Pula Arena is the most famous and most important monument in Pula. It is considered to be a city simbol as well as the starting and ending point of every sightseeing tour. It was built in the 1st century AD during the reign of Emperor Vespasian, at the same time as the magnificent Colosseum in Rome. It was used as a gathering place for the crowds and the place where gladiator fights took place. Nowdays it hosts exhibitions, concerts, famous Pula Film Festival and a manifestation Spectacvla Antiqva.

Lighting giants are Pula’s latest attraction, a stunning lighting display at the city’s Uljanik shipyard, one of the world’s oldest working shipyards. Renowned lighting designer Dean Skira has lit up the shipyard’s iconic cranes in 16,000 different colour schemes, which come alive four times every evening on the hour.

The Brijuni island group lies off the southwest coast of Istria in the vicinity of Pula. As the only National Park in Istria, Brijuni with its 14 islands covering an area of 736 square hectares presents a unique play of nature that brings together remarkable animal species and rare and rich flora all at one place. It ranks as one of the loveliest archipelagos in the Mediterranean. Brijuni are established as a National Park since 1983.

From the upper circular street one of the perpendicular paths leads to the top of the central hill of the city where a star-shaped castle with four bastions was built in 1630. Wishing to protect the city and its harbor, because of it great significance in maritime trade in the North Adriatic, the Venetians commissioned the building of the Castle from the French military architect Antoine de Ville. This was most probably the site of an earlier fortress dating from the pre-Roman and Roman period. The Histrian hill-fort was primarily built for defensive purposes, whereas in the Roman period a small military garrison was stationed here. Today the Castle houses the Historical Museum of Istria.

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For seclusion, head out to the wild Rt Kamenjak on the Premantura Peninsula, 10km south of Pula. Istria’s southernmost point, this gorgeous, entirely uninhabited cape has lovely rolling hills, wild flowers (including 30 species of orchid), low Mediterranean shrubs, fruit trees and medicinal herbs, and around 30km of virgin beaches and coves.

The “Golden Gate” was erected between the years 29 and 27 BC by the Sergi family, in honor of three members of the family who held important positions in Pula at that time. This triumphal arch leaned against the city gate Porta Aurea thus called because of its richly ornamented arch or gilded elements. The gate and wall were pulled down in the beginning of the 19th century as a result of the city expansion outside the city walls.

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The main square of classical and medieval Pula is situated at the foot of the central hill, in the western part of the city close to the sea. The coast where the Forum was constructed in the 1st century BC had to be filled up to gain a larger area. The Forum was the nucleus of city life, its religious, administrative, legislative and commercial center. On the northern part of the Forum stood two twin temples and a central one dedicated to Jupiter, Juno and Minerva. Today only the Temple of Augustus has been fully preserved while of the second temple only the back wall, built into the Communal Palace in the 13th century, is visible.