Getting to Istria

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Getting to Istria

Here’s a rundown on getting to Istria from the UK, Ireland and Europe by air, bus or sea (from Italy), and reaching Istria from the rest of Croatia.

You might also like to utilise flights from the UK to airports in Italy that are close to Istria, such as Trieste and Venice.

Getting to Istria – Flights from the UK and Ireland to Pula

The only airport in Istria is Pula Airport, to which the following airlines all fly:

  • British Airways has flights from London Heathrow
  • Ryanair has flights from London Stansted
  • Easyjet has services from London Gatwick, London Luton, Bristol and Glasgow
  • TUI have flights from London Gatwick, Birmingham and Manchester
  • Jet2 have flights from London Gatwick, London Stansted, Birmingham, Manchester and Edinburgh new for 2027!

All of the above flights only operate during ‘summer’, which is roughly from April/May through to the end of September/October. See our Flights to Croatia page or the Pula section for more details.

Getting to Istria

Getting to Istria – Flying to Italy from the UK

Before the advent of low-cost flights direct to Croatia, many visitors to Istria would often fly to one of the nearby Italian airports and then make their way to their chosen Istrian resort. This is still a suitable option if you’re trying to reach Istria out of season or simply want more options for getting to the region.

Trieste is the closest airport to Istria, and Venice is also reasonably near. See our guides on travelling from Trieste and Venice for full information on how to take advantage of flying to one of these airports.

Getting to Istria – Flights from Europe

The majority of the flights listed below only operate during the summer months.

Flights from Belgium to Pula

Flights from Finland to Pula

Flights from Germany to Pula

Flights from Iceland to Pula

  • Play from Reykjavik

Flights from The Netherlands to Pula

Flights from Norway to Pula

Flights from Poland to Pula

Flights from Serbia to Pula

Flights from Sweden to Pula

Flights from Switzerland to Pula

Getting to Istria via Zagreb

If you can’t find a direct flight from your home city – whether that’s in the UK or elsewhere in Europe – to Pula, try flying via Zagreb with Croatia Airlines.

Getting to Istria by bus or train from Slovenia

Launched last year, there is now a once-a-week train service from Ljubljana in Slovenia, which starts its journey from Zagreb. The service runs on Fridays from Ljubljana to Pula, with a journey time of 4.5 hours. The return journey runs on Sundays. You can see more here: New connections between Croatia and Slovenia.

There are also train services from Divaca in Slovenia (which is near the border with Italy), which run to Pula on Saturdays and daily summer services from Divaca to Buzet.

Getting to Istria by bus or train from Italy

Travelling by bus is really a much better option for getting to Istria rather than by train. Due to its proximity to Italy, there are a number of bus routes from Trieste – see timetables on the Trieste Bus Station website. Buses stop at Buje, Porec and Rovinj (as well as some other places) along the way to Pula – but please check timetables carefully!

There is also a bus from Venice to Pula that is run by FILS. Brioni also run a service to Pula (which stops at Vodnjan, Rovinj and Buje along the way) that starts in Padua (Padova) with stops also in Venice and Trieste.

Getting to Istria by Ferry from Italy

Adriatic Lines has fast catamaran services from Venice to Porec, Rovinj and Pula during the summer.

Trieste Lines runs summer services from Trieste to Porec and Rovinj.

Getting to Istria from elsewhere in Croatia

Croatia Airlines has direct flights from Zagreb and Pula that operate year-round. Trade Air have flights from Osijek.

There are buses from various Croatian towns and cities to Pula and elsewhere in Istria – you can find timetables on the websites of Pula-based bus companies Brioni or FILS.