Rovinj do list

Great things to do in Rovinj

Get the most out of Rovinj with our guide to sightseeing, dining and drinking

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Rovinj is Istria at its most chic, a scenic resort of quality restaurants and cocktail bars, galleries and boutiques. Stone houses and cobbled streets lend an authentic air – this is also the most gay-friendly of Croatia’s coastal destinations.

RECOMMENDED: more great things to do in Rovinj.

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The best things to do in Rovinj

  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • Bars and pubs
  • Café bars
  • Rovinj
  • price 2 of 4

Perched by the Church of St Euphemia atop the Old Town, Caffe Bar XL is the perfect spot for a bar. Wicker chairs and wooden tables overlook fields, then the Adriatic beyond, streaked with amber beams of sunset if you find a spot at the right time of day. A cocktail would seem apt, and there are plenty of choices, or there’s Istrian Favorit beer on tap, affordable house wine and juices for the kids. There’s no food to speak of but that can all come later.

  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • Restaurants
  • Contemporary European
  • Rovinj
  • price 3 of 4
Ulika Rovinj is an upscale camping complex just outside Rovinj, a short walk from the beach. Here, from March to October, Barba Danilo is a gourmet corner that revives the restaurant the same family once ran before setting up this luxury lodging. Tables and chairs are ranged around the swimming pool and a tasteful interior, where lunch (noon-2.30pm) consists of salads, light snacks and tapas, and dinner of Istrian classics given a contemporary twist. Wines and olive oils are immaculately sourced – then again, the family has had lots of practice.
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Meet Old Masters and modern locals

3. Meet Old Masters and modern locals

Founded by a group of local artists in 1954, the Rovinj Heritage Museum (www.muzej-rovinj.hr) houses Istria’s prime collection of Italian art from the 1400s onwards. Renaissance gems by the great Venetian Giovanni Bellini and the school of Bonifazio de Pitati share second-floor space with Baroque painter such as Nicolò Grassi, Antonio Zanchi and Marco Ricci. One flight below is a floor of Croatian art from the later 20th century and there’s also a section dedicated to Rovinj artists from the same period – some of whom would have helped set up this very museum.
Take a taxi boat to Red Island
danscape.co/Flickr

4. Take a taxi boat to Red Island

Just off the coast of RovinjCrveni otok (‘Red Island’) is a handy and easy getaway from the crowds thanks to a boat that heads out from the town harbour every hour. Crveni otok is, in fact, two islands in one, St Andrew and Maškin. The larger St Andrew was where Benedictine monks opened a church in the sixth century, rebuilt by the Franciscans 900 years later. After Napoleon chased them off, the island was pretty much deserted until the well-to-do Habsburg Hutterotts erected a family mansion and surrounded it with hundreds of plants and trees from around the world – these you still see, and smell, today. The family mausoleum can also be visited. Most come here for the secluded beaches, though, backdropped by scented pine trees and facing clearer waters than found immediately around Rovinj itself. Although your boat over will invariably be crowded, it’s easy to find your own space for that real away-from-it-all feeling.
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Browse Trg Valdibora
© Vanda Vucicevic/Time Out

5. Browse Trg Valdibora

Essentially a fruit-and-vegetable market, allowing you to pick healthy fresh produce for your beachside picnic, Trg Valdibora has expanded its remit to offer plenty of items you can take home with you. Stalls groan under the weight of local wines, honeys and lavender oils, not to mention grappas in all kinds of varieties – mistletoe included. After 1pm, most of the fresh-food and fish vendors go, leaving mostly souvenir shops, hawking knick-knacks made from shells, Croatian-flag beach towels, paintings, postcards and other non-essentials.
Go the whole seven courses at Monte

6. Go the whole seven courses at Monte

Shellfish, suckling pig and that day’s catch, the seven-course menu at recently Michelin-starred Monte takes in the bounty of Istria on land and sea. Closer to home, Dutch-Croatian restaurateurs Tjitske and Danijel Đekić raid nearby Rovinj market on a daily basis for the finest, freshest produce to supply the most versatile kitchen in town. There’s a five-course menu, too, and carefully conceived main-course options. There’s a choice from more than 100 wines to accompany. Set on a steep cobbled slope in Rovinj’s historic centre, considering the quality of fare on offer, Monte could be starched and stuffy but it’s anything but – all feels funky and informal, just the right combination for a relaxed, top-class dining experience.
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Stroll the Golden Cape
christophsammer/Flickr

