Destination
Pula
A day around the Arena, the Forum and the Temple of Augustus.
Photos 1
About the destination
Make the Arena your first stop, then continue to the Forum and the Temple of Augustus. Pula works well with one substantial visit and plenty of time between sights. If an Arena event catches your eye, plan it separately from the daytime visit.
Before you go
- Arena admission is ticketed; check the official visitor page for current tickets and opening times.
- Check the Arena’s programme as well as sightseeing information when planning a visit around an event.
Where to stay
Choose your base around the kind of visit you want. Pula’s Tourist Board lists hotels in the city area alongside private apartments, hostels and other accommodation, so a central address can make the Arena, Forum and everyday services easier to combine on foot. The coast offers a different stay: the Tourist Board highlights resort accommodation around Verudela, where coves, promenades and resort facilities shape the day. Compare the location and accommodation type before booking, and check the property’s current services directly. Browse the official Pula accommodation guide.
Food and drink
Use the city’s restaurant directory to find a meal that fits your route, from a stop near the historic centre to places by the waterfront or peninsula. Istrian coastal cooking gives you useful things to look for on a menu: fish, shellfish, seafood risotto or soup, and brodetto or buzara are regional preparations described by the Istria Tourist Board. Menus change with the catch and season. Use the regional guide to discover dishes, then confirm the current menu, opening arrangements and booking needs with the venue. See restaurants in Pula and the regional seafood guide.
Evenings
Build the evening around a programme when one interests you. The Pula calendar covers concerts, theatre and exhibitions: the Arena is a concert setting, while the Istrian National Theatre and outdoor performance spaces offer other cultural choices. The Tourist Board also notes that bars and clubs host performers, particularly in summer. The programme changes with the season. Check the official event calendar for current dates and locations, then confirm details with the organiser before making plans.
Before you set out
Plan your visit
Choose the pace, check the journey and keep a second option for the day.
Time to allow
Give the Arena, the old streets and Forum a relaxed half day; add a full afternoon for a museum or the coast. This is an editorial estimate. A concert is a separate booking: leave time for its entry arrangements rather than treating sightseeing admission as an event ticket.
Without a car
Use the bus information linked by the Pula Tourist Board and check your actual stop and return service. Keep Arena-Forum as the core walking route. Lungomare or Verudela changes the scale of the day, so plan onward transport before adding either.
Arriving by car
Use the official parking page and Pulaparking map to choose a location before reaching the centre. Read the zone, time limit and payment instructions at the space. Event parking arrangements can change; old concert announcements are not a current parking entitlement.
Rain, heat and a change of plan
On a wet day, look at Zerostrasse or a museum programme and confirm access first. For a hot day, put the stone city walk early or late and keep a long shaded break. An underground attraction is still a separate visit with its own opening conditions.
Places to start
Sources checked: 28.09.2026. Check current visiting arrangements before setting out. Arrival and visitor information
Worth a visit
Take a closer look and plan your visit.
7 results
Garden in the cloister of St Francis Monastery in Pula.
Culture and sights · Pula
Zbirka samostana sv. Franje, Pula
Zbirka samostana sv. Franje, Pula is a museum or museum collection in Pula, documented by the Museum Documentation Centre.
Uspon sv. Franje Asiškog 9
Culture and sights · Pula
Pula Arena
Walk among the stone arches of Pula’s first-century Roman amphitheatre and see the four towers that distinguish its outer wall.
Flavijevska ulica, Pula
Culture and sights · Pula
Povijesni i pomorski muzej Istre - Museo storico e navale dell Istria
Povijesni i pomorski muzej Istre - Museo storico e navale dell Istria is a museum or museum collection in Pula, documented by the Museum Documentation Centre.
Gradinski uspon 6
Culture and sights · Pula
Zbirka umjetnina grada Pule
Zbirka umjetnina grada Pule is a museum or museum collection in Pula, documented by the Museum Documentation Centre.
Matka Laginje 5
Culture and sights · Pula
Muzej suvremene umjetnosti Istre - Museo d''arte contemporanea dell''Istria
Muzej suvremene umjetnosti Istre - Museo d''arte contemporanea dell''Istria is a museum or museum collection in Pula, documented by the Museum Documentation Centre.
Stara tiskara - Sv. Ivana 1/II - izložbeni prostor
Culture and sights · Pula
Spomen-soba Antonia Smareglie
Spomen-soba Antonia Smareglie is a museum or museum collection in Pula, documented by the Museum Documentation Centre.
Augustov prolaz 3
Nature and outdoors · Pula
Plaža Ambrela
Plaža Ambrela is a beach in Pula, listed in official visitor information.
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Pula and Rovinj by car
A three-day first taste of Istria: Roman Pula, Rovinj’s old town and a quieter coastal day.
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Pula before a concert: make time for the city
Coming for a show at the Arena? Enjoy the afternoon without rushing the entrance.
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Pula by the sea: leave an afternoon for Lungomare
A coastal walk, a pause and enough energy for the way back.
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Pula on pause: a slow hour at Monte Zaro
A green break after the centre, with a book, a friend or just your own company.
Travel guides
Pula: Roman stones, a living city
Connect the Arena, Forum and Arch of the Sergii without turning the day into a history exam.
Travel guides
Pula underground: an afternoon at Zerostrasse
Make the tunnels your main stop and keep the rest of the afternoon flexible.
