If you are heading to Croatia for your vacation, Vodnjan in Istria is a holiday destination you must not dismiss.

The south of Istria has several interesting holiday destinations and sometimes it can really hard to choose which place to make your vacation base when staying there. Vodnjan is a small town up north from Pula, just some 10 km away, and it makes a great place to choose for your accommodation and to explore the rest of the region.

The old town with its buildings and monuments from different centuries and art periods make every walk a pleasure and the center of Vodnjan preserved its unique medieval look with small alleys and stone streets meandering among the houses built in traditional style. The beauty is in details, whether we take a look at stone wells with forged iron decorations or at the carved wooden doors of its churches and palaces.

The parish church of st. Blasius in Vodnjan is interesting to visit for several reasons. Its bell tower is the highest one in Istria, being 62 meters tall, and what makes the church particularly attractive are numerous religious relics: there are 370 relics from 250 saints. The most important part of that collection are mummies of saints from Middle ages, i.e. completely preserved bodies or body parts of St. Sebastian, St. Barbara, St. Mary of Egypt, St. Leon Bembo, St. Giovanni Olini and St. Nicolosa Bursa. The remains arrived in Vodnjan in 1818 from Venice and today attract visitors from around the world. The church also has a rich collection of sacral art, the largest one in Croatia, with artefacts dating from 4th century to the most recent ones from the 19th century. It includes stone reliefs, sculptures and paintings, manuscripts, goldsmith creations etc.

The surrounding area is also appealing, with places such as Peroj, a village whose inhabitants are descendants of families from Montenegro that came to Peroj in 16th century. Peroj has a great accommodation offer of private holiday homes and villas with pool. Barbariga is a nearby village,a quiet and charming place that is known as an important archaeological site with well preserved remains of the Roman villae rusticae and other buildings. In Galižana you will surely find excellent cheese, olive oil and wine as the people from the village have specialized in farming and wine making. They also have a special dialect that dates back to medieval times and it is still being spoken today.

Vodnjan, together with its surroundings, has a wide offer of accommodation. As always, people in Istria really know how to make your stay comfortable so you will find the offer of apartments and villas in Vodnjan more than satisfying, whether you want a small apartment for two or a villa with swimming pool. The location of Vodnjan is great for exploring the south part of Istra – Pula with its monuments and nightlife offer is near, as well as Medulin and its area full of beautiful pebble and sand beaches and last but not least, Brijuni National Park is situated just in front of the coastal part that borders Vodnjan and daily boat trips to the Park are available in nearby Fažana.

In short, Vodnjan is a destination that will provide you with everything needed for an unforgettable vacation – there's history, culture, villas, restaurants, beautiful nature and sea to discover and enjoy – in Istria and Croatia.