7. Stroll the Golden Cape

For serious, pine-forested beaches, head south of Rovinj, past the marina, to the wooded peninsula of Zlatni Rt, or Golden Cape. The stroll along the waterfront is a little more than a kilometre from town. There’s also a cluster of resorts around here, but they’re uphill, so the beaches are mostly undisturbed nature. Here shade-providing pine forests grow right up to the shore, ending in rocky beaches. You’ll need sandals to wade on the jagged shore, but the lack of sand means the sea is incredibly clear, great for snorkelling or diving. Walking further round, past Kurent Bay, with its public changing cabins, smaller coves have shallow, calm waters ideally suited to paddling toddlers.
Visit the Adriatic Titanic
Puffer Dive Centre

8. Visit the Adriatic Titanic

Known as the Adriatic Titanic, the Baron Guatsch was a Habsburg passenger ship that hit a mine laid by the Austro-Hungarian navy off the coast of Istria at the start of World War I. Nearly 150 passengers and crew lost their lives and the ship sank to a depth of 35 metres. The wreck, discovered in 1958, now provides divers with one of Europe’s most fascinating sites, and a popular for trips from Rovinj. Based at the Hotel Istra on Crveni otok, the Puffer dive centre offers escorted dives to the old ship, as well as courses for children and beginners.

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Go fishing
© Dave Jepson/Time Out

9. Go fishing

Setting off from Rovinj harbour, Ozren Božić and his crew take out their boat Abyss especially adapted for big-game fishing out for charter trips in the waters around Istria. Starting at the crack of dawn, fishermen will be taken out for up to 12 nautical miles on the hunt for bluefin tuna – bait, equipment, traps and travel insurance are all provided. The Abyss is also used for sport fishing and cruises of the islands and Limski bay nature reserve.
Amble along Grisia

10. Amble along Grisia

Always bustling in summer, stone-paved Grisia is a colourful thoroughfare of ateliers and artists’ galleries that leads up to the Church of St Euphemia. Its role in the lively artistic life of Rovinj dates back to a first exhibition here in 1967  – look out for 50thanniversary events in 2017. As well as paintings, mounted for display in doorways and on Grisia’s stone walls, stalls proffer all kinds of artisanal artefacts. If you’re here on the second Sunday in August, an outdoor festival allows anyone to set up and sell their art. Among the amateur seascapes, you might find the odd gem.
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Sip champagne at Valentino

11. Sip champagne at Valentino

‘A world of its own’ is the motto of pricy ValentinoRovinj’s most celebrated drinkerie, opened way before the boom in Croatia – way before an independent Croatia itself, in fact, in 1989. Back then, the owners knew that Valentino’s dramatic location, washed by the waves near Rovinj harbour, would bring results. Keeping things classic and old-school, they gradually encouraged customers to plonk themselves down on the rocky waterfront, offering brightly coloured cushions and ever more authentic  – and expensive – mixed drinks. These days, Valentino is officially a ‘cocktail & champagne bar’, bubbly accounting for as much trade as bloody Marys. Step off the seaside street, lose the crowds and commune with nature, your cocktail and your companion.
Sail over to Sveta Katarina
Hotel Katarina/Maistra

12. Sail over to Sveta Katarina

The closest island to Rovinj harbour, Sveta Katarina was the playground of various counts and dukes in the Habsburg days, the forerunners of today’s pleasure seekers. The photos you may have seen of foolhardy tourists leaping from high rocks into the sea were taken here. More sedate holidaymakers make do with catching the frequent ferry over, wandering around the verdant pathways, past vineyards and ancient olive trees, to find their own spot at a deserted and invariably rocky part of the coast. If you haven’t brought any refreshments, you’ll find the bar and restaurant open at the island’s namesake hotel, a family-focused resort complex with tennis courts, swimming pools and water sports.

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Trek around Rovinj on horseback
© Istra Trekking

13. Trek around Rovinj on horseback

Surrounded by unspoilt greenery just outside Rovinj, Moncerlongo Ranch is an open-air stable that lays on trekking tours and horse-riding lessons for all ages and abilities. Tours last for up to three hours and taking in the natural beauty surrounding Rovinj, dotted with archaeological sites whose history and significance will be explained by your guide. Back at the ranch, qualified instructors provide tuition from basic level upwards.

