Why Istria is a great place for kids

With beautiful coastal scenery, picturesque towns full of tradition, and unspoilt countryside, Istria is a great place to have a holiday. This popular region of Croatia has plenty of entertainment and sports facilities, and is great for kids, with a host of activities they can enjoy.

Glavani Park

Take the youngsters to Glavani Park and its three treetop obstacle courses. They will be quite safe, fully strapped in and wearing a crash helmet. Pumped with adrenaline, the children will be capering around like monkeys in the trees! The various courses cater for differing age ranges and levels of ability, and there’s something for the very young, all the way up to teenagers.

Aquariums

Being a coastal region, Istria also does aquariums quite well! Umag, Rovinj, Poreg and Pula all have aquariums, showcasing fish from the Adriatic Sea. Aquarium Pula is a popular Istria aquarium, which is located inside an old Austro-Hungarian fortress. You can choose to adopt a turtle, (sorry but you can’t take it home!) and the money goes towards conservation efforts.

Observatories

Višnjan Observatory sits underneath the clearest sky in Istria, and has been responsible for discovering more than 1400 planets. They hold Astro Nights, which take place on Thursday evenings, combining lectures with star gazing.

Beaches

The Istrian coastline is fabulous, full of rocky bays and shady pine trees. Sandy beaches are rare, but there are plenty of pontoons, jetties and sheltered pools and of course the water is clean and often a wonderful emerald green colour. Most of the resorts have swimming pools ideal for younger children. There are some sandy beaches – Lopar village on the island of Rab has several. Omis beach is a good choice for children as it has plenty of child-friendly activities. Queens beach in Nin near Zadar is great for windsurfing. A good way to explore Istria’s coast is to hire bikes and follow coastal paths.

Aqua Park Istralandia

Situated near Novigrad, this aqua park is packed with over 1.2km of slides, swimming pools, games courts and an amphitheatre, plus several restaurants.

Zip Line Omis

Zip Line Omis is Croatia’s fastest zip line, where there are eight to choose from. There is a minimum age of 9 years to be able to take part, but for the adults there is no maximum age limit. Omis also has a great sandy beach, perfect for a family beach excursion.