Getting to Istria

Here’s a rundown on getting to Istria from the UK and 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 where the following airlines all fly:

  • British Airways have twice-weekly flights from London Heathrow from mid June to the end of September
  • Ryanair have flights from London Stansted to Pula 3x/week in peak summer (2x in the early part of the season)
  • Easyjet have services from London Gatwick (5x/week during peak summer), London Southend (2x/week), Bristol (2x/week) and Liverpool to Pula (2x/week)
  • TUI also have flights from London Gatwick, Bristol, Birmingham, Doncaster Sheffield and Manchester to Pula
  • Jet2.com have flights from London Stansted, Birmingham, Leeds Bradford, Manchester and Edinburgh to Pula
  • Aer Lingus operate a route from Dublin to Pula four times a week from mid May

All of the above flights only operate during ‘summer’ i.e. 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 (Trieste is the closest, Venice is also reasonably near) 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 in getting to the region.

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 summer months.

Flights from Belgium to Pula

  • Ryanair from Brussels Charleroi
  • TUIfly from Brussels new for 2020!

Flights from France to Pula

Flights from Finland to Pula

Flights from Germany to Pula

Flights from The Netherlands to Pula

Flights from Norway to Pula

Flights from Russia to Pula

Flights from Serbia to Pula

Flights from Sweden 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 Italy

Bus is really a much better option for getting to Istria rather than train. Due to its proximately 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

Venezia Lines have fast catamaran services from Venice to Porec, Rovinj, Pula and Rabac during summer.

Getting to Istria from elsewhere in Croatia

Croatia Airlines have direct flights from both Zagreb and Zadar. 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.