Wander the adorable cobblestone streets of Rovinj, Croatia.
Rovinj (pronounced ro-vin-ya), Croatia is just so wonderful, it’s hard to describe. Winding cobblestone streets and seaside views make this little town seem like a fairy tale. It is just bursting with Old World charm.
Rovinj is just plain perfect.
Rovinj is located on the Istrian Peninsula on Croatia’s northern Adriatic Coast. It was originally an island and only connected to the mainland in 1763, centuries after the area was settled. The town passed through countless hands, the Romans, Byzantines, Franks, Venetians, Austrians, Yugoslavia and then finally Croatia. The Venetians really left their mark in. Both Italian and Croatian are spoken here (that really helped me because Croatian is confusing). Both languages are equal here and most townsfolk are bilingual. Both languages are so equal that the city is referred to as Rovinj or Rovigno. Both names are official and street signs are both in Croatian and Italian (very common in Istria).
I reached Rovinj in a very interesting way. I was staying in Pula about 20 miles south and decided to make a day trip up to Rovinj. I thought I was going to be taking a bus, but it turned out to be a minivan that got too many passengers along the way. Not exactly safe but it was hilarious. Got to love Eastern Europe.
Old Town is really easy to reach from the bus station. Even the “newer” sections of town (still old by American standards) are amazing. This whole town is well kept up. Not surprising considering that the town relies on tourism.
Just simply adorable.
One thing I love about Europe is all the pedestrian only areas of town centers.
This town just exudes charm.
Even the back alleyways are adorable. Some people might not think so, but I do at least.
Almost to the Old Town. Almost all available space was used to build, leading to some seaside homes.
Just lovely.
Heading into Old Town and all the streets are like this.
All these homes are either made of stone or brick, then covered with plaster, which then is painted. Colorfulness is encouraged.
Some people go all out on the painting.
The streets just wind around the former island.
At the tip of the now peninsula is an open area with a park and a lighthouse.
At the top of the hill in the center of town is St. Euphemia’s Basilica built in 1736.
Heading back down the hill on the other side of town, finding some lovely stone houses.
I absolutely love this area. So many cobblestones.
Looking back up the street to the church. So much Old World charm.
The stairs continue down the street to some more colorful buildings. This is definitely a pedestrian town.
The street meets an adorable plaza with a café.
The people of Rovinj are fantastic about keeping their town colorful. Even the stone buildings have bright shutters.
In this part of town, the streets are much more even allowing people to use bikes, motorcycles and scooters to get around.
I just absolutely love this town. Who couldn’t?
Rovinj is a seaside town so therefore it has a harbor. This clock tower really shows the Venetian influence in the area. The lion relief below the clock is a symbol of Venice.
There is a wide-open plaza by the harbor where you will find restaurants and shops.
And it opens up right to the boats.
I didn’t spend the whole day wandering around Old Town. I also visited Zlatni Rt Forest Park (a.k.a. Golden Cape Forest Park), which has trees from all over the world, lovely pathways, views and beaches. It’s a bit of a walk to get there but I did enjoy it.
View of Rovinj from the park.
This was a great place to relax and read a book for a while.
Rovinj is spectacular place to just wander around and enjoy your day. I visited in February outside of the tourist season. In the summer, the town has resorts and other activities. Rovinj is really easy to reach from the capital of Croatia, Zagreb and Pula to the south. Croatia has a great, although interesting, transportation network along the Adriatic Coast.
Check out another little town on the Adriatic Coast, Piran, Slovenia!
or
Check out all my other posts in my Wandering series!
