Bus from PULA to PLITVICE LAKES

Pula may not be the largest city of Croatia, but it takes the 8^th spot when it comes to size and is the largest city of Istria with population counting 57, 460 citizens and more. What makes Pula distinctive among other Croatian cities is its tradition of winemaking, fishing, shipbuilding, and booming tourism. In addition, it has also been Istria's administrative centre since ancient Roman times. While to an unobserving eye Pula may seem like a usual workday city, wealthy Roman architecture makes Pula stand out not just in Croatia, but worldwide. The star of the show is the remarkably well-preserved Roman amphitheatre, smack in the heart of the city, which dominates the streetscape and doubles as a venue for summer concerts and festivals.

Amphitheatre: Pula’s most famous and imposing sight situated in the heart of the city is this 1st-century oval amphitheatre, which lies above the harbour northeast of the old town. This mesmerizing construction, made completely out of local limestone, is called the Arena by locals and tourists alike. Throughout history it was used for hosting gladiatorial contests. With the capacity to accommodate around 20,000 spectators. Nowadays, Arena represents Istria's popular tourist attraction, but it is also the place of mass entertainment events, such as concerts and competitions.

Lightning Giants: A sight not to be missed while visiting Pula is its star evening attraction, a lighting display at the city's 19th-century Uljanik shipyard, regarded as  one of the world's oldest working docks. Renowned lighting designer Dean Skira has lit up the shipyard's iconic cranes in 16,000 different colour shades, which bring them to life four times every evening on the specified hour and last for 15 minutes.

Temple of the Augustus: While this temple is the only visible remnant from the Roman era on the Forum, it was regarded as Pula’s central meeting place from antiquity through the Middle Ages, and it has still preserved this function today. The temple, whose building process took a lot of time to finish, from 2 BC to AD 14, is open to public throughout the year,  now housing a small museum of Roman sculpture with the occasional temporary show.

Zerostrasse: This underground system of tunnels was built before and during WWI to shelter the city's population and serve as storage for ammunition. Now tourists can walk through several of its sections, which all lead to the middle, where a photo exhibition shows early aviation in Pula. 

Triumphal Arch of Sergii: While it cannot bear the title of the oldest Roman monument, this triumphal arch that was built in honor of the powerful Sergii family’s participation in the pivotal Battle of Actium in France. It dates to about 30 BC and despite its great age. The arch has preserved its shape till today.. When it was built the arch was a city gate leading up from the naval port. Carved into the stone are friezes depicting cupids and garlands, and just beneath this you can still spot a relief of a horse-drawn battle chariot.

Kastel, a Venetian fortress overlooking Pula, dates from the 1600s. The powerful-looking walls which leave every visitor speechless were designed in a star configuration, which was a state-of-the-art design in order to repel artillery after the arrival of gunpowder. Kastel was created with the purpose to serve as Venetians’ main stronghold, defending Pula’s harbour as well as the entire upper Adriatic.

Situated inside the Austro-Hungarian fortress Verudela, Pula’s Aquarium is regarded as the largest in Croatia. The aquarium is a useful option for rainy days or the hottest afternoons in summer, as well as a magnificent place for those traveling with children. Blending neatly with the fort’s stone architecture, tanks with freshwater and marine species native to Croatia and the Adriatic, together with tropical displays, a turtle rescue centre (the only one to be found in Croatia) and an entire room devoted to sea horses, are an unforgettable sight. The centerpiece of the attraction is the shark tank, which is found in the former atrium of the fortress.

Historical attractions aside, Pula is a busy commercial city on the sea that has managed to retain a friendly small-town appeal. It is conveniently located and with a short bus ride, a series of beaches can be reached at the resorts that occupy the Verudela Peninsula to the south. Further south along the indented shoreline, the Premantura Peninsula hides a spectacular nature park, the protected cape of Kamenjak.

Plitvice Lakes National Park is one of the oldest national parks in Southeast Europe and the largest national park in Croatia. The national park is world-famous for its lakes arranged in cascades, and 16 lakes can be seen from the surface.

The national park was founded in 1949 and is situated in the mountainous karst area of central Croatia.

The Plitvice Lakes originate in the south of the park area at the confluence of Bijela Rijeka (English White River) and Crna Rijeka (English Black River). These rivers originate south of the municipality of Plitvički Ljeskovac and unite at one of the bridges in this village.

In 1979, Plitvice Lakes National Park was added to the UNESCO World Heritage register.

The protected area extends over 296.85 square kilometres (73,350 acres). About 90% of this area is part of Lika-Senj County, while the remaining 10% is part of Karlovac County. The lakes are separated into an upper and lower cluster formed by runoff from the mountains, descending from an altitude of 636 to 503 m (2,087 to 1,650 ft) over a distance of some eight km, aligned in a south-north direction. The lakes collectively cover an area of about two square kilometres (0.77 square miles), with the water exiting from the lowest lake forming the Korana River.

The name Plitvice was first mentioned in a written document in 1777 by Dominik Vukasović, the priest of Otočac. This name was designated due to natural phenomena that have created the lakes. Nature formed shallow basins (Croatian pličina or plitvak, plitko means shallow), which have been filled with water. For centuries, water has changed the limestone and thus the landscape of this area.

The overall water body area of the national park is about 2 km2 (0.77 sq mi). The two largest lakes, Prošćansko jezero and Kozjak, cover about 80 percent of the overall water body area. These lakes are also the deepest, with a depth of 37 and 47 metres (121 and 154 ft) respectively. On Lake Kozjak, low-noise and ecologically-friendly electric boats are being used. None of the other lakes in the park exceeds 25 metres (82 feet) in depth. The altitude drop from the first lake to the last is 133 metres (436 feet).

The 16 lakes that can be seen from the surface are grouped into the 12 Upper Lakes (Gornja jezera) and the four Lower Lakes (Donja jezera).

The Plitvice Lakes national park is heavily forested, mainly with beech, spruce, and fir trees, and features a mixture of Alpine and Mediterranean vegetation. It has a notably wide variety of plant communities, due to its range of microclimates, differing soils and varying levels of altitude.

Scientists have so far listed 1,267 different plants out of 109 species that can be found within the area of the national park. 75 plants are endemic, which means that they have first been defined and classified in this area of the world or not far from it.

For reasons of the poor industrial development of this region and early introduced protection measures, a nearly untouched landscape has been preserved. In the partially primeval beech and fir forests various rare species, such as the brown bear have survived. At the Plitvice Lakes, all species continue to exist that have already existed before the coming of man. This is a rare case worldwide.