Although beautiful in all areas, Croatia is a country with an extremely unusual shape, making it difficult to travel from one part to another (for example, from Osijek to Dubrovnik). The long and very indented coast on the Adriatic Sea hides some of the most beautiful seascapes. Due to its specific position and numerous bays and islands, it is impossible to explore it in one fell swoop.
The largest peninsula in Croatia – Istria – is located in the north of the Croatian Adriatic coast and hides many natural and cultural sights in the west part of Croatia, where also lays Croatia’s westernmost point – Savudrija. If in Croatia, it would be a shame if one does not take the opportunity and visit Istria. Cities on the west coast of Istria, such as Rovinj, Poreč, and Pula, have been attracting tourists’ attention for years because of their proximity and excellent connections with Central Europe and its irresistible cultural heritage that makes them interesting destinations worth exploring.
We recently described whether Porec is worth visiting, and in this article, we will try to explain how far Porec is from other parts of Croatia and how to reach this one of the many Istrian gems easily.
However, if you are interested in how to get to Istria from Italy or Slovenia by car, bus, train, plane, or ferry, you can find all the information in the TCN’s special guide.
How far is Porec from the airport?
Pula Airport – If coming by plane to Croatia, Pula Airport is the closest to Poreč. The distance between Pula Airport and Poreč is about 58 kilometers, of which 42 kilometers is the Istrian highway (i.e., the Istrian Y). The bus drive from Pula Airport to Poreč takes an hour, while the car ride takes 45 minutes. However, you can also take the local road through Istria. Still, even though it is a slightly shorter distance (52 kilometers), your journey will take at least 15 minutes longer in ideal conditions. Before you choose a route, consider that local roads in Istria can be very crowded during the summer season.
There are shuttle bus lines from Pula Airport to the main Pula bus station, 30 minutes after the landing of the aircraft, from where you can take a bus to Poreč (as well as to other parts of Istria). The shuttlebus drive to Pula takes 10-15 minutes, and the ticket costs 30 kunas. You can check the Pula Airport shuttlebus schedule for 2021, as well as other shuttle bus services from Pula Airport.
From the main Pula bus station, you can easily take the bus to Poreč with services provided by Arriva, Flixbus, and others. The bus connection between Pula and Poreč is excellent, with many bus lines throughout the year and day, especially during the summer season.
If you decide to take a car ride from Pula Airport to Poreč, several rent-a-car businesses offer services at Pula Airport.
Pula Airport / Romulić and Stojčić
If you choose to take the local road to Poreč, you should follow the local D21 road, as seen on the photo below, and the journey will take about an hour.
However, if you’re taking the highway, you enter the E751 highway (A9 in Croatian) Istrian Y highway, at the Pula junction, and then get off at the Baderna junction. Note: A toll is charged on this route and costs 27 kunas for the first vehicle category. (Check all prices on Istrian Y here.) From Baderna, Poreč is only 17 minutes away by the local road. This route is showed on the photo below.
Check more cheap and quick ways to get from Pula Airport to Poreč here.
Rijeka Airport – The second closest Croatian airport to Poreč is Rijeka Airport, situated on the island of Krk, which is connected with the Croatian land by bridge. It is located about 30 kilometers from the center of Rijeka. Just like at the Pula Airport, the Rijeka Airport also offers shuttle bus services to the Rijeka city center, shortly after arrival of airplanes. However, during winter months, there’s no regular shuttle service, but only service on demand from/to Rijeka and Omišalj on Krk. From Rijeka, you can take a bus to Poreč, and you can find more details about that route later in the article.
If you are traveling from Rijeka Airport to Poreč by car, you can rent a car at the Rijeka Airport, from where you’ll get to Poreč in an hour and 45 minutes. The car route from Rijeka Airport to Poreč is about 115 kilometers, of which 75 kilometers is the highway (Istrian Y), and this is shown on the photo below. Find more info about Poreč to Rijeka by car later in the article.
Check more cheap and quick ways to get from Rijeka Airport to Poreč here.
Other nearer airports to Poreč are Zagreb Airport, Ljubljana Airport, Trieste Airport, Treviso Airport and Venice Airport.
How far is Porec from Rijeka?
Poreč is 102 kilometers from Rijeka, and it takes an hour and 25 minutes of driving along the Istrian Y highway and local road by car. Of course, the traffic conditions should be taken into account, because during the season, the traffic can be increased which prolongs the time of traveling.
