of the Venetian Republic, from 1267 to 1797. Venetian influence is still visible today , like a Romanic house and a few beautiful Venetian Gothic palaces.
Historical Heritage of Porec (Things to See)
The Beautiful Streets and Squares of Porec
The old town preserved the street layout of the Old Roman Castrum. Two main streets, Dekumanus and Cardo Maximus are still in their original ancient form.
Dekumanus street is the main and most popular Porec promenade, that runs east to west through the center of the Old Town. Marafor Square is where a Roman forum was once situated where the parts of two temples can still be found here.
One of them, erected in the 1st century, is dedicated to the Roman god Neptune, 30 meters wide and 11 meters long.
Best Porec Hotels
All inclusive resorts
If you are looking for Croatia all inclusive resorts in Croatia it’s important to say that they don’t differ from the usual definition of resorts you can find in other parts of the world like for example in the Caribbean, in Egypt, Dominican Republic or Maldives.
Istria has been always known by numerous resorts scattered from Umag to Pula. Here is my personal resorts selection on Porec Croatia Riviera:
- 4 stars Valmar Club Tamaris Porec – A newly renovated hotel complex Valamar Club Tamaris in Porec ideal for family holidays, sport and recreation lies in the green oasis of the Lanterna peninsula in Porec.
- Light All Inclusive Hotel Laguna Park 4-star hotel Porec – One of top picks in Porec. It’s a typical beachfront all inclusive resorts, surrounded by beautiful green parks.
- All Inclusive Hotel Zorna 3-star hotel Porec – The All Inclusive Hotel Zorna enjoys a beachfront location offering all you need for your enjoyable holiday.