Croatia (Pula)

Croatia (Pula) – What you should know

Pula sits at the southern tip of Istria and has the mildest climate in the northern half of the Croatian Adriatic. Summer reaches 30°C in July but stays more bearable than the Dalmatian mainland, thanks to a peninsula position with water on three sides. The sea warms to 24°C by August and holds that temperature into September.

Rainfall is distributed differently than further south: 82 mm falls in May and 109 mm in September, while midsummer stays relatively dry at 41 mm in July. November is the wettest month at 144 mm. Anyone wanting to see the Roman arena — the remarkably intact amphitheatre in the middle of town — without heat or crowds should come in May or late September.

A word on the bora: this cold downslope wind from the interior hits Istria less hard than the Kvarner Gulf further east, but it can still bring a few unpleasant days in winter and spring. In summer the maestral defines things instead — a dependable afternoon sea breeze that breaks the heat and makes Istria a popular sailing ground.