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7 Most Instagrammable Spots in Rovinj, Croatia
A former island on Croatia's Istrian coast, Rovinj packs pastel houses, a Venetian-style bell tower and a 19th-century pine forest park into a compact old town that still runs largely on foot.
Sep 23, 2026 · BigTravel.in
Rovinj was an island until the mid-18th century, when the narrow channel separating it from the Istrian mainland was filled in, and its old town still keeps the tight, circular street plan of a place that once had to fit inside a fortified island wall. Venetian rule for over four centuries left its mark on the architecture, most visibly in the bell tower crowning the hill at its centre, while the surrounding streets and waterfront keep a working fishing-port feel rather than a purely ornamental one. Here are seven spots, each with a direct map link.
1. Church of St Euphemia and its bell tower
Istria's largest baroque church, built between 1725 and 1736, sits atop Rovinj's hill, but it is the 61-metre bell tower beside it, older than the church and modelled on the campanile of St Mark's in Venice, that dominates every view of the town from the water.
2. Grisia Street
A steep, cobbled street lined with small galleries and artists' studios, climbing directly from the old town's main square up to the church, at its most photogenic in the early morning light before the crowds arrive.
3. The harbour waterfront
Fishing boats still work out of Rovinj's harbour, and the pastel-fronted houses lining the water, some with laundry strung between windows, make for the town's most photographed skyline.
4. Punta Corrente (Zlatni Rt)
A 90-hectare park of pines, cedars and cypresses planted in the 19th century by the Austro-Hungarian industrialist Baron Hütterott, a 20-minute walk south of the old town and a shaded contrast to its stone streets.
5. Old town rooftops from the sea wall
Walking the old town's outer perimeter, along what was once its fortified sea wall, gives a level view straight across the water to the tiered rooftops and the bell tower behind them.
6. Valdibora market square
The town's morning market square, set against the backdrop of the old town's rooftops and the bell tower rising behind them, busiest and most colourful before midday.
7. Batana Eco Museum waterfront
Dedicated to the batana, Rovinj's traditional flat-bottomed fishing boat, this small waterfront museum sits right on the harbour, with the boats themselves often moored just outside.
Traveller tips
- Rovinj's old town is largely pedestrian; comfortable shoes matter more than a car.
- Climbing the bell tower is possible on a paid ticket and gives a direct view down over the rooftops.
- Grisia Street hosts an open-air art fair every second Sunday in August, when it gets considerably busier.
- Pula Airport, about 40 minutes away, is the nearest airport with regular European connections.
Where this is
Rovinj, Croatia