Pula
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📷 Orlovic· CC BY-SA 3.0Pietas Iulia | Pious Julia (Roman name)
About
Pula, also known as Pola, its Italian name, is the largest city in Istria County, western Croatia, and the seventh-largest city in the country, situated at the southern tip of the Istrian peninsula in western Croatia, with a population of 52,220 in 2021. It is known for its multitude of ancient Roman buildings, the most famous of which is the Pula Arena, one of the best preserved Roman amphitheaters. The city has a long tradition of wine making, fishing, shipbuilding, and tourism. It was the administrative centre of Istria from ancient Roman times until superseded by Pazin in 1991.
Wikipedia →Summary excerpted from the Wikipedia article Pula, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Text may be clipped or paraphrased to fit this page.
Why visit
Pula is essential viewing for Roman history. Walk the limestone seats of the 1st-century Arena; still hosting summer rock concerts, opera, and the annual Pula Film Festival inside its walls. Climb to the perfectly preserved Temple of Augustus on the central forum and pass through the Triumphal Arch of the Sergii. Beyond Roman ruins, Pula offers excellent food (Istrian truffles, asparagus, fuži pasta with game ragu, Malvazija white wine), the wild cape and beaches of Premantura/Kamenjak, and the Brijuni Islands National Park where Tito hosted Cold War leaders.
When to avoid
July and August see brutal cruise-ship and German tour-bus crowds at the Arena; visit at opening (9 AM) or after 6 PM. Many beaches are stony or concrete platforms rather than sand; bring water shoes. The shipyard areas can feel industrial and rough at night. Skip the city if you don't book ahead during the Pula Film Festival (late July). Some restaurants near the Arena charge tourist premiums; walk a few streets inland for better value.
Summer (Jun to Sep)
Summers are warm, dry, and reliably sunny with cooling Mediterranean breezes off the Adriatic. Daytime highs of 27 to 29°C, sea temperatures around 24 to 26°C, and pleasant evenings cooling to 18 to 20°C. July and August can hit 33 to 35°C. The bora wind occasionally sweeps in. Outdoor concerts in the Arena run all summer. June and September offer the same weather with smaller crowds. Pack light cotton, swimsuit, sun hat, sunscreen, and water shoes for stony beaches.
Winter (Nov to Mar)
December through February are the cooler or wetter period in Pula. For Pula, cooler months can suit concerts, museums, and slower walks better than exposed summer routes. The practical issue in Pula is whether weather and daylight shorten the useful day. Pula can still be rewarding in this period if interiors and compact walks carry the day. A cold or wet day in Pula works best with shorter walks, confirmed hours, and a clear way back to lodging.
The next week in Pula
7-day forecast from Open-Meteo. UV badges flag days when sun protection matters (3 and above is moderate; 8 and above is risk territory for unprotected fair skin within 30 minutes).
Today
Rain
18° / 14°
6.3 mm
UV Moderate
Sat
Showers
15° / 13°
4.5 mm
Sun
Partly cloudy
20° / 10°
UV High
Mon
Overcast
21° / 11°
UV High
Tue
Overcast
20° / 14°
0.9 mm
UV High
Wed
Partly cloudy
22° / 12°
UV High
In May 16
JFMAMJJASOND
Air quality
No monitoring station within 25 km.
Weather
27° / 7°
Typical high / low
3 mm rainfall this month
Daylight
14.8h
05:36 – 20:24local
Year-round climate
Monthly highs, lows, and rainfall (long-term averages, NASA POWER).
Airports near Pula
2 commercial airports within 100 km. Closest is Pula Airport (PUY) at 7 km.
Getting around Pula
Public-transit operators within 8 km of the city center. Click through to each operator’s site for routes, fares, and tickets.
Local transit operators
VectareFlixBus-euErfurter Verkehrsbetriebe AGNeckar-DonauBlaBlaCar BusFlixBus-deFlixBus-deOEBB Personenverkehr AG KundenserviceB MetroNS IntHŽPP
Operators and modes aggregated by TransitLand from individual transit-agency GTFS feeds. Route classifications (subway / tram / rail / bus / etc) come from each feed’s GTFS route_type codes.
Sister cities
Sources
This page blends public reference data, climate/elevation services, and personal notes. Travel requirements can change, so visa and entry details should be checked again before booking.
- Wikipedia →
Summary, canonical article, and some image fallbacks.
- Wikidata →
Population, area, image, coordinates, and linked identifiers where available.
- NASA POWER →
Monthly temperature and rainfall climatology.
- Open-Meteo historical weather →
1991-2020 temperature and precipitation cross-check for compact climate fields.
- Open-Elevation →
Coordinate-based elevation backfill.
- tz database →
Coordinate-based IANA timezone lookup.
- City flag source →
Public domain, Conquistador.
- Site credits →
Global source notes, map tiles, flags, licenses, and attribution policy.