Pula holds more standing Roman architecture than any city in Croatia, and you can walk all of it in a single morning. This route links the big pieces of the Roman town, the Pula Arena, the Arch of Sergii, the Forum, the Temple of Augustus, the Small Roman Theatre and Zerostrasse, with coffee and lunch woven in. The walking is flat and short: about 22 minutes on foot in total, plus however long you linger at each stop.
Stop 1: Pula Arena
Start at the Pula Arena, five minutes west of the centre. Entry is about €10 to €15 for an adult. Give it an hour, then walk east toward the old town. Walking time to the next stop: 10 minutes.
Stop 2: Arch of Sergii
The Arch of Sergii is the free triumphal arch at the eastern gate, and the James Joyce statue stands on the lane beside it. Five minutes here. Walk straight into the old town to the square. Walking time: 2 minutes.
Stop 3: Forum and Temple of Augustus
The Forum is the Roman square, still the city’s main meeting place, with the Temple of Augustus at its eastern end. The temple entry is about €2 for an adult. This is the place for your coffee: sit on the square or step to the Giardini. Time here: 30 minutes including coffee. The market hall is one minute behind the square for lunch. Walking time to the next stop: 4 minutes.
Stop 4: Small Roman Theatre
Below Kastel fortress sits the Small Roman Theatre, the less-famous sibling of the Arena, cut into the hill with a few rows of stone seats and a view over the harbour. It is free and quiet. The Kastel fortress above it holds the maritime museum and the best panorama in the city if you want the climb. Time here: 15 minutes. Walk down toward the tunnel entrance. Walking time to the last stop: 6 minutes.
Stop 5: Zerostrasse
End underground in Zerostrasse, the First World War tunnel network beneath the hill, cool when the sun is high. Entry is €7 for an adult, €3 for children, students and over 65s, with last entry 75 minutes before close. Allow 30 minutes.
The numbers
Arena to Arch: 10 minutes. Arch to Forum: 2. Forum to Small Theatre: 4. Small Theatre to Zerostrasse: 6. That is 22 minutes of walking, plus about two and a half hours of stops, for a half-day Roman tour. For a tighter version, the one day in Pula plan folds this into a full day with a beach.
Where to eat and what else
The market hall behind the Forum does the best cheap lunch in the city, and the konobas nearby cover the seafood. Our where to eat in Pula guide names the kitchens, and the things to do page lists the rest of the Roman and modern sights if you want to keep going after the tunnels.