Go Istrian at Veli Jože
Gourmet story of Northwest Istria

14. Go Istrian at Veli Jože

Named after a friendly giant in a popular tale set in Istria, Veli Jože (‘Big Joe’) is an Istarska konoba, a typical local tavern. Istrian dishes flavour the menu of this quaint spot near the harbour that has a high-ceilinged interior crammed with antiques and seagoing kitsch, as well as seating for 50 on the pavement terrace. Specialities include lasagne with fruits de mer, crab with truffles, cod in white wine and pasta with goulash. The seafood won’t be cheap but it’ll be fresh, authentically prepared and caught close to where you’re eating it.

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Discover Rovinj history by rowboat
© Vanda Vucicevic/Time Out

15. Discover Rovinj history by rowboat

Batana House is perhaps the first multi-media museum around the Mediterranean specifically dedicated to a fishing boat. The vessel in question is the batana, the traditional wooden boat of this region. It is still very much in use today – as you will find out should you head out at sunset in a batana expertly rowed by the one of the museum staff. As both sit in the romantically lit batana, they will explain the importance of the boat to Rovinj’s history and economy, from the intricacies of night fishing to the construction of the vessel itself. If you’re here in daytime, the museum uses film, music and interactive exhibits to tell the same story – creative workshops allow you to try your hand at making fishing nets or plaiting demijohns.
Admire brave St Euphemia
© Vanda Vucicevic/Time Out

16. Admire brave St Euphemia

Thrown to the lions in AD303 though apparently mauled to death by a bear, poor St Euphemia is venerated in the Eastern Orthodox faith. How her relics came to be placed in a sarcophagus in Rovinj is not entirely clear – legend has it that her coffin washed ashore here, though other remains are still placed in the Church of St George in Istanbul, where she met her fate. The Rovinj church that bears her name, built in Baroque style in 1736, stands on the site of an earlier one also named after St George. Euphemia is represented in statue form, somewhat prosaically converted into a weather vane, while the mural of her martyrdom feels more reverential, the pious saint soon to join the heavenly chorus as lions devour her limbs.
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See Rovinj by Segway
© Vanda Vucicevic/Time Out

17. See Rovinj by Segway

From the seafront Hotel Park, Segway Rovinj hires out electric bikes for two-hour tours around the adjoining esplanade and verdant pathways. Those who haven’t Segway’d before can have a half-hour practice run before scooting out. Minimum age is 14. For more experienced riders, there are also city tours around Rovinj’s historic streets and off-road jaunts that take in the surrounding countryside.
Sample the wines at Piassa Granda
Tucked down hidden-away Veli trg amid Rovinj’s winding historic quarter, Piassa Granda is a formidably well-stocked wine bar established by two smiling sisters, still in charge today. More than 200 labels, the majority of them Istrian, pay tribute to the successful revival of the industry around this Italianate peninsula, Helena and Dragana also keen to promote fine domestic prosciutto, salamis and cheeses, tastefully presented as accompanying platters. Most varieties are available by the glass and a friendly waitstaff is happy to recommend. Alfresco seating is another plus.
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Go snorkelling
© Vanda Vucicevic/Time Out

19. Go snorkelling

Zooming out from Rovinj by skippered speedboat, up to eight holidaymakers can plunge into the clear waters of the open sea to observe the wealth of colourful marine life that swims close to the surface. Your guide will point out the brightest creatures to look out for – the yellow-streaked peacock wrasse, bright pink beadlet anemones, purple sea urchins, red-mouthed gobies – as you snorkel around calm waters. All gear is provided and you can shower down once you clamber back on board. Tours are organised by Rovinj-based Adistra.
Cycle a pirate’s trail
© Vanda Vucicevic/Time Out

20. Cycle a pirate’s trail

This part of Istria is said to contain the ill-gotten gains of legendary pirate Captain Morgan, a strange fable that may help explain why Mrgani is both the name of a local village and a seemingly unusual surname. Whatever the case, a cycling trail that sets off from close to Rovinj allows you to follow Morgan’s trail, taking in panoramic views of the Limski Canal where is treasure is allegedly buried, a Bronze Age site, a solar observatory and an ornithological reserve. Cycle tours, running for 60km in total and taking about four hours, are laid on by Istra Bike and also include lunch at a typical Istrian farmhouse on the way.

