Local advice and info about 

life in Rovinj.

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Welcome

Rovinj is a charming old town, sitting on the edge of Croatia and facing the Adriatic sea. Along with Dubrovnik and Plitvice Lakes it is Croatia’s favourite holiday destination. This website is not to convince you to come to Rovinj, but to help you to navigate your way around Rovinj’s life to make your visit as smooth and comfortable. as possible. The topics I deal with are very practical and they are a response to my dealings with visitors to Rovinj and the most frequent questions they have about life in Rovinj.

ROVINJ PARKING WATER

PARKING

Everybody wants to stay in Rovinj, if only they could find a parking space. The old town of Rovinj, just like Venice, has a No Parking policy. The closest parking to the old town is Valdibora parking

How to Buy Parking Tickets

If you want to park for more than 7 hours then the cheapest option is to buy a day ticket which costs 15 euros. There are two ways to buy this ticket: with a Bmove app for you phone. With this app you can buy your daily ticket at the point of where you park. Please note that without the Bmove app, you can pay for parking by the hour only. The other way is to buy your daily is ticket from the parking ticket office at Valdibora car park. At the bottom of this page is picture map of Rovinj which has the Valdibora parking marked. You can enter this car park and get 30 minutes free while you offload your luggage or go to the ticket office and buy your ticket and get a map of the parking places. This car park charges by the hour, and at 2 euros per hour, daily parking here becomes very expensive. However, with a daily ticket you park in all open parking lots (Zones 1, 2, 3 and 4). You can move your car around the zones during the day, but please observe the various restrictions. In Zones 2-4 you can park the whole day, but Zone 1 (red) has a time limit of 90 minutes and if you exceed that you can get fined despite having a daily ticket. If you want to park in Zone 4 only, then you can buy a daily ticket for 7 euros. Zone 4 is 2.5 km or more from the old town and it's a cheaper option if you don't intend to use your car much while you are in Rovinj.

Free Parking?

Occasionally, you might get lucky and find free parking. If you think you found a free parking spot, please look around carefully for signs with restrictions or parking meters. Rovinj's parking attendants are very vigilant and I have had to assist several of my guests to get their car wheels unclamped. It's an expensive and stressful way to park.

Also, be aware of parking advice given by various bloggers because a lot of them are poorly informed. They want your clicks by promising inside info for free parking in Rovinj. One blogger even posted pictures of streets where parking is free. What the blogger did not mention is that parking is free in those streets only between November and April. 

In short, Rovinj has similar parking rules and restrictions as any other busy city.

You can look at a parking map on the city's official site: www.rovinj-rovigno.hr/komunalno-sustav/gradski-promet/gdje-parkirati/parking/ 

money in hand

MONEY EXCHANGE

From January 1, 2023 the official currency in Croatia will be the Euro. However, there are still many people vising Croatia that use currencies other than the Euro.
The best place to change your money is at

one of the money exchanges. They are dotted around Rovinj and most give the same rates. The banks give better rates, but many local banks wont exchange currency unless you are a customer, and banks that do, will charge a high fee for the service which will cancel out their higher rate. Furthermore, it is not unusual to have wait an hour in the bank during the summer season.

It is always advisable to enter the country with some local currency. This will prevent the need to use ATM machines, as they take high fees and their exchange rate is poor. If you arrive by car, it is advisable to bring change for parking. Don’t rely on getting change from shops or cafes as most will refuse you. This is because they have to pay a fee to get change and line up for up to half an hour every week to get it.

You can pay by card in many shops and restaurants, but do check before you order your coffee to avoid an awkward situation. And you do pay by card, always choose to pay in local currency, it’s cheaper.

E - LIFE

Love it or hate it, but we have all become very dependent on the internet and our mobile phones. Fortunately, it is easy to buy local SIM cards in Rovinj and get connected to the internet.

If you are staying in Rovinj for more than a few days its worth considering buying a Croatian Sim card, especially if you have a car because then you can easily pay short term parking by phone. You can buy Sim cards from Kiosks, newsagents and supermarkets and internet provider shops, A1, T-Comm and Telemach all of which are located within 30 meters of the bus station. The SIM card can be idle for a year. So if you are an annual visitor to Croatia, you can top up the same SIM card when you arrive. There are also short term pre-paid internet plans available. If you plan to spend more time out of the city on its more remote beaches, this could be a good option for you. Whilst in the town, most cafes and restaurants have free Wi-Fi and many don’t even require a password.

During the summer Rovinj gets very crowded, and so does the internet infrastructure gets overloaded, so don't get impatient if the service slows down for a while, specially in the evenings. After all, you are on holiday, so what’s the hurry.


