How each one feels

Seasons

• Istria in autumn: the olive harvest and the truffle season, with cooler air for walking between hill towns.
• Istria in spring and early summer: green countryside and mild days.
• Islands in summer: long hot days and the sea at its warmest; lavender on Hvar blooms in early summer.
• Islands in spring and autumn: quieter harbours and gentler heat.

The mood

Istria feels like a countryside holiday with a sea edge: slow lunches, vineyards, and small stone towns found at the end of winding roads. The islands feel like a holiday made of water: mornings by the harbour, afternoons swimming from rocks, evenings when the ferry horn is the loudest sound.

How to choose

• Want food, wine and wandering? Start with Istria.
• Want sea, stone and an unhurried pace? Try the islands.
• Have two weeks? Consider both: they sit at opposite ends of the coast.

See them side by side once more before you decide.