Premantura

Let’s drop the preamble and tell the truth: Premantura is the ideal destination for those who love holidays by the sea.

This small village 47 metres above sea level, where today more than 50 per cent of the houses are holiday accommodation, owes its tourist fortune to the Kamenjak Nature Park, a peninsula that has been declared a protected area and is a true paradise for nature lovers.

With 30 km of coastline, the tip of Kamenkjak is a succession of enchanting beaches, each one more beautiful than the last, and all waiting to be discovered. Have fun exploring as many as you can and decide which one you think is number one, but know that it will be a tough choice.

Things to do in Premantura

The village of Premantura is pretty but lacking in historical or cultural attractions. The only famous attraction in the vicinity is the beautiful Kamenjak Nature Park, a protected area established in 1996.

Kamenjak Park

The park occupies the entire peninsula south of Premantura, a beautiful area rich in vegetation and animal species and washed by a beautiful sea. The peninsula’s coastline is a succession of beaches, coves, bays and coastal paths.

You can drive through the park by car, but you have to pay an entrance fee for the vehicle and be prepared to drive on dirt roads with a 20 kmh limit. On the other hand, entry to the park is free for pedestrians.

There are a few refreshment points inside the park, including the popular Safari Bar, half hidden among a reed bed at the southern end.

If you are interested in the local flora and fauna or if you love dinosaurs, you can follow one of the two themed trails: the Nature Trail and the Dinosaur Trail (it is possible to see some fossils and some dinosaur footprints, but keep your expectations low or you will be disappointed by the size of the footprints).

Day Trips

You could spend an entire holiday exploring the enchanting beaches of Kamnejak Park, but if you want a break from sun and sea, Premantura is an excellent base for visiting some of Istria’s most charming towns.

Just 10 kilometres away is Pula, famous for a Roman arena located just a stone’s throw from the sea. This is definitely an attraction not to be missed, both for its historical value and for the dramatic effect of the water glimpsed through the arches of the ruins.

Other famous Istrian towns, Rovinj and Poreč, are a little further away but reachable in about an hour. If, on the other hand, you want to stroll through fields and vineyards, pop into Sissano, a small inland village.

Beaches of Premantura

There is no doubt about it: the most beautiful beaches in and around Premantura are those located within the Kamenjak Park. There are more than 30 of them, and they are very varied: there are rocky, pebble, sandy, slab beaches… some can be easily reached by car, while others can only be reached on foot and with a lot of effort!

They are all wonderful beaches so you could choose at random, but if you want to make the most of the time you have available, go for the beaches we recommend.

Here are the beaches not to be missed in Kamenjak Park:

• Drazice: a beach of rocks gently sloping down to the sea. They are suitable for those who enjoy sunbathing, while those travelling with small children should be very careful as they are rather slippery.
• Mali Portic: one of the very few sandy beaches in the park, set in a small cove covered in thick vegetation.
• Debeljak: a long pebble beach with a gently sloping sandy bottom.
• Pinizule: a pebble beach set between two rock walls and surrounded by a small wood. The seabed is rather steep, so it is not recommended for inexperienced swimmers.
• Radovica: a mixed beach of pebbles and rather high rocks from which the more daring can dive.

Unfortunately, many beaches are small and often crowded, so we recommend arriving early in the morning to grab a spot.

Where to stay in Premantura

More than half of the houses in Premantura are rented out to tourists, so there is a wide choice of flats and rooms in private homes, with prices generally in the lower to mid-range.

If you want something more luxurious, you will find a 4-star resort two minutes from the beach, while if you are travelling low-cost, you can opt for a hostel, located about 600 metres from the old town.

However, it is not possible to sleep inside the Kamenjak Park: the natural area is uninhabited and there are no hotels or campsites; free camping is prohibited.

Recommended hotels in Premantura

We offer a selection of hotels at Premantura to suit all categories of travellers. The most booked by tourists are the sea-facing hotels, often right on the beach. If you want to play it safe, choose one of the following: they are among the most booked hotels in Premantura, sorted by number of reviews.

Apartments and vacation homes in Premantura

If you prefer space, privacy and the ability to prepare your own meals to a hotel holiday, book a holiday home at Premantura. We recommend a few below, but in this case we advise you to book early because houses and apartments for rent at Premantura are in high demand.

How to get to Premantura and the Kamenjak Park

Premantura is located on the southern part of the Istrian peninsula. You will first have to cross the Slovenian and then the Croatian border; once in Croatia, take the motorway to Pula and continue to the Medulin – Pomer – Premantura exit.

The city of Pula is connected to Premantura by local buses. The bus journey time from Pula to Premantura is approximately 30 minutes; the frequency of journeys is generally every 15 minutes. It is not possible to arrive by train.

Those arriving in Premantura by car will have no difficulty finding theentrance to Kamenjak Park, which is well signposted. If you do not have your own transport, you will have to reach the park on foot.