Sightseeing stop in Pula: discover beautiful places in Croatia

Pula highlight

We at Monterrasol Transfers specialize in private car transfers. Together with the transfer itself, we propose that you visit some beautiful places along the transfer route. We call such places optional sightseeing stops (short excursions).

One of the places we selected to propose as a sightseeing stop is a beautiful Pula in Croatia. Sightseeing stops are a perfect easy opportunity to see new places during your transfer across Croatia, especially during long distance transfers. Take it as a great option to get in touch with local culture and history. It's good to combine transportation and sightseeing together!

Pula is a captivating coastal city situated at the southern tip of the Istrian peninsula in western Croatia, often called the ＂Gateway to Istria,＂ serving as the perfect entry point to explore a region famous for its beautiful coastline, turquoise sea, and charming hinterland. Main attractions of Pula are: Pula Arena, one of the six largest and best-preserved Roman amphitheatres in the world; the Arch of the Sergii, a Roman monument; 17th-century Venetian fortress known as Citadel; City Walls and Roman Gates; Zerostrasse (Underground Tunnels) from the Austro-Hungarian period.

Last reviewed: 5 June 2026

Pula description

Pula is a captivating coastal city situated at the southern tip of the Istrian peninsula in western Croatia. It lies gracefully along the Bay of Pula, a deep and almost landlocked harbour that has been a strategic maritime hub for millennia. The city is often called the ＂Gateway to Istria＂, serving as the perfect entry point to explore a region famous for its beautiful coastline, turquoise sea, and charming hinterland.

Pula is the largest city in Istria, with a population of approximately 57,000 to 59,000 residents. The city's population has seen slight fluctuations over the years, with 57,460 residents recorded in a 2025 census. This size gives Pula the feel of a lively urban centre while still maintaining a welcoming and walkable historic core.

The name ＂Pula＂ has a captivating mythological origin. According to legend, it is derived from the Greek word ＂Polai＂, meaning ＂city of fugitives＂. This name refers to the Greek refugees from Colchis who, according to the story of Jason and the Argonauts, settled in this area after being unable to catch the fleeing adventurers. The city was later renamed by the Romans as ＂Colonia Pietas Iulia Pola＂ in honour of Emperor Augustus's daughter, Julia, with ＂Pietas＂ signifying gratitude or devotion.

Pula boasts an extraordinary history that stretches back over 3,000 years, long before the Romans arrived. Before the Common Era, the peninsula was inhabited by the Histri, a fierce Illyrian tribe known for piracy, for whom Istria is named. The Romans conquered the Histri in 177 BCE after a brutal two-year siege, marking the beginning of Pula's transformation into a significant Roman port and administrative centre.

The city was elevated to colonial rank during Julius Caesar's dictatorship and was later rebuilt by Emperor Augustus after it was razed during a civil war. Within a few years, Pula's population grew to about 5,000, and it became a flourishing imperial city. After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, Pula was devastated by the Ostrogoths before becoming a key harbour for the Byzantine navy as part of the Exarchate of Ravenna.

For nearly 400 years, from 1420 to 1797, Pula was part of the powerful Republic of Venice, which left an indelible mark on its architecture and culture. The city later fell under Austrian rule in 1797 and, after 1866, became the main harbour and arsenal of the Austro-Hungarian navy. This period brought significant industrial development, especially to the Uljanik shipyards. Pula was then passed to Italy in 1920 before finally becoming part of Croatia (then Yugoslavia) after World War II.

Today, Pula is a vibrant city that seamlessly blends its ancient heritage with a lively modern atmosphere. It is a major port and industrial centre, but its true draw is tourism, with visitors flocking to see its remarkably preserved Roman monuments. The city has a distinctly Mediterranean and Italian flavour, reflected in its cuisine, architecture, and relaxed coastal lifestyle, making it a top Croatian destination.

