Large resort & Roman town

A historic peninsula-hugging town of pre-Roman origins, Poreč became Istria’s leading package-tourism resort in the 1960s and 1970s. Large modern hotels were mostly constructed outside the centre, however, and while undoubtedly attracting the crowds, they have done little to tarnish the charm of what remains an attractive coastal getaway.

Euphrasian Basilica

Poreč’s star turn is the UNESCO-listed sixth-century Euphrasian Basilica, a romanesque structure celebrated for the outstanding mosaics that fill the apse. Executed in glittering style, the mosaics depict Virgin and Child, archangels, local patron Saint Maurus, and the powerful local bishop who commissioned the work, Euphrasius. Occupying the same walled complex as the basilica is a Bishop’s Palace, now a museum filled with floor mosaics and church art.

Regional Museum