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SHOPPING & SAILING

I have to confess that I am not much of a shopper and when I go on holidays I tend to do little of it, but nonetheless I can recommend a few other ways to spend your money. Most shops are on the main

sshopping street,  Carrera. It has a mixture of boutique shops and way too many shops selling the same things owned by the same people. Beware of going into shops that you are accosted into entering, shops that have no individual prices on items and/or shops that offer you a large discount right away. A  retailer conducting their business legitimately cannot give you large discounts  They will have properly marked sales or they might give you small discount like 5% if paying cash. In every case, you should get a receipt. Probably half the shops are completeyl trustworthy. The two I can mention is a small flip flop shop at 43 Carrera. (the street numbers are on the pavement) It sells genuine famous brand slides and flip flops  and you will always get an honest deal. Go in say hi to Frane; you could not meet a nicer guy. One of the better clothes shops is Le Mode. Its a small franchise and always has decent quality and class designs. It 's a but further up on the left from the flip flop shop as the  street numbers get higher.

Boat trips are a fun way to part with some money. I mean, Rovinj is surrounded by water and at least one trip is advised. There are stands all along the waterfront selling dolphin tours, panorama trips and fish picnics. Fish picnics are not really picnics but excursions with lunch provided. The best value, and a very friendly skipper is Excursion Adrian. He provides a 6 hour island hopping snorkling tour with fresh local fish cooked on board. He has a stand on Mali Mol (small pier) and because his boat is not too big, everyone gets a nice view, especially on the dolphin tours. If you want an even more personal experience you can always hire a small boat, with or without a skipper, and go where you like. Note, that you need a boat licence to hire a self drive boat. 

Almost everyone wants to visit St Katarina and St Andrija (Red island). There are ferries running between the island from early morning till midnight at half past every hour. They depart from Malo Mol and you buy the tickets on board. No need to book. Just turn up a few minutes before departure.

The old town has many charming shops where you can buy local art and handmade goods. However, in the last few years the council has allowed a lot of junk shops into the old town that sell cheap, overseas made souveniers, pretending to be local made. You will pick these shops after a while, they all have the same magnets  and mass produced paintings. One street that has some nice local shops is Zdenac. There a a cute shop near Tunaholic, that sells all hand made goods , like bags, clothes and soft toys all made from recycled fabric. Its a fun place to rummage and find something original. The owner keeps her prices really low, so bargaining is not advised,

BEACHES

There is no shortage of swimming beaches in Rovinj. There are city beaches that are accessible from the old town, only five minute walk from the city square. Follow the water on your right from the city

square and walk straight up Sveti Kriz (Santa Croce) and you will see several swimming access points on your left. If you walk to the top, up on the right you will see St Euphemia and on your left the beautiful expanse of the Adriatic Sea. You'd think that you'd gone to heaven.

If you want to go to the beaches in the forest park, then follow the water to your left from the city square and just keep on walking. It will take about fifteen minutes to get to the first swimming beaches. These are manicured beaches under the big hotels. If you walk another five or ten minutes you will come to the forest park and the further you walk the prettier the beaches. One of the most beautiful is Zlatni Rt (Punta Corrente). You will pass a few cafes here and there, but the forest and the beaches are the main attraction here. 

You can also visit the beaches further north in Amarin but you would need bikes or a car to ge there. They are about 4 km from the centre, which is an hour walk but the first half of the walk is not as interesting, so its better getting there on wheels.

CULTURE & SIGHTS

Even though everyone comes for the beaches, there are other things to do in Rovinj. Some are even free. The tourist office offers free tours of the old town, so pop into the office and reserve your place.

There is teh main museum which always has something to see for free and it's worth going just to look at the building which used to be a Venetain palace. There is the Batana museum opposite the big pier (Veliki Mol). Batanas are traditional wooden boats that Rovinj is famous for. ITts not free but the entry fee is reasonable and well worth seeing. Before Covid 19, the fishermen used to restore an old batana every summer outside the museum. It was great fun to watch. The practice has not been revived yet, but I hope it will be.

There is an art gallery along the waterfront right near the old tobacco factory. It's a bright coloured arty looking building, so its easy to find. It's best to get info on the exhibitions from the tourist office.

On the north side of the town, opposite the fresh food market, is Rovinj's cinema. It's an old fashioned single screen cinema with no ads, no pop corn and old fashioned seats. Movies play there three or four days a week and all are in the original language with Croatian subtitles. It's worth going just for the experience. If you walk further north, almost at the end of the Valdibora car park and port is the Aquarium. It's a beautiful old pink building and faces opposite of where the commercial fishing boats come in. On some mornings you can see the boats come in and them watch the fishermen mend hundreds of meters of fishing nets. A fisheman's life is hard. Respect.

And of course you will want to see  St Euphemia. It's a beautiful baroque church and it reportedly has the remains of St Euphemia in a sepulchre. Entry is free, but if you want to climb the church bell tower and get a magnificent view of Rovinj it's worth it, but it's not for the dizzy and unfit. I also recommend going to see the Franciscan monastery church. It's also a baroque church and although not as grand as St Euphemia it has a better vibe. It is unfortunately underfunded while St Euphemia is over funded. So, if you are inclined to make donations, give to the Franciscan monks. Also, if you are inclined to go to mass, I recommend the monks. Their mass is simple and they never preach politics.