The city's most iconic landmark is the Pula Arena, one of the six largest and best-preserved Roman amphitheatres in the world. Built during the reign of Emperor Vespasian around 80 CE, this massive elliptical structure once seated 23,000 spectators for gladiator fights and naval battles. Today, the Arena is a spectacular venue for summer concerts, film festivals, and other cultural events, allowing visitors to experience history in a truly unique setting.

The main square of the old city, Republic Square, was once the site of the Roman Forum, the city's political and social heart for 2,000 years. Dominating the square is the beautifully preserved Temple of Augustus, a harmonious white stone building dating from the reign of the first Roman emperor. The temple, which was painstakingly restored after being destroyed in a WWII bombing, now houses a small collection of ancient Roman sculptures.

Another magnificent Roman monument is the Arch of the Sergii, an honorary triumphal arch erected between 30 and 10 BCE. It was built by a wealthy patrician woman, Salvia Postuma Sergia, in honour of three male members of her influential Sergii family. The arch is lavishly decorated with fluted columns, garlands, and winged victories, and it famously inspired the artist Michelangelo during his visit to Pula.

Crowning the central hill above the old town, at 34 metres high, is the 17th-century Venetian fortress known as Citadel (or Kaštel). This star-shaped fortress, built on the site of a prehistoric Histri hillfort and later a Roman acropolis, now houses the Historical and Maritime Museum of Istria. From its bastions, visitors can enjoy a breathtaking panoramic view over Pula's red-tiled roofs, the Arena, and the glistening Adriatic Sea.

Historical and Maritime Museum of Istria is the premier institution for learning about the region's multifaceted past. Located within the imposing Kaštel fortress, the museum's extensive collections span from prehistoric times, through the ancient Roman era, Venetian rule, and the Austro-Hungarian period, to the modern day. With exhibits on maritime heritage, shipbuilding, and naval battles, it offers a deep dive into Istria's strategic importance as a naval powerhouse.

Pula's ancient Roman heritage is also visible in its remaining City Walls and Roman Gates. The oldest is the modest Gate of Hercules, featuring a worn carving of the mythical hero's head and club. Nearby, the Twin Gates, with their two vaulted passages, lead towards the remains of a small Roman theatre on the hillside. These gates offer a tangible connection to the city's ancient fortifications.

Beyond its historical treasures, Pula is a city to be experienced. Visitors can stroll along the vibrant waterfront, relax in cafes, and enjoy the local ＂Italian way of life＂ that permeates the city. The cuisine is a highlight, with restaurants serving classic Mediterranean dishes like fresh pasta, risotto, pizza, and locally sourced seafood, all best enjoyed with a glass of Istrian wine.

Pula enjoys a hot-summer Mediterranean climate, characterised by warm, dry summers and mild, wet winters. The warm season lasts from mid-June to early September, with July being the hottest month, featuring an average high of 84°F (29°C). The cool season lasts from late November to March, with January being the coldest month (average low of 36°F / 2°C). The best time to visit for warm-weather activities is from early July to late August, while the ideal period for general tourism is from mid-May to early October.

Tourists are drawn to Pula for its unique combination of world-class Roman ruins and a lively, relaxed Mediterranean atmosphere. The city allows you to walk in the footsteps of gladiators in a 2,000-year-old arena, stand before a beautifully preserved Roman temple, and then enjoy a fresh seafood dinner on a bustling harbour, all within a short walk. As a perfect base for exploring the rest of the Istrian peninsula—with its truffle-laden hills, charming hilltop towns, and stunning coastline—Pula offers an unforgettable Croatian experience for history buffs, food lovers, and sun-seekers alike.

  

Pula Arena

The Pula Arena, often simply called the 'Pula Amphitheatre', is the city's most iconic landmark and one of the largest and best-preserved Roman amphitheatres in the world. Constructed between 27 BC and 68 AD (with final additions completed under Emperor Titus around 81 AD), this massive elliptical structure measures approximately 132 meters long and 105 meters wide, with exterior walls reaching up to 29 meters in height.