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Bask in Rovinj’s finest sunset
Perched by the Church of St Euphemia atop the Old Town, Caffe Bar XL is the perfect spot for a bar. Wicker chairs and wooden tables overlook fields, then the Adriatic beyond, streaked with amber beams of sunset if you find a spot at the right time of day. A cocktail would seem apt, and there are plenty of choices, or there’s Istrian Favorit beer on tap, affordable house wine and juices for the kids. There’s no food to speak of but that can all come later.
Tour Rovinj’s islands by kayak
Adistra

22. Tour Rovinj’s islands by kayak

Sea kayaking is the perfect way to discover the unspoiled, mainly uninhabited islands that dot the waters around Rovinj. Half-day tours start out at Punta Corrente park just outside town and take in nearby Crveni otok and the Sv Ivan islands before rounding the lighthouse at Sv Ivan na Pucini and heading for home. Kayakers also stop for an island picnic and swim. No previous experience is required, beginners are given a quick lesson in the easily steered kayak beforehand. Children above the age of five may take part, with adult supervision. Tours are organised by Adistra.
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Admire brave St Euphemia
© alchen_x

23. Admire brave St Euphemia

Thrown to the lions in AD303 though apparently mauled to death by a bear, poor St Euphemia is venerated in the Eastern Orthodox faith. How her relics came to be placed in a sarcophagus in Rovinj is not entirely clear – legend has it that her coffin washed ashore here, though other remains are still placed in the Church of St George in Istanbul, where she met her fate. The Rovinj church that bears her name, built in Baroque style in 1736, stands on the site of an earlier one also named after St George. Euphemia is represented in statue form, somewhat prosaically converted into a weather vane, while the mural of her martyrdom feels more reverential, the pious saint soon to join the heavenly chorus as lions devour her limbs.

Sink your teeth into steak
© SteakHouse & Pub Istriano

24. Sink your teeth into steak

Opened in 2017, the Steakhouse & Pub Istriano doesn’t beat around the bush. It serves steak, house-style thick and juicy, with simple trimmings such as grana padano cheese, rucola and potatoes. It’s pretty serious about its beers, too, hosting its own Bavarian-style Oktoberfest, where litre-tall glasses are clinked over hearty portions of pork. The rest of the year, the menu changes weekly – steak is a constant, of course – which means that fish options alternate from tuna to bream. There’s always a vegetarian choice, too, and often a little live music in the evenings.

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  • 3 out of 5 stars
  • Restaurants
  • Ice-cream parlours
  • Rovinj
  • price 2 of 4

The first thing you notice when you walk into the Orange Bar, just in from Rovinj’s seafront, is its encyclopaedic dessert menu. Actually, that’s a complete lie. The very first you notice are the boats brimming with ice-cream concoctions, lavish sauces and little umbrellas being served to a nearby table – and, there being nothing worse than ice-cream envy, you just have to order the same. Presented in a tall glass, sundae bowl or dessert boats, the puddings here attract families all day long. Once the children have gone to bed, the grown-ups can come out and play, and lay into one of the fine cocktails that the Orange Bar is also known for. 

  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • Bars and pubs
  • Istria

The only ‘Irish Pub’ in town isn’t, really – but the Art Public Bar is a damn good local drinking institution nonetheless. The taps of Guinness and Kilkenny, and surprisingly wide range of Irish whiskeys, available allow management to place the sign ‘Irish Pub’ over the doorway, hence the confusion. Unplugged sessions towards the end of the week and DJ parties at weekends attract a regular local trade, and though tourists are most certainly welcome, this is one bar where they don’t swamp the place. 

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  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • Restaurants
  • Croatian
  • Rovinj
  • price 2 of 4

Independent four-star hotel Arupinum has a restaurant of the same name, where fresh, seasonal ingredients are brought to the fore and home-made pasta is prominent. Given that warmer evenings and a larger influx of guests allow tables to be taken out and ranged around the pool, the whole ambience feels very Mediterranean, accentuated by the sleek, contemporary architecture that defines this recently opened establishment. All takes place just outside the centre of Rovinj, in an enclave of luxury lodging that also includes the stand-out Hotel Lone.

