Rovinj's old town rises straight from the Adriatic, a Venetian tangle of ochre and rose topped by a campanile you can climb. Swim off the rocks below the houses like the locals do, or cycle to the pine-shaded coves of the Golden Cape forest park just south. Istria is Croatia's food region, so dinner — truffles, scampi, malvazija wine — deserves as much attention as the sea.
Featured in Ten lovely beach towns for lazy harbourside evenings · Beach