Located on the west coast of Istria, the small town of Fažana in Croatia is a little gem. Here you can wander around the cosy neighbourhoods, eat fish at local fish restaurants or take a boat trip out to the Brijuni archipelago.
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Fažana in Croatia
Fažana in Croatia is located in Istria, about one mile north of the much larger city of Pula. The small town is a nice little fishing village and holiday resort, with cosy neighbourhoods and plenty of fish restaurants.
Fishing village and tourist centre
Fažana dates back to ancient times, when Roman nobles built their villas and produced olives here. Later, the community developed into a typical fishing village, and today it is also a popular tourist resort. From here you can visit the Brijuni archipelago and national park or the city of Pula with its amphitheatre.
Fish plate on a Croatian konoba
Since Fažana is a fishing village, you can of course get good fish and seafood here. We visited Konoba Feral, which is a restaurant in traditional Croatian style. If we hadn't been told about this restaurant, we probably wouldn't have found it, because it's a bit hidden behind the big tourist streets. But it is well worth looking a little extra for a visit here!
We had a delicious fish plate with good grilled fish, squid, crayfish, mussels and two different types of potatoes (one mixed with chard). For dessert there was a super good little semifreddo. The environment is relaxed and the guests feel like a mix of tourists and locals.
Camping Bi-Village in Fažana
We stayed one night at the huge campsite. Bi-Village. There is room for 1100 campers and 400 cottages. The campsite is actually a bit too big for our taste, but it is in a great location for visiting Fažana or the Brijuni islands. A nice promenade of about 1 km runs between the campsite and the centre.
The campsite's WiFi unfortunately worked poorly, but otherwise there was probably everything you could wish for (and more): three restaurants, several beach bars, disco, supermarket, kiosks, several swimming pools, tennis courts, bicycle and jet ski rental, activity programmes for children and an "adrenaline park" (a nice newly built high-altitude course for both children and adults).
If we had a little more time, you would probably have seen a picture of Peter in the high-altitude railway, but we chose to move on to the next adventure instead. Today we have visited a city that many readers have told us about. Guess which one!
See more around Fažana in Croatia
There is a lot to see and experience in Croatia! Here are suggestions for some great places, which are not too far from Fažana :
- Pula - The city with an impressive amphitheatre
- Rovinj - Charming medieval town in Istria
- Labin - Nice little town on the eastern side of Istria
Facts about Fažana
- What country? Croatia
- County? County of Istria
- Language? Croatian (many also speak English)
- Residents? 3700 (2015)
- Currency? Kuna (HRK)
- Price point? Cheaper than Sweden
- Time difference? None
Travelling to Fažana
- Car: Driving from Zagreb to Fažana takes about 3 hours (toll road). Driving from Opatija takes about 1 h 15 min (toll road). Travelling time from Pula is about 15 minutes.
- Bus: You can take a bus from many different cities in Croatia.
Parts of this trip were part of a press trip. The texts, images and opinions are, as usual, our own.
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Sinj in Croatia - among knights and Unesco heritage sites
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Things to do in Croatia - 30 sights and experiences
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Lennart says:
The fish plate looked really good!
19 May 2016 - 8:12
Imelda says:
How marvellous you have it! Many years ago when we visited Fažana there was a storm so we took shelter in a real village pub. It turned out that it was the fishermen's pub. They had also moved indoors. They offered wonderful singing for several hours until the storm passed. A wonderful memory! The "spinach" you ate is called Blitva, it is chard that is browned with a little garlic in olive oil and mixed with boiled potatoes. The most common accompaniment to fish in Croatia.
I guess you went to Rovinj ? a little cheating to guess from my side, following you even on Instagram ?hugs to have the best!
Ps. Have posted a recipe for škampi na buzaru on the blog in case you want to cook it yourself sometime.
19 May 2016 - 8:14
Steve says:
Yummy! I'd like to eat my way through that village.
As so often, the gems are found off the beaten track.
Another exceptional campsite.
19 May 2016 - 8:18
znogge says:
What wonderful surroundings! I feel like Croatia is getting higher and higher on my list!
19 May 2016 - 8:28
Ama de casa says:
What a lovely little town (village?) 🙂 And the food looks absolutely divine.
For being one of those bauta campsites, it looks really cosy. And the location is absolutely perfect - walking distance to "civilisation" is a huge plus in my eyes 🙂.
Have a good trip!
19 May 2016 - 8:35
admin says:
Lennart, when you love fish like we do, it's great when you get one of those plates 🙂 .
Imelda, what a story about the storm! (We've heard about those storms that can move in very quickly and be very harsh.) And thanks for the correction about the "spinach"! I've changed the text so we're not fooling anyone else 😉 And what can I say about the guess about the city... Peter and I need to talk more about what we post on the blog/Insta haha 😉.
Steve, yes, that's true, and as a tourist it's often easy to end up in somewhat boring restaurants, I think... The best thing is really to have a recommendation!
Znogge, there are so many beautiful places in Croatia! We never stop marvelling 😉 .
Ama de casa, we actually like smaller campsites better, but it is very good when campsites have this kind of location so you can walk to restaurants etc. And then the location of this campsite was absolutely perfect!
19 May 2016 - 8:42
Anja says:
That beautiful clear blue colour in the sky isn't bad either! How lucky you are with the weather (too)!
I am also guessing Rovinj 🙂
19 May 2016 - 8:57
Anders och Birgitta says:
We have also visited Bi Village, it was probably the most expensive campsite we have been to. We had to pay more for a cat than we paid for Anders as a pensioner, I think we paid 8 euros per cat and we had two so it was really expensive. Usually you don't pay a fee for cats at other campsites, only for dogs. When I look at the price list now, they probably have a slightly lower price for pets than it was when we were there.
