How to get there
Assuming you are heading for Croatian Istria, Pula is your most likely point of arrival. Its airport is not a major aviation hub, but it welcomes a wide range of services from the UK during the summer. British Airways (0344 493 0787) flies in from Heathrow; easyJet (0330 493 0787) from Bristol, Gatwick, Glasgow and Luton. Ryanair (01279 358 438) offers a flight from Stansted, while Tui Airways wings in from Birmingham, Gatwick and Manchester. Jet2 (0333 300 0404) is set to launch connections from Birmingham, Manchester and Stansted, but not until 2025.
You can also fly to Rijeka, with Ryanair, from Stansted. Curiously, the city’s airport is on the neighbouring island of Krk (a beauty spot in its own right), but is linked to the mainland by road. Or you could opt to land on Italian soil, at Trieste (again with Ryanair, from Stansted). The Italian port is just 30 miles from Umag, and a mere 75 miles from Pula. Trieste is also the nearest airport for Portorož and Piran, although package breaks to the Slovenian Adriatic tend to aim for the national capital Ljubljana (75 miles north-east).
Croatia, Slovenia and Italy are all in the Schengen Area, so there is nothing to stop you driving freely between the three. However, your hire-car company may insist on a pricier insurance policy for coverage in three countries. Unless you intend to continue towards Split or Dubrovnik, there is no need to incur an added fee for picking up and dropping off your vehicle in different locations (distances are short). But this is not impossible. For example, Sixt (020 7018 8233) will request from £417 for a seven-day rental of a basic Fiat 500, collecting in Portorož on July 21, and returning it in Pula a week later.
What to book
While the seafront will always be the key element of a holiday in Istria, there are plenty of potential trips for those who think life is more than a beach. Biking specialist BSpoke (020 3918 4033), for example, offers a seven-day self-guided odyssey which explores the region on two wheels. The “Cycling the Istrian Peninsula” holiday does not stray too far from the Adriatic, visiting each of Pula, Poreč, Rovinj, Novigrad and Umag – but it also calls on winemakers in Brtonigla and Višnjan. From £1,685 per person – including flights, transfers, accommodation, bikes, and daily luggage transfers.