Rovinj is what happens when a fishing village is too beautiful for its own good but manages to stay charming anyway. The old town climbs a narrow peninsula, its buildings painted in faded terracotta, ochre, and dusty pink, crowding against each other so tightly that some lean over the water. At the summit, the Church of St. Euphemia and its Venetian bell tower provide a landmark visible from kilometers out to sea and a viewpoint that encompasses the entire Istrian archipelago.
The streets below are a maze of cobblestone lanes barely wide enough for two people, lined with galleries, craft shops, and restaurants that spill onto tiny squares. The Grisia Street art festival each August turns the entire old town into an open-air gallery. For swimming, follow the coastal path south through the Golden Cape Forest Park — a fragrant canopy of Aleppo pine planted by an Austrian baron — to rocky bathing spots where the water is crystal clear and the pine shade reaches almost to the waterline. The offshore islands, particularly Red Island, are a short boat ride away for quieter beaches.
When to go: May to June for warm weather and blooming wildflowers. September for the golden light that Rovinj’s artists and photographers prize above all else.