COFFEE & FOOD

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EATING

I like good food, but I am not a foodie. I like my food simple, tasty and when I travel, not too expensive. So I have made a list of the places where you can get a good selection to eat for 10 euros or under.  I have eaten at all of them and they have served decent fare. Unless otherwise stated, they all have seating.

Papa's. Carduccio 1 (near the bus station). Burgers, pasta, daily specials, local tastes. Take away or stand up table eating.

Tunaholic Fish Bar. Zdenac 11. Seafood burgers, salads.

Ciccholeta (at Tri Porte) Zdenac 9. Italian style rolls, tremazzini & breakfast. Cafe.

Albi. Next to outdoor food market. Cevapi, burgers, chicken. Cafe, Good sea views.

Wok About. Asian style food. Trg Kralja Epulona. (off Carrera)

Kebab place. Kebabas, pizza slices. Carrera.

Harlekin. De Amici 2. Pizza, burger, salads. Cafe. (same street as Franciscan monastery)

Skatuleta. Vjenac Brace Lorenzetto 17. Next to Valalta supermarket. Best burgers and sweet potato chips. Cafe.

Mondelaco Food. North side of Rovinj on the way to Amarin. Beginning of Mondelaco street.

Burgers, breakfast, cafe.

La Vela. G. mazzinija (off Carrera) Cevapi, pizza, daily specials. Restaurant.

Dario. Ulica Brate Bozic 3, near roundabout. Restaurant, Pizza, cevapi, salads, pasta.

MacDonalds. You either love them or love to hate them. Ulica Stanga 1. (Behind Kinzum Centre)

COFFEE

It''s hard to get a bad coffee in Croatia, so it's more a matter of price and ambience. I will mention a few that locals like. Note that cafe's in Croatia also serve alcohol. All the three cafes in the city square opposite Konzum. They also serve breakfast and cakes.

Bruno's in Trg Matteoti.

Cinema cafe, just next to MMC building.

Groto at the open air market. You will sit around colorful barrels and even catch a seaview through the stands. Also serves nice fresh rolls.

Nxt to Aquarium is a shabby little cafe that's very local and very blokey. NIce sea view and you can watch the fishermen come in with their daily catch on the port across the road..

 

ROVINJ'S CATS

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PRACTICAL STUFF

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The closest supermarkets to the old town are Konzum, next to the Balbi gate (the archway into the city), and there is another Konzum near the bust station. There is a Studenac grocery store near the fish market. If you want to go to big supermarkets they are about 2.5 km from the old town, so having wheels is helpful. The only public transport to a big supermarket (Kaufland and a shopping centre) is the Tourist Train. It looks like a choo-choo train and its fun to ride in. It leaves from 10.30 am in 45 minute intervals at the roundabout behind the cinema. Tickets are 4 euros for adults.

There are several bike hire shops near the bus station on Trg na Lokvi and in the same street is the TOURIST MEDICAL CENTRE, +385 99 4095 466 next to Muller, which sells cosmetics, suntan lotions, paper goods and sweets.

The taxi stand is opposite. Numbers are:

+385 52 811 100

+385 95 383 3309

Diagonally opposite the bus station is the Post Office, a bit further a pharmacy and a but further still the Emergency Room.

EMERGENCY NUMBERS:

For all – 112

Police – 193

Fire – 194

Ambulance – 195

 

LOCAL LIFE

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COMING & GOING

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ARRIVING

If you are coming by plane you will probably land in Pula.

LEAVING ROVINJ

Unless you came by car, the bus is the most common way to leave. You can book all your tickets on line or at the bust station ticket office. 

There are ferries going to Venice and Trieste several times a week. It's bets to book them on line because the agencies in Rovinj keep appalling short hours even during summer. When you book your ticket, make sure you are clear where the ferry departs from. Rovinj has two ports Veliki Mol  and Valdibora. Veliki MOl is on the south side, just to the right off the city square, and Valdibora is on the north side, where the big car park is.

PLACE HOLDER

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Thought of the Week

"You don't need to go anywhere to find yourself. Just go inward and be still. After that, travelling becomes fun."

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ABOUT ME

I live in Rovinj and there is no other place I'd rather be.

My name is Darinka and I was born in Croatia, lived overseas and travelled the world, but there is no place like Rovinj. I have a small apartment that I rent out to tourists and the needs of my guests have inspired me to create this website. There is a lot stuff on the internet about the beauty of Rovinj but my website is more about practical advice. One of my loves is writing, so it was natural for me to create this content. I hope it will be useful and help you enjoy this charming city even more.