Istria from Pula to Motovun
Istria packs Roman Pula, Venetian Rovinj and stone hilltop towns so close together that every drive between them is a short one. Eight days are enough for the coast and for the truffle country inland without packing up every morning. You follow the west coast from Pula through Rovinj and the Lim Bay to Poreč, and only on the penultimate day do you swap the sea for the hills above the Mirna valley. Two of the eight days belong to the drive out and back through Austria and Slovenia.
The first day is all driving, so set off from Prague early in the morning — through Brno, the Austrian motorways in Styria, and by evening the Slovenian karst. Buy the Austrian digital vignette and the Slovenian e-vignette online before you leave, so you do not have to hunt for a sales point on the way. Spend the night at Kamp Pivka Jama near Postojna; from there only a short morning hop is left into Istria.
In the morning you cross the Slovenian-Croatian border and by midday you are in Pula. Check into the Arena Stoja campsite on the peninsula of the same name just outside the centre and leave the afternoon free for a first look around town — the triumphal arch of the Sergii, the Temple of Augustus on the Forum and a walk along the waterfront. The early evening belongs to a swim and the first meal out together.
Pula's amphitheatre is one of the largest surviving Roman arenas and stands right above the harbour; the underground passages hold a permanent exhibition on ancient olive oil and wine. Go early in the morning, before the sun heats the stone and the coach tours arrive. For the afternoon, choose between Fažana, where the boats leave for the Brijuni national park, and Cape Kamenjak near Premantura with its wild rocky shore.
The move up the coast takes barely an hour, so you have the whole day for Rovinj. The old town on what used to be an island is a tangle of narrow lanes climbing to the church of St Euphemia, whose bell tower is visible from all around and can be climbed. The afternoon suits the pine park of Zlatni rt south of town — shade, rocky beaches and quiet at the moment when the squares are packed.
The Lim Bay is a narrow inlet cut in between wooded limestone slopes and it looks like a fjord; the road above it has several viewpoints, but the places suitable for a longer vehicle are limited, so count on stopping only where it can be done. Romuald's Cave above the bay is reached on foot and may only be entered with a guide because of the protected bat colony — the opening arrangements are seasonal and the cave is sometimes closed altogether, so check and book your visit in advance with the Natura Histrica administration. In the afternoon move north and find a base in the area around Poreč.
The Euphrasian Basilica is on the UNESCO list and the golden mosaics in its apse date from the sixth century — they are among the most precious things you will see in Istria. The complex also includes a baptistery and a bell tower with a view over the roofs of the old town and out to sea. Leave the rest of the day for swimming in the Green Lagoon and for a slow evening at the campsite; it is your last day by the sea.
You will not get into the historic cores of Motovun or Grožnjan in a motorhome — the lanes are narrow and vehicles are banned, so you park below the hill and walk up, and in Motovun a shuttle service covers part of the climb for you. Motovun has preserved walls with a walkway and a view over the whole Mirna valley, while Grožnjan is a tiny town of galleries and studios where a whole afternoon disappears easily. In Livade below Motovun they sell truffles from the Motovun forest; the white ones are gathered in autumn, the black ones for most of the year. You spend the night at the Monte Vita campsite right below the Motovun hill.
The last day belongs to the journey back through Slovenia and Austria and it is a full day behind the wheel, so leave first thing in the morning and plan regular breaks. If you would rather not do the whole return in one go, split it with a night in Slovenia or in Styria and get home the following morning. Before you set off, take on water and empty the tanks while you are still at the campsite.
Croatia has no vignettes; the toll is paid for the sections you actually drive, at toll gates or through an ENC device. A motorhome up to 3.5 t with a height above the front axle of more than 1.90 m falls into group II; a vehicle over 3.5 t belongs to group III and pays considerably more. The Istrian Y (motorways A8 and A9) is run by Bina-Istra and the Učka tunnel is tolled separately — if you approach Istria from Rijeka, budget for it on top. On the way out and back you cross Austria and Slovenia: in Austria a vehicle up to 3.5 t needs a digital vignette (ten-day €12.80, two-month €32, annual €106.80), while over 3.5 t you drive with a GO-Box and pay by the kilometre. In Slovenia the height above the front axle decides: up to 1.3 m it is class 2A (weekly e-vignette €16, monthly €32), above 1.3 m class 2B (weekly €32, monthly €64.10) — most motorhomes fall into 2B, so check the height in your registration document. Vehicles over 3.5 t do not use the e-vignette at all; they come under the DarsGo system.
Arena Stoja, Pula — on the peninsula just outside the centre, walkable or a short cycle from the old town · Bi Village, Fažana — a good base for the boat trip to Brijuni · Camping Polari, Rovinj — a large campsite south of town · Autocamp Bijela Uvala, Poreč — by the Green Lagoon · Valamar Camping Istra, Funtana near Poreč · Monte Vita Motovun Campsite, Motovun — a small site below the hill, twelve pitches for motorhomes · Kamp Pivka Jama, Postojna (Slovenia) — a handy overnight stop on the way out and back
Spending the night outside official campsites and designated stopovers is banned in Croatia and in Istria it is checked in season, so always sort the night out at a campsite. In July and August both Rovinj and Poreč are overloaded and the campsites tend to be full — book well ahead, or better still travel in May, June or September, when the sea is still warm and the towns are walkable. You cannot drive into the coastal old towns anyway; the car parks for longer vehicles are on the edge of town and fill up by mid-morning in high season, so it pays to set off from the campsite early, by bike or on a boat service.
Service points for emptying waste tanks and taking on drinking water are inside the grounds of the Arena Stoja campsite in Pula, Polari near Rovinj and Bijela Uvala near Poreč — they are usually meant for registered guests, so the simplest thing is to use them on your arrival or departure day. Inland, the Monte Vita campsite in Motovun has its own sanitary block with a dump point, the only such facility directly on the route through the hills. On the way home you take on water for the last time at Kamp Pivka Jama near Postojna.
Adria Compact
The Adria Compact is a low-profile motorhome under 3.5 t that is both narrower and shorter than the bigger low-profiles — exactly what this route asks for: it takes you through the narrow roads of inland Istria, parks on the lots below Motovun and Grožnjan and fits into the tighter pitches at the coastal campsites. At the same time you stay in the cheaper Croatian toll group II and get by with an Austrian vignette and a Slovenian e-vignette instead of a GO-Box and DarsGo.
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