The direct surroundings

Distances:

park/forest	50 metres
sea/beaches	250 m
bakery/small supermarket	350 m
big fitness park	300 m
restaurant, kiosk, bicycle rent	250 m
old town	1,5 km

From the apartment “Ancora” (anchor) after a 250 m walk through a small forest / park you come to very different beaches – pebble, stone, sand – almost all with free showers and toilets. Everywhere you can swim and snorkel wonderfully in the clear water or be on the move with a standing paddle. Usually you can go straight into the deeper water, but at one of our beaches you can walk far in the shallow water, an ideal beach for families with small children or also for water games.

You can hang your hammock between pine trees and spend a comfortable day at the sea.

It is wonderful to stroll along the 25 km long promenade, e.g. early in the morning or in the evening past the harbour, fishing boats, playgrounds, fitness parks, to the historical old town 1.5 km away.

Or you can rent a bicycle right here on our beach and explore the surrounding area on about 40 km of coastal cycling paths, e.g. past beaches, gardens, olive groves, forests to the romantic and the oldest lighthouses of Croatia 6 km away or also the wildly romantic interior, e.g. on the former railway line Trieste – Pula.

50m from the house there is a small forest / park with benches and fitness equipment. There are also 3 tennis courts where you can play for free. 2 tennis rackets are at your disposal. Within a radius of another 100 to 300m you can choose between many sports facilities: Rent of bicycles of any kind, playground, a large new fitness park, a lot of tennis courts, huge water jumping castle etc..

Bakery, small supermarket, some bistros and beach cafes are within 6 to 10 minutes walking distance. You are welcome to take our bike to get fresh bread in the morning.

Surroundings and excursion possibilities

In the apartment, there is a folder with lots of tips and photos.

In the hinterland you will find beautiful fortified towns on hills with incredible views and an impressive past, as well as a variety of agrotourism with indigenous delicacies and friendly hosts. The sea of Umag is crystal clear and suitable for swimming from May to October.

Speaking about agriculture, olive-growing and viticulture, since in Istria you can often find the terra rossa (red earth), which is extremely fertile.

Umag has also recently introduced the Park&Ride bike rental system, which is unique on the Adriatic. This project connects holiday resorts with the city centre, making it easier for guests to visit the city. In addition to classic bicycles, you can also rent electric bicycles.

Tourists can also enjoy city sightseeing in a small train that takes guests to the city center.

Umag and its surroundings have much more to offer than just beach and sea. The nature is varied, the masses can be kept at a distance.

Truffle searching in the Mirna Valley: an oak forest with taste

The truffle, an extraordinary delicacy that already attracted the palates of Mesopotamian rulers 4000 years ago, is still considered one of the most renowned ingredients of international gastronomy. Royal mushroom with intense aroma was very well known to the Greek and Roman emperors and was served at the French court and the Austro-Hungarian nobility. It is very rare and grows, among others, in Istria, thanks to the mild climate, low temperature differences and red clay soil. Truffle season is organized from mid-September to mid-November with a series of events in honour of this undisputed king of mushrooms. Guests throughout the region are presented with typical dishes with truffles: Fuži pasta, Pljukanci pasta, omelette (‘fritada’) and various combinations of meat. There are also exhibitions and fairs, great opportunities to get to know all the secrets of the magic, aromatic tuber. A kilo of the noble white winter truffle (tuber magnatum pico) is available from around 1,000 euros. The price has its reasons. Firstly, this type of truffle cannot be cultivated, and secondly, it grows exclusively in two places in the world – in northern Italy and in Croatia. In 1999, the Croatian truffle hunter Giancarlo Zigante found a 1.31-kilo tuber with his search dog Diana and thus made an entry in the Guinness Book of Records. In 2018 a black summer truffle followed with 4.87 kg, such outstanding specimens are often sniffed by the sensitive dog noses around Motovun in the peaceful Mirna Valley, very close to Umag. Here is also one of the last three Mediterranean riparian forests in Europe and is under nature protection. If you would like to try your luck with tubers yourself, you can accompany the licensed truffle hunters into the forest. In the truffle manufacturers, the truffles can be tasted and bought for taking home. Ask us in time so that we can organize a truffle hunt for you.

Visit the Piran salt flats

The Piran salt flats, which were established as early as 804, included the salt flats in the area of the present marina (Lucija, Portorož), the smaller salt flats of Strunjan and the larger salt flats of Sečovlje. The areas of the two preserved salt flats are now protected as landscape parks. The Strunjan Landscape Park will delight you with its impressive cliff coast, while in the salt flats of Sečovlje you can learn about traditional salt production through guided tours or visit the Salt Flats Museum.

Parenzana: Cycle through the green hinterland

Aerial view to the town of Motovun, Istria, Croatia

Where from 1902 to 1935 the narrow-gauge railway Parenzana struggled its way over the green hills of the hinterland to the coast, today the cyclists breathe (well-trained cyclists even without an e-bike :- bicycles of all kinds can be rented in Umag). The old railway line from Trieste to Poreč has become one of the most beautiful cycle paths in Croatia. 78 kilometres lead past medieval mountain villages, Tuscan landscapes, rustic konobas – small restaurants – and former imperial and royal train stations. A detour to the artists’ village Groznjan is always worthwhile; or a visit to probably the most famous and attractive Istrian medieval town Motovun-Montona, whose panorama is a well-known symbol of the Istrian inland. Above Motovun rises the Romanesque Gothic bell tower with a serrated crown from the 13th century, which stands next to the parish church of St. Stephen from the 17th century. On the central square there is also the Romanesque municipal palace, the largest secular building in Istria from that period.

Assistance with harvesting the olives

The lighthouse: tower keepers and legends

Croatia’s coast measures more than 6,000 kilometres. In order for sailors and fishermen to find their way safely into the harbour between the rocks and reefs, numerous lighthouses were built early on. Although there are now modern navigation satellites, the signals still give navigators orientation. As one of the oldest and northernmost lighthouses on the Adriatic, the tower of Savudrija is still in operation. While holidaymakers lie on the beach, the lighthouse keeper takes care of the technology and tells legends: in Savudrija, Count Metternich, State Chancellor of the former Austrian Empire, had the tower built in 1818 for himself and a Croatian lady with whom he fell in love at the Opera Ball in Vienna. But before the lighthouse was finished, the adored one died. The count never set foot in the building.