19 May 2016 - 8:59
Geddfish says:
Croatia is high on my return list, and I probably wanted to see more places than I had.
However, I loved Rovinj, where you are now 😉 reading Insta 😀.
What a good fish plate, great! Yummy!
Keep up the good work ♥
19 May 2016 - 9:38
Frank Olsen says:
You are lucky to experience such adventures ! And with that weather! I can't wait until we come down in August-September 🙂 !
Up here in the north it is still almost winter, only 5-6 degrees at night and 8-10 degrees during the day. But now the forecast is better here too, with up to 20 degrees this weekend and next week.
For those who want to see where we are at the moment: http://www.janneogfrank.blogspot.no
19 May 2016 - 10:59
Berit says:
Nice to read about your experiences in Istria! We have never been to those parts of Croatia, but we will probably change that, there seems to be some gems there too!
19 May 2016 - 11:12
admin says:
Anja, isn't it lovely to have blue skies! And reports on yesterday's destination will come tomorrow 😉.
Anders and Birgitta, wow, that sounded crazy expensive for the cats...! I can agree that it seems strange to pay extra for cats. For dogs there are sometimes special services such as dog baths, places to wash the dogs, etc, but not for cats... In any case, we found out that it takes ACSI cards.
Geddfish, there are so many beautiful places in Croatia! I will come back with a report tomorrow 😉.
Frank Olsen, huh it sounds cold, but your trip seems so exciting and wonderful, and you'll get warmer in the future! I subscribe to your posts on Bloglovin, but funnily enough they don't seem to show up in my feed... I'll go and read your latest updates!
Berit, we have not seen so much of Istria before, but we now realise that there are many nice places here. So yes, you have to go here! 🙂
19 May 2016 - 12:11
Frank Olsen says:
I don't know what's wrong with Bloglovin, but it stopped working at the beginning of February.....
19 May 2016 - 12:31
admin says:
Frank Olsen, what a shame! I have noticed this problem with your blog and another blog. I follow many blogs and then Bloglovin is practical. But I will of course remember to check in with you anyway, you are on such an exciting journey now!!!! Wishing you a pleasant journey!
19 May 2016 - 12:38
Rolle o Carina says:
Looks lovely, and fish is soooo good!
Nice worse o get the honour to travel with you 🙂 .
Take care and enjoy......
19 May 2016 - 12:40
Marie says:
It sounds like you're staying at a real family campsite, perhaps not your style. Otherwise, it does not look like there is any distress on you at all. 🙂 Does it feel strange to go and motorhome in a rental car instead of your own nice gem?
19 May 2016 - 12:55
admin says:
Rolle o Carina, we love fish 🙂 And it's so nice that you want to travel with us!
Marie, yes it is a bit like that 😉 But the campsite is very conveniently located to visit Farzana! Well, it does not feel very strange actually, we were so set on a rental car, but it takes a little time to get to know all the little peculiarities with another motorhome ...
19 May 2016 - 13:00
Rantamor på näthinnan says:
How wonderful you have it
We have never been to Croatia but have heard many people who have liked it.
Who knows what will happen in the future.
Enjoy the chirping from Rantamor.
19 May 2016 - 14:45
Beatrice says:
My God, it looks so nice!
19 May 2016 - 15:05
BP says:
What a great place - love it! Oh the fish plate yummie, yummie. Dreglar!
Would guess Pula maybe;-)
19 May 2016 - 17:38
Ditte says:
A campsite where you have walking distance to everything is perfect, but then maybe the size in high season feels less good. But that's another story...
I agree with you that smaller, well-located campsites are preferable. Because if you don't need a lot of activities, then...
Nice to find a good restaurant with specialities and your fish/seafood platter looked really good.
Fazana certainly looks like a town that is not so touristy and that's a good thing.
I have visited Pula but it was a while ago.
Sure, Croatia is on the list of return destinations, but Corsica is definitely at the top.
Stay well!
19 May 2016 - 17:43
Matts Torebring says:
As many as 1100 seats are probably fine at this time and probably June as well. Then I do not think I would like it, I hate standing in line. The campsite looked very nice by the way.
19 May 2016 - 19:24
admin says:
Rantamor, we understand that many people like Croatia! 🙂
Beatrice, it is very nice here! 🙂
BP, a post about the city will come tomorrow morning 😉 .
Ditte, we actually like smaller campsites, but being able to walk to town is a plus!
Matts, I agree, those big campsites are best in the low season 😉.
19 May 2016 - 20:14
steel city anna says:
Looks great! Good food and sunshine go a long way 🙂 Always interesting with traces from the Roman Empire, I think.
21 May 2016 - 2:20
admin says:
Steel city Anna, sun and good food can go a long way! And if you like historical remains, Croatia is a mecca 🙂.
21 May 2016 - 6:58
Husbilen Helge says:
What a wonderful trip you are doing, can't wait to go to Croatia but don't know when there will be time. We visited Bi-Village in 2001 when it was under expansion. Imagine what the trees have grown in these years, then they gave no shade.
23 May 2016 - 22:43
Marias Memoarer says:
Yummy how good the food looked! And cosy fishing village!
23 May 2016 - 23:02
admin says:
The motorhome Helge, interesting that you were there in 2001, think the campsite was quite new then? They must have invested in fast-growing trees 😉 When camping in the summer, you want shade!
Maria, very cosy villages and towns in Croatia 🙂 .
24 May 2016 - 7:10
Hannabiban says:
Just want to add in language: Italian . Almost all Croats in Istria know Italian. They learn it at school. My great-grandmother who is from Valtura, outside Pula did not even know Croatian until she was an adult. She spoke Italian until Istria became Yugoslavia in 1945. Then she had to learn a new language.
11 October 2019 - 14:11