To go from Rijeka to Poreč by car, you can take the Istrian Y highway from Matulji near Rijeka and exit it in Rogovići near Pazin, from where you must continue to Poreč along the local road. Note: A toll is charged on the route from Rijeka to Pazin and costs 37 kunas for the first vehicle category. However, if you do not fancy paying a highway toll, and you’d like to stop at the Učka National Park along the way, you can take a local road D48 or D44 local road bypassing the Istrian towns of Buzet and Motovun. If you want to go along the eastern Istrian coast, you can take the local road number D66 to get from Rijeka to Poreč.
Rijeka / Donatella Pauković
Suppose you decide to take a bus from Rijeka to Poreč. In that case, there are several daily bus lines provided by Arriva, Flixbus, and other Croatian bus operators throughout the year and day. During the summer tourist season, the bus lines from Rijeka to Poreč are more frequent. It takes about an hour and a half from Rijeka to Poreč by bus, depending on the traffic conditions.
How far is Porec from Rovinj?
Poreč is 42 kilometers away from Rovinj, and you can quickly get there by bus in 45 minutes, and even faster by car. During the high summer season, there can be more traffic, so traveling time can vary. Since these two Istrian towns are so close, there are also boat lines connecting them.
Ferry from Rovinj to Poreč served by TriesteLines runs twice per week in the high summer season but does not operate outside the season. The journey takes 30 minutes and is only a foot-passenger ferry. Neither pets nor bikes are permitted onboard. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, there are likely to be many alternations and cancellations of the ferry schedules, so you will have to double-check all information. The TriesteLines operates daytime connections exclusively during summer, from Trieste to and between the port of Piran in Slovenia and the ports of Poreč, Rovinj, and Pula in Croatia.
Rovinj / Romulić and Stojčić
If visiting only one town, you can easily book a one-day trip to another city. Poreč and Rovinj are separated by the Lim Bay (Lim Fjord), created as a rias of the river Pazinčica which in the past flowed into the Adriatic Sea, which today sinks in the Pazin Cave near Pazin. Hence, the road is enjoyable whether you ride a boat or car.
Several bus lines are running between Rovinj and Poreč every day, and during the summer season, there are even more of them. Bus lines from Rovinj to Poreč and in the opposite direction can be found here. You can also take the taxi from Rovinj to Poreč or find other transfer options.
How far is Porec from Dubrovnik?
Considering the fact that Dubrovnik, due to its separation and distance in the southernmost part of Croatia, is one of the hardest cities to reach in Croatia, it is quite far away from other parts of Croatia outside Dalmatia, including from Poreč. Since Poreč is 691 kilometers away from Dubrovnik, there are no direct bus lines between the two cities, but the alternative travel option would be through Rijeka. There are several bus lines operating from Dubrovnik to Rijeka, and Rijeka and Poreč are very well connected with bus lines, as explained earlier in the article.
A few bus lines from Dubrovnik to Rijeka operate throughout the year, while during the summer season, there are even more of them. The journey takes about 12 hours.
If you decide to take a car ride from Dubrovnik to Poreč, it will take about 7 hours and 50 minutes of traveling. For more details about crossing the Croatian-Bosnian border near the Bosnian town of Neum, check our dedicated article. From Dubrovnik, you can drive along the Croatian coast, i.e., the Jadranska Magistrala (D8 state road), and connect to the E71/E65 highway (A1 in Croatian) all the way to the junction Žuta Lokva in Lika (and pay a toll). From there, you can again take a local road and Jadranska Magistrala to Rijeka, where you can connect to the Istrian Y highway (as explained earlier in the article).
There are no ferry lines between Dubrovnik and Poreč either, nor between Dubrovnik and Rijeka.
How far is Porec from Split?
The distance between Split and Poreč is 451 kilometers, and just like with Dubrovnik, there are no bus lines connecting these two Croatian cities. Also, Poreč can be reached from Split by bus lines through Rijeka, as well as by car and highway.
How far is Porec from Zagreb?
Poreč is 250 kilometers away from Zagreb, and you can quickly get there by numerous bus lines throughout the year, as well as by a personal vehicle. If coming from the continental Croatia, Istria and Kvarner are the closest seaside destinations and easiest to reach.
How far is Porec from Osijek?
As with Zagreb, Poreč is also well connected with Osijek by bus lines operating throughout the year. Poreč is 530 kilometers away from Osijek, and it takes five and a half hours to get there by car. Some bus lines going from continental Croatia to Poreč stop in other smaller Croatian towns, such as Novska, for example, providing connected lines to Poreč. Check all bus lines to Poreč with Flixbus, Arriva, and other Croatian bus lines.
If you’d like to know the exact distances between cities in Croatia, you can check them all at one place (in Croatian).
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