  • Attractions
  • Sightseeing
  • Rovinj

A journey of nearly 40km, three-quarters of it on tarmac, the Limes Trail starts and ends at the Amarin Tourist Resort just north of Rovinj and takes three hours. The route takes you through Saline, Valalta, Rovinjsko Selo and Porton Biondi, through lovely landscapes and past several churches, St Martin’s viewpoint and the Maklavun archaeological site. Around Rovinjsko Selo, you should also notice the kažuni, a field shelter of dry stone walls, along with the prehistoric fortress of Turnina.

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  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • Restaurants
  • Seafood
  • Rovinj
  • price 2 of 4

Relatively new in the culinary stakes, Bookeria by prominent Trg Pignaton in Rovinj’s historic centre is nothing if not ambitious. At this prime location, it would be all too easy for this eatery – it feels too informal and laid-back to be called a restaurant, though it takes its cooking seriously – to fill the menu with the usual suspects and cash in. Not a bit of it. Here crabs and scallops feature prominently, such as the crab ravioli, and scallops in various sauces. The fish is fresh and accompanied by a sprinkling of spinach and pine nuts, rather than a dollop of the usual watery blitva. Great care is also taken over dessert, semifreddo or home-made ice cream. A sun-catching terrace completes the picture.

  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • Restaurants
  • Brasseries
  • Rovinj
  • price 2 of 4
The Brasserie Adriatic harks back to the classic era of fin-de-siècle French cuisine and the heritage of the surrounding hotel, which dates back to 1913 and the earliest days of tourism in Rovinj. Set in the centre of town, overlooking the main square and the harbour, the Brasserie Adriatic also brings a contemporary touch to the kitchen, with tuna tataki as part of the Adriatic mixed starter, polenta with crab and chive oil as a warm starter, gilthead bream sous-vide as a main, and pistachio tuile with chocolate for the pot de crème dessert. The decor is equally 21st-century, shiny industrial in feel offset by walls of glass.
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  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • Bars and pubs
  • Café bars
  • Rovinj
  • price 2 of 4
The Limbo provides you with one of those classic Rovinj experiences, ever so slightly quirky, all in very good taste, and offering quality throughout. Here you perch on a stool or brightly coloured cushion on the steps of a steep walkway – hence ‘Limbo’ – while sipping on fine Istrian wine or, ideal for early evening, an Aperol spritz. There are appetisers, too, platters of prosciutto and cheese – but given the location close to a dozen restaurants, you’re as well using this as a pre-meal pick-me-up.
  • 3 out of 5 stars
  • Restaurants
  • Croatian
  • Rovinj
  • price 2 of 4
On the outskirts of Rovinj, surrounded by holiday apartments, the year-round Konoba Jure does a fine job with classic Istrian cuisine, the fish fresh, the Malvasia wine crisp. Thin pljukanci pasta with shrimp is a particular speciality, as is the fish soup. No menu, so ask your waiter what’s good that day.
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  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • Restaurants
  • Rovinj
  • price 3 of 4
Perched on a drop above the sea, this spot adds a gourmet Italian touch to local cuisine. La Puntulina has been run by the same Pellizzer family since 2004 and prides itself on fresh ingredients, creative sauces and a careful mix of flavours. The fish fillet Puntulina, with a delicately spiced tomato sauce, the bass stuffed with shrimp and the fish in an olive crust provide exciting ways to enjoy fresh seafood. Meat options include turkey fillet with pine nuts and steak on rocket and cherry tomatoes. It’s also a wine bar, with a dozen Malvazijas alone to choose from. Reserve the table by the window for dramatic sea views.
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • Bars and pubs
  • Cocktail bars
  • Rovinj
  • price 2 of 4
Lapped, literally, by the Adriatic, the Mediterraneo is one of those stupendously well located drinking spots bathed in orange sunset, where they could serve gruel in a glass and still have everyone smiling for selfies while they drink it. There’s no gruel here, of course, only quality mixed drinks at reasonable prices – and the setting does the rest. Open well into October, so if you’re here out of season, you can still enjoy a scenic drink, just take advantage of one of the free blankets.
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  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • Restaurants
  • Snack bars
  • Rovinj
  • price 2 of 4
Run by the same Pellizzer family that made La Puntulina such a mainstay of the local dining scene, the Snack Bar Rio is a real surprise in that it’s almost anything but a snack bar. Here you do battle with lobster, tuck into fine fish or enjoy a plate of perfectly prepared pasta and seafood, in informal, café-like surroundings – the Rio opened as a bar in 1968 and still operates as a place to catch the sun on the terrace over your first coffee of the morning.
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