Pula, Croatia—Disney World-conscious parents may not normally consider Eastern Europe to be a family destination, but where else can you visit one of the oldest coliseums in the world; see an enchanting butterfly garden; take a wild ride on go-karts and try your hand at paintball? And do all these activities in one day?

You can do it all in the area surrounding Pula, Croatia, a small city located in picturesque Istria. What better family vacation than one where tours of culture and historical buildings can be combined with activities for kids?

Pula, with a population of almost 100,000, is accessible by a small international airport from Zagreb, Croatia’s capital. Traveling there costs somewhat less than it does in countries that have adopted the euro. Good bus service to Pula is also available but many visitors prefer to rent autos, which are not expensive.

Pula’s history goes back to the ancient Romans. You can take your entire family to see the Roman Amphitheater where lions dined on the early Christians. Referred to as “the Arena” by the locals, it was built during the reign of Emperor Augustus (31 B. C.– A.D.14). It’s the sixth largest remaining amphitheater in the world and can seat 22,000 visitors. A climb to the top will give you an idea of its vastness. You can also explore the subterranean caverns where the wild animals and their Christian victims were held. Today, the amphitheater is still used as an outdoor concert hall with a full program of music and theater in the summer.

One of the most famous places in Pula is the Arch of the Sergi or “Golden Gate.” A distraught mother who lost three male members of her family spent her own money to build the gate in the first century B.C. Its name comes from its richly ornamented arch and other gilded features.

Just a short walk away, the Hercules Gate museum displays archaeological finds from all over Istria. (The museum also once served as an Austrian secondary school.) The exhibits emphasize artifacts from Roman times. There’s also an outdoor sculpture garden informally decorated with other scattered archeological remnants of history.

Warn the kids they’re not yet done with culture and take in Pula’s Temple of Augustus, dedicated to the emperor in the A.D. second century. When Christianity reached these parts, the temple became a church and then later a granary. Today, it houses a collection of Roman sculpture.

A couple of miles from Pula lies the sleepy Istrian village of Vodnjan. There you’ll find a somewhat ordinary 18th century church called St. Blaise. But don’t be fooled, because the real draw is inside where the desiccated mummified remains of six saints are on display. (With their skin and nails darkened and dried, the corpses look oddly wooden.) In addition to its mummies, the church has almost 400 relics enclosed in glass, including the undecayed tongue (yes, you’re reading that right) of St. May of Egypt.

In the nearby small town of Umag, visitors of all ages can see the oldest lighthouse in the Adriatic Sea, plus other archeological sights, which are mapped and described in a guidebook (this tour takes about two hours to complete). You can also explore the delightful Squirrel Park situated near the Hotel Sol Coral Hotel Umag. This park was designed to provide a comfortable home for many varieties of squirrels, which are looked after by the local tourism boards.

Only 15 miles away, the Brjuni Islands are perhaps the country’s most famous and certainly most romantic beaches. This was former Yugoslavian president Tito’s summer home where the rich and famous used to vacation. The guests included Queen Elizabeth II, Ho Chi Minh, Sophia Loren and Fidel Castro. Today, there is a zoo (established by Tito, an animal lover) where visitors can see deer, zebras, ostriches, giraffes and other animal species. The park is home to more than 600 indigenous plant species. In addition, there’s a 1,700-acre national park where visitors see wild deer and peacocks.
 
The Butterfly Garden www.eia.hr located in the nearby town of Ela, is another oasis of quiet with hundreds of oak trees. More than 50 butterfly species, including the very rare swallowtail, make their home here in a huge flower bed with overflowing plants and flowers that were specifically designed to attract butterflies.

The area also has an aquarium  www.acquarium.hr where visitors can actually touch dogfish, starfish, urchins and crabs in an open tank. A newer and more adventure-oriented attraction is Adrenalin Park (www.umag-adrenalin-park.com) where winding paths lead high up into a thick forest setting. Three walking paths are available for hikers of differing skill levels and experience. Appropriate footwear is required but other equipment for crossing the various platforms are included in the ticket price. Visitors also don a safety harness and helmet. Safety officers are on hand to help.

For more down-to-earth activities, the Pula area has no less than three go-kart tracks. The best known of these may be Kart-Kart Cross www.kartcross.hr. Supervised and unsupervised rides are available on the dirt track. There’s even a kart for small children (under the supervision of safety observers). The biggest go-kart operation is at Green Garden www.karting.hr in Pula, an attraction that also offers paintball.

Where to stay
The recently opened 109-room motel Mulini (e-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ) is the area’s first five-star property. Exercise outlets at the beachfront hotel include a fitness center, four indoor clay tennis courts, a basketball court, a bowling alley and a sports equipment rental service.

Rooms can be had for less than $100 at the Sol Coral Hotel http://www.solcoral.hr in the middle of a pine forest in Umag. There’s a bicycle path for riders of all ages that runs along the coast. Amenities include three swimming pools. Since the Umag APT (professional tennis) tournament is held here, the town hosts a wide variety of sports activities.

Where to dine

Pula and the Istrian region of the country were part of Italy until after World War II. So it’s no surprise that signs are in both Croatian and Italian. It’s also no surprise that the Italian restaurants are among the best in the area. A specialty at Gina (http://www.gina.hr) is the ravioli with crabs. One of the finest restaurants in Croatia is Valsabbion (www.valsabbion.hr), which is located in a small boutique hotel in Pula.

By David Wilkening