What makes it unique among the six surviving Roman arenas is that it retains all four of its original side towers and its complete three-tiered exterior wall structure. Local limestone was used for its construction, and at its peak, it could seat an estimated 20,000 to 23,000 spectators who gathered to watch gladiatorial combats and wild animal hunts.

The Arena's ingenious engineering included a sophisticated system of underground passages for transporting gladiators and animals to the arena floor, as well as four towers containing cisterns of perfumed water that could be sprinkled on the crowd to refresh them. After gladiatorial combats were banned in the 5th century, the Arena fell into disuse and was partially plundered for building materials, though its structure remained largely intact.

During the Middle Ages, it was used for grazing livestock, knights' tournaments, and medieval fairs, while the interior gradually filled with soil that covered the underground passages. A major restoration in 1932 adapted the Arena for modern use, and today it serves as a spectacular venue for concerts, operas, ballet performances, sports competitions, and the renowned Pula Film Festival, with a modern capacity of approximately 5,000 spectators.

During summer months, visitors can also watch ＂Spectacvla Antiqva＂, a reenactment of gladiator fights that brings the ancient arena back to life, while the underground passages now host a permanent exhibition on Istrian viticulture and olive growing in Roman times, featuring reconstructions of ancient presses and storage vessels.

  

Pula Citadel (Fortress Kaštel)

The Pula Citadel, known locally as Kaštel, is a 17th-century baroque fortress perched atop the central hill of Pula, approximately 34 metres above sea level, offering some of the most breathtaking panoramic views over the city, its red-tiled rooftops, the Roman Arena, and the bustling harbour. The fortress was constructed by the Venetians in the mid-1600s following their final consolidation of power in Pula, designed in a classic star-shaped (bastion) plan typical of Renaissance and early modern military architecture, with four main towers, thick limestone walls, and a deep dry moat intended to withstand cannon fire and defend against Ottoman attacks.

However, the hill itself has a much longer history, long before the Venetian fortress it was the site of a prehistoric hillfort belonging to the Histri (the pre-Roman inhabitants of Istria), later a Roman military camp (castrum) and acropolis, and then a medieval stronghold controlled by powerful local families such as the Sergi (who took the name Castropola).

Today, the Citadel houses the Historical and Maritime Museum of Istria, which brings together the region's layered past through exhibits spanning prehistoric times, the Roman era, the Middle Ages, Venetian rule, the Austro-Hungarian period, and the 20th century. Visitors can explore the stone courtyards, climb the bastions and ramparts, and discover exhibitions on maritime heritage, local trades, everyday life, and the military importance of Pula's bay.

Particularly fascinating is the exhibition detailing the extensive fortification system built around Pula between 1813 and 1918, which included over 200 forts, towers, and defensive structures, some as impressive as those of Verdun. The fortress also serves as the gateway to the underground Zerostrasse tunnels, and a modern glass elevator connects the three levels, making the site accessible from the city centre streets below. A visit to Kaštel typically takes 1.5 to 2 hours and is especially rewarding around sunset, when the views over the amphitheatre and the Adriatic are at their most spectacular.

Notable forts to explore in Pula area are Fort Bourguignon, Fort Verudela, and Punta Christo.

Fort Bourguignon (Fort Monsival): A dramatic circular fortress built in the 1860s. Located just above the Verudela area, it features deep moats and imposing walls. While the interior is often closed, it is a popular spot for off-the-beaten-path military photography and sometimes underground electronic music events.

Fort Verudela: An impressive 1880s artillery battery that now houses the Aquarium Pula, Croatia's largest public aquarium.

Punta Christo: Located in the nearby suburb of Štinjan, this massive late-19th-century fortress features over 270 rooms and miles of underground premises.

