Pula (Italian:Pola, Slovene:Pulj) is a nice town at the tip of theIstrian peninsula in northwesternCroatia.
Pula was founded by Illyrians about 3000 years ago. Romans occupied Istria in 177 BC. After the destruction of the Western Roman Empire, the Istrian peninsula was devastated by Ostrogoths. Slavs came in Istria during migration period in 7th century but mostly lived in the countryside. At that time Pula was still inhabited mostly by Italians. Landlords in Pula changed quite frequently in the Middle Ages, from the Republic of Venice to Genoa to Illyrian Provinces and Austria–Hungary. After the Second World War, it became part of Yugoslavia. At that time, many Italians fled to Italy and Pula was settled by Croats. Although most of the population is Croatian, there are several large minority groups in Pula such as Serbs, Italians, Bosniaks and Slovenes.
Most tourists visit in the summer months, with most attractions and restaurants closing between October and May.
The climate of Pula is warm to hot during the summer months, and cool to cold during winter. Average temperatures during July, the hottest month range from 18° to 29°, while in January, the coldest month, temperatures range from an average low of 1° to 10° Spring and autumn are generally mild in comparison
(updated Feb 2025)There is a scheduled bus service from the bus station in town to the airport. Buses are operated byBrioni and connect to most major flights. The cost of a one-way ticket is€3.50. A taxi from the bus station to the city should be around€11.50 in the low season and much higher in the summer.
It is possible to also considerRijeka Airport on the island ofKrk and Trieste Airport in nearbyItaly to access Pula as they are close by and offer flights to different destinations.
Shuttle buses from the Pula bus station to Pula airport leave at 5-10 times a day. The cost is€6.
The large and modern bus station is 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 andVenice. Online timetables are listed atBrioni andPula Info[dead link].
There is also a train station near the waterfront with services serving Istria and intoSlovenia 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 theCroatian Railways website.
Hitchhiking fromZagreb 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.
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 3 hr.
The historic town center is pedestrianized, and most of the tourist attractions are either inside or within a few blocks.
Taxi Cammeo offers taxi services for€2-3/5 km. Local, owner-operated taxis are more expensive.
Buses are expensive (€1.50 per card, per person, per ride), however, if you plan on using the Pulapromet only, you should make yourself a BusCard. The BusCard is an electromagnetic ticket that you can fill with money and then use cheaper bus rides. The price of a buscard is€4 but they usually sell them for€9.50 which includes€5.50 credit you can use on the bus. The BusCard reduces drastically the price of the ride making it a€1 per hour on the city lines (lines 1 to 9). Also, up to 5 people can use the same BusCard at the same moment, for the same bus. Also, the money on the BusCard is forever, meaning you can save it for the next time you come to Pula without fearing money loss.
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 from 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€1. 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.
Be aware that parking in the city center can be hard to come by and is rather expensive at€1/hr. Parking tickets generally cost€13.50 and the attendants make the rounds frequently.
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Drinking is a pleasurable pastime in Croatia. Since Pula is a very popular place for tourists bars are easy to find.
Tourist information can provide you with a list of accommodation in Pula, although they will not make reservations for you.
As of Sept 2021, Pula and the coastal highway have 4G from A1 and Tele2, and 5G from T-Mobile. Wifi is widely available in public places.
| Thiscity travel guide toPulais ausable article. It has information on how to get there and on restaurants and hotels. An adventurous person could use this article, but pleasefeel free to improve itby editing the page. |
