Where to stay?

Porec - set against the beautiful Adriatic Sea, this campsite is set amongst trees and circles a delightful bay, perfect for watching stunning sunsets.

Day 8

Arrive in Croatia and check into the campsite at the coastal resort of Porec. Have an evening meal overlooking the setting sun on the Adriatic Sea.

Day 9

Begin your exploration of the Istrian peninsula by heading inland to the famous Istrian hill towns of Motovun and Oprtalj. Both towns offer an unyielding clump of houses straddling a green wooded hill, high above a glorious patchwork of vineyards and wheatfields. Oprtalj is the quieter of the two hilltop towns with half of the houses in ruins, giving you a more deserted experience of this quieter part of Croatia. After your exertions upon these hills, head across the Mirna Valley to Groznjan, another hilltop village which has given a new lease of life to artists and musicians when many of its abandoned buildings were offered as studios. As a result, Groznjan is awash with small galleries and gift shops, and although the town gives an impression of being exceedingly quiet, Grozjnan has a thriving artistic undercurrent, best discovered in the quiter months.

Day 10

The Istrian peninsula is a triangle of land with the Adriatic Sea on two sides. Today, your tour begins with an exploration of its biggest coastal town - Pula, whose ties to Ljubljana are strong after it was here that the Argonauts were eventually chased after they had stolen the Golden Fleece. Pula is a rather brash Riviera town, but as the principle town and port in the region through the centuries, it has more than its fair share of history with its preserved amphitheatre and cluster of classical and medieval sights. Be sure to visit the 22,000 seater Roman amphitheatre, which is the sixth largest in the world.

Many historians have been perplexed as to why such a capacious theatre was built as the population of Pula at the time was only about 5,000. The exterior is in excellent condition, however the interior galleries are long gone as they make up many of the surrounding houses as the stone was pillaged to by the locals to build their own homes. Just to the south of the roman arena is the pyramidal hill scaled by secluded streets and topped by a star shaped Venetian fortress giving superb views across the town. Include visits to the Franciscan church and Chapel of St Mary of Formosa, combined with a splendid couple of hours at the Archeological Museum, with many Roman ruins, including many gravestones, sensitively decorated with portraits of the deceased.

End your day in Pula chosing from the many restaurants, cafés and bars. However, to find the best, just head a little off of the tourist trail into the suburbs of Pula where you will be rewarded with characteristic hostelries, full of Pulezani, as the locals are known.

Day 11

Today takes in another seaside resort, however, none are more pleasant than Rovinj, just a short drive from the campsite. Still poised somewhere between medieval port and modern tourist resort, Rovinj has managed better than anywhere else to keep its charm and historic centre intact. Start the day with a wander through the harbourside with its likeable mix of fishing boats and swanky yachts, before settling down for an early morning coffee amongst the café tables and fishermen's nets.

Complete your morning on what was formerly an island and walk amongst the small streets and harbourside on what is known as the "Montmatre of Istria", a tag which stems from the flow of painters and artists who have gravitated here since the 1950s. The "Grisia" is the main thoroughfare through the old town and leads you up to St Euphemia's Church, which dominates the peninsula's skyline. In the afternoon, it is time to leave everyone behind and find your own private beach to the south of Rovinj amongst the densely forested cape, criss-crossed by numerous paths. Alternatively, jump on to the half hourly ferries across to the islands of Sveta Katarina and Crveni Otok. The islands aren't deserted, but it won't take long to find that quiet haven away from it all.

In the evening, head back into Rovinj for a sumptuous meal amongst the countless seafood restaurants for which Rovinj is famous. Locals eat away from the harbourside restaurants which cater mostly for tourists. By doing likewise, the prices are better and so is the food.

Day 12

Heading only a short distance from the campsite, Porec is Istria's, and indeed Croatia's largest resort. Whilst you won't be trampled under a horde of ice-cream wielding tourists, Porec can get very busy and is best seen outside of July and August. Start your day at Porec's star turn, the Basilca of Euphrasius. Built in the 6th century, the basilca has some superb mosaics, comparable with the celebrated examples at Ravenna and was a secret place of worship for Christians whilst it was still an underground religion. After an invigorating couple of hours here, Porec is then best seen on foot, at a slow pace.

Start at the Venetian tower on the eastern side of town before heading into its central district around the Trg Marafor, The Romanesque House and the District Museum, home to a wide variety of Roman and Greek artifacts. For the evening, head a few kilometres south of Porec to the Limski Kanal, which is a turquoise fjord with thick woods rising sheer on either side. It was here that legend states pirate and adventurer Captain Morgan settled with his crew, founding the village of Mrgani. Today though, these waters are home to some of the best mussels and oysters, served up with other fresh fish at the highly rated local restaurants.

Day 13

The last full day in Croatia leaves you with possibly the gem of the Istrian Peninsular - the Brijuni Islands. A small archipelago of fourteen islands that became famous as the retreat of the former President Tito. Now accorded national park status, visitors are only allowed on two of these islands, Veli Brijun and Mali Brijun. Unfortunately, access to the islands is limited and can only be booked as part of an organised day trip, of which you are likely to be taken to Veli Brijun. These trips can be booked at Fazana, the starting point for the fifteen minute crossing from the mainland.

Once upon the island, a miniature train takes you on a tour of the island, starting at the safari park where animals given to the late president roam. Look out for the two elephants presented by Indira Gandhi. The train then takes you to the White Villa and other official residences where guests have included Queen Elizabeth II and Gina Lollobrigida. The train then stops and allows exploration of the Byzantine fortress on the southwestern side of the island. The train finally retruns to its starting point where you must visit the Tito on Brijuni. This museum contains all the animals presented to Tito - stuffed, plus various galleries showing Tito as a man of the people one moment, sharing jokes with the Fazana locals one minute, Sophia Loren, Elizabeth Taylor the next. The best picture though is the one of Tito taking Ho Chi Minh for a spin on his speedboat. The Vietnamese leader looks to be having a lot more fun than the Yugoslav president.

Day 14

Check out of your campsite for your return journey back to the UK.