Porec is town situated on the western coast of the Istria peninsula, Croatia; it has population of approximately 12,000 inhabitants.

Porec is two thousand years old town situated around harbor and protected from sea by small island of Saint Nicholas.

The town of Porec was inhabited since a prehistoric time which during the 2nd century BC was the Roman military settlement built on small peninsula and today is centre of the old town.
 In the 1st century was officially declared as the town and included in the Roman colony. In 3rd century the town had an organized Christian community and the early Christian church complex. Euphrasian Basilica was built in the 5th century.
After the Romans the town was administered through the various rulers and powers. It fell under the rule of the Byzantine Empire, and by the end of 6th century Croats arrived and built the first permanent settlement. From 13th century Porec was under the Venetian Republic, which has ruled for more than five centuries. From 1797 town came under the rule of Austria, at 1918 occupied by Italy, and 1945 was attach to Croatia.

Today, tourism is most important activity in Porec; the town has reach tourism history and is known as capital of Croatian tourism.
Already in 1845 Porec was listed in the first published travel guide made by Austrian Society with descriptions and pictures of town. Oldest hotel in town and trademark of Porec tourism history is the Riviera, built in 1910.

Porec has more than thirty hotels, number of campsites, nudist camps, apartment complexes, villas, bungalows and family houses. It has incredible number of accommodations considering the size of the town. Tourist infrastructure is spread along 37 kilometers of the coast and it is the most intensive tourist area of Croatia.

What to see in Porec

Episcopal Complex in the Historic Centre of Porec
Situated in the historic centre of Porec, include The Euphrasian Basilica, a sacristy, a baptistery and the bell tower of the nearby archbishop's palace. It has been inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1997. Climbing on top of the bell tower offers a superb view.

The old town
The old town area is well preserved with streets formation from Roman time. Main streets Dekumanus and Cardo Maximus are still preserved in its original ancient form. Marafor was a Roman square with two temples. One of them, built in the 1st century, is dedicated to the Roman god Neptune and only fragments of these remain preserved.
On the Marafor square is also house from the Romanesque period built in the 13th century, stands at the point where Decumanus street meets the Marafor square. The house has interesting wooden balcony and is the only of a kind left in the town. Next to the house stands the old town well.
In the old town centre is also a few interesting palaces built during Venetian time. Many interesting galleries shops and bars, ice cream shops can be found in the old town.

The Pentagonal Tower
It is situated at the beginning of the main street, at the entrance of the old town centre. The tower was built in the 15th century, in Gothic style.
Today it houses the Art gallery with the exhibitions of the local artists.

The Round Tower
The tower is situated just near the Public Square, built during the 15th century as a part of defensive walls and it is still well preserved. Inside is bar with terrace on the top.

The Native Museum of Porec
The museum is situated in a Baroque palace from the 18th century. On the ground floor there is a collection of stone monuments with Roman scriptures, and an archaeological collection of prehistoric ceramic works. In original Baroque salons on the first and on the second floor, artistic paintings and objects can be found.

The church of St. Eleutherius
The old church, built in 13th century, is situated in Nikola Tesla Street, not far from Euphrasian basilica.