  

Arch of the Sergii

The Arch of the Sergii (Croatian: Slavoluk Sergijevaca; Italian: Arco dei Sergi) is a beautifully preserved Roman triumphal arch dating from approximately 29-27 BC, making it over 2,000 years old. Standing about 8 metres high, the arch was commissioned by a wealthy patrician woman named Salvia Postuma Sergia, who built it at her own expense as a memorial to three male members of her influential Sergii family—specifically her husband Lucius Sergius Lepidus, a tribune who served in the twenty-ninth legion at the Battle of Actium, as well as his father and uncle.

The arch was originally constructed against the facade of the Porta Aurea (＂Golden Gate＂), one of the main gates of the Roman colony's city walls, which is why only the western (city-facing) side is ornately decorated while the eastern side remained plain and undecorated.

The decoration of the arch is executed in a late Hellenistic style with significant Asia Minor influences, featuring pairs of fluted Corinthian columns, winged victories in the spandrels (the triangular spaces above the arch), and a frieze adorned with cupids, garlands, and bucrania (ox skulls), along with a low-relief scene depicting a war chariot drawn by horses.

In its original form, statues of the two elder Sergii flanked Lepidus on the top of the arch, though these have not survived. The arch has attracted the attention of many artists over the centuries, including the great Renaissance master Michelangelo and the celebrated engraver Piranesi.

Today, the Arch of the Sergii stands in Pula's pedestrian zone, where it continues to be a focal point of the city; notably, the writer James Joyce lived in a house next to the arch from 1904 to 1905 while working as an English teacher in Pula. The original city gate (Porta Aurea) was demolished in 1829 during urbanisation, which revealed the arch's undecorated eastern side and left it standing as a free-standing monument.

  

Zerostrasse (Underground Tunnels)

Zerostrasse (German for ＂Zero Street＂) is a fascinating network of underground tunnels carved directly into the bedrock beneath Pula's central hill and the Kaštel fortress. The tunnels were constructed during the Austro-Hungarian period just before the First World War, primarily to serve as air-raid shelters for the civilian population in case of aerial attacks on the strategically important naval port of Pula.

The system consists of two main levels: a lower complex at street level (Zerostrasse proper) and an upper complex known as the mezzanine, located approximately 11 metres above it, with the fortress Kaštel standing another 11 metres above the mezzanine.

After the First World War, the Italian authorities continued to use and expand the tunnels, and they were later utilised during and after the Second World War as civilian shelters and for medical corps purposes. At their peak, these tunnels could accommodate nearly 50,000 people, almost the entire population of the town, and were stocked with benches, emergency lighting, and basic sanitation facilities.

Today, the Zerostrasse tunnels have been revitalised as a unique tourist attraction that offers visitors a cool, refreshing escape from the summer heat (the tunnels maintain a consistently low temperature year-round) and a fascinating glimpse into Pula's 20th-century military and civilian history. A modern glass elevator connects all three levels, with stations in the Zerostrasse tunnels, the mezzanine, and inside the fortress courtyard of the Historical and Maritime Museum, making the underground network easily accessible from the city centre.

Visitors can walk through the atmospheric, dimly lit corridors, see the original carved stone walls, rest on the concrete benches, and use the tunnels as a practical shortcut to navigate between different parts of the city. The tunnels are included with the entrance ticket to the Pula Citadel (approximately €7), offering excellent value for those wishing to explore both the fortress above and the hidden passages below.

We know good things to see in Croatia. We know the roads, well-known tourist attractions like UNESCO sites, and off-the-beaten-path places.

If you would like to learn more about Croatia and explore it by visiting different attractions, come with us for a private tour. We can travel all across Croatia and we will show you all the important tourist attractions together with the hidden gems of this beautiful country. Feel free to contact us!

We have developed numerous itineraries for private car tours in Croatia as well as in neighboring countries, including tours passing through several countries as one journey. Solo private tours and tours for Seniors are available also.