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A large peninsula jutting into the northern Adriatic, Istria ( Istra ) is Croatian tourism at its most developed. Many of the towns here were tourist resorts back in the last century, and in recent years their proximity to northern Europe has ensured an annual influx of sun-seekers from Germany, Austria and the Netherlands. Yet the growth of modern hotel complexes, sprawling campsites and (mainly concrete) beaches has done little to detract from the essential charm of the region. This stretch of the coast was under Venetian rule for 400 years and there's still a fair-sized Italian community, with Italian very much the second language. Regular trains and buses from Zagreb (and the Slovene capital Ljubljana, another good gateway to the region) arrive at Istria's largest centre, the port city of Pula . With its Roman amphitheatre and other relics of Roman occupation, it's a rewarding place to spend a couple of days - rooms are relatively easy to come by and most of Istria's interesting spots are only a bus ride away. On the western side of the Istrian peninsula, resort towns like Porec and Rovinj , with their cobbled piazzas and shuttered houses, are almost overwhelmingly pretty.
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