O ften called a “small Tuscany,” the Istrian peninsula is home to many natural and man-made sights. The bilingual region of Istria offers port towns with colorful houses on the seafront as well as medieval hilltop towns in the interior. The red soil produces prime foods and wines, with premium gifts of nature such as truffles.
Although it is hard to select only a few locations and stories in Istria, we focus firstly on Motovun town, perched above a calm valley, with history dating to Roman times. Its fortifications are great for looking towards the three corners of Istria.
Crossing some wine-growing hills, we arrive to the popular port town of Rovinj. Its residents built their homes right down to the sea and splashed them with bright colors, making the entire place shine. At the very top of the former island where the original settlement began stands St. Euphemia’s church, a great venue for capturing sunsets across the Adriatic, looking towards the Italian mainland.
Not to be missed is Pula, the largest city on the peninsula. The former Austro-Hungarian main naval port is chock-full of fortifications, but most known for the 6th largest still-standing Roman amphitheatre. The nearby cranes used in shipbuilding light up in different colors each night.
Required experience and equipment
All levels of photography experience are welcome, the tour leader will adapt to your knowledge and needs. Bring comfortable shoes for walking. Stone surfaces may be slippery if wet. Your camera bag, tripod and any other equipment should not be too heavy or large. Avoid rolling photo bags, use smaller backpacks. Polarizing and ND filters, as well as macro lenses are welcome, but not necessary. Tour can be customized to offer sunrise photography at a location in Istria.

Igor Nobilo
What better way is there to see Croatia than with a photographer whose job is to travel and explore. Igor Nobilo made photography his profession over 20 years ago. Since then he has traveled extensively across Croatia and beyond on assignments and for fun. He has a passion for reportage and exploring the world around us, while his photojournalism background provides great flexibility for many situations. He hold the title of Master Photographer, able to provide a wide range of educational and practical lessons.

Julien Duval
Julien Duval is a French photographer specializing in travel and concert photography. After obtaining a geography degree in France, he came to Croatia for an internship and fell in love with the country. He has explored Croatia for 7 years and captured with his camera its amazing scenery. His clients mainly include tourist boards, tourists agencies and musicians. His work is regularly published in Croatian, French and international media.

Krasnodar Peršun
A red carpet veteran of film festivals across Europe, Krasnodar Peršun today teaches at a private media school in Zagreb. His work led him on travels far beyond Croatia, only to show him that the best sights are at home. He’s been using the experience gained through photojournalism to help others advance in photography. He loves the mid-Adriatic island of Pag, where he vacations and creates magical images. A freelance career has given him the ability to pursue his wants and needs in photography and beyond.
Tour departures
Any day of the year, on request.
Tour details
After a 2.5h drive through the Gorski Kotar mountain region, our first stop is Motovun, where we spend about 1.5h in a photo session. Moving on to Rovinj after a 40 minute drive, we proceed to explore the streets and colors for about 2h and stop for lunch. Pula is another 30 mins away, where our photo session lasts about 2h. The drive back to Zagreb takes around 3h.
TOUR DURATION: around 12h, starting around 8 a.m. Start can be modified to photograph sunrise at a location in Istria.
DEPARTING FROM: Any point in Zagreb or nearby cities.
GROUP SIZE: 1-7 guests (single guests can join for price of two).
Tour fee
180€ per person, payable at the start of the journey. 50% discount for children under age 15. Fee includes transportation in an air-conditioned vehicle, photographer guide fee, entrance tickets and unlimited personal photos by the photographer. Does not include meals or drinks.