Description

Brijuni National Park is a group of 14 islands and islets just off the west coast of Istria, a short crossing from Fažana near Pula. Only 12 metres of sea separate them from the mainland, and ten thousand years ago they were still part of it. Today the park protects both the islands and the sea around them.

A visit starts on Veliki Brijun, the largest island. From the harbour, a tourist train and an expert guide take you along the coast, past the golf course and the early 20th century buildings of the Austrian Kupelwieser family, who turned the islands into an elegant resort.

In the north of the island lies the Safari Park, about 9 hectares where some 80 herbivores, mainly from Africa and Asia, live alongside native species. The islands are also green with more than 400 plant species, from maquis to stone pines, cedars and sequoias.

History is everywhere. The remains of a Roman villa in Verige Bay show that Brijuni was a country retreat already in Roman times, while the Austro-Hungarian Tegetthoff Fortress and Fort Brioni Minor on Mali Brijun recall a later age. An exhibition tells the story of Josip Broz Tito, who spent his summers here and hosted world leaders on the islands.

Much older visitors left their mark too. More than 200 dinosaur footprints have been found in the park, and on Veliki Brijun you can see them at the Ploče and Vrbanj capes.

Brijuni can also be seen from the sea. Boat trips from Pula cruise around the archipelago, with swimming stops in the bays along the way.