Things to Do and See in Istria With Children

In addition to summer splashing in the sea and playing on the beach, Istria offers countless other adventures that you can embark on with the whole family and ensure some unforgettable moments. Discover with us where you can best entertain your little ones!

Secret games of a medieval castle

In the castle of the theme park Sanc. Michael, three kilometres from Svetvinčenat, kids can run along the walls and tour the main towers, and for a bit braver ones, some rooms will reveal the dark secrets of medieval everyday life – torture devices and a dungeon for a witch. The Escape Room has also found its place in this beautiful castle, but the real lures for the little ones are a wooden carousel, a catapult, a water balloons slingshot, wooden tree houses and tents.

Riding on the backs of prehistoric creatures

If you still have to decorate your child’s room with dinosaur characters and buy clothes with motifs of these prehistoric creatures, take your child for an unforgettable play day in the Dino Park Funtana. In this theme park, a few minutes’ drive from Poreč, there are more than 80 different species of life-size dinosaurs, and the models are movable and they make noises. To add a bit of extra fun, the little ones can also ride these wonderful creatures.

Underwater adventure with sharks

The aquarium in Pula, located in the 130-year-old fortress Verudela, is home to hundreds of species of fish from our sea, rivers and lakes, as well as several species from tropical sea and fresh waters. At the very entrance, you will be greeted by scary but completely harmless sculptures of animals such as shark jaws, turtles or jellyfish, ideal for taking fun and hilarious photos. These animals are also the most popular inhabitants of the aquarium.

An extreme test of endurance and strength

The adventure park Sky Fox Poreč is an ideal place for family fun if you dare to swing on a seven-meter tall swing or to do a quick jump, while the younger ones can try the Mushrooms-walk, gripping of the rope, sledding and other activities to test their endurance and coordination. Glavani Park, located in Barban, offers a safe climb to the highest artificial rocks for outdoor climbing and a horizontal human catapult that will leave you breathless.

Picnic ride through the natural archipelago

Visits to national parks are usually planned for summer, but national parks are also worth visiting during other parts of the year because they are equally attractive during all four seasons. The Brijuni Islands are especially significant because of the abundance of dinosaur remains that lived there about 160 million years ago, so this is definitely a good invitation if you need to persuade your little ones to go on this trip. If you have not yet visited Brijuni and their 14 islands and islets, you will be greeted there by numerous indigenous species such as rabbits or various species of birds and exotic animals, fallow deer, llama, zebra or elephant.

Sightseeing the starry sky

Located 16 kilometres from Poreč, in a place called Tičan, the Višnjan Observatory is an ideal opportunity to show your youngest ones the size of the universe, to explain to them the stars they only read about in books and to spend the evening observing the sky with a telescope. The observatory is currently mostly active in popularization and education projects within the Science and Education Centre in Tičan.

Eco-friendly socializing with birds

The first bird park in these areas Papago Park Poreč with 30 species of birds, or about 200 individual birds, is located in the forest near Poreč. Feel free to ask for a guided tour with professional educators who will take you through the park. The whole environment is decorated in an eco-friendly style and is made of natural materials, so pay attention to the wooden houses with solar collectors and the handmade wooden fence that surrounds the park.

Virtual testing of knightly skills

The Morosini-Grimani stone castle in Svetvinčenat has been a symbol of the village and a former destination for soldiers and merchants for centuries. This year, the entire palace was renovated, and children can now try a version of the escape room based on Istrian legends. Equally popular is the Dinneridi trail, a 35-kilometer-long educational trail that brings a series of logic riddles and can be crossed on foot, by bike, by quad and on horseback. The house of the witch Mare will provide the little ones with an unforgettable experience of 3D mapping, virtual archery and test their knightly skills.