Near Labin, Croatia you find a secret beach that might just make Labin the best hilltop town on Croatia’s Istria peninsula. Croatia’s beaches lie quite far from most other hilltop towns of Istria. Unlike the more famous Motovan, see how less touristed Labin delivers the ultimate village experience and beaches within ten minutes.
Come for an immersive experience in non-touristy spots that are no less instagram able. We visit Rabac beaches and then keep looking along the stunning coast line for a beach off the beaten path. You’ll find a pristine, secret beach if you come with us! Labin, Croatia sits on the Istria peninsula right by the Adriatic Sea with views to Cres Island.
We visit Labin’s historic center and the Negri olive oil shop. Come just before sunset when the painted buildings light up with intense colors. There’s an old time theater, a wine shop, a vintage clothing store, an olive oil shop and more. We stop in at the olive shop and learn why olive oil tastes bitter sometimes. Bitter olive oil is high in antioxidants, and when they mix with air, we taste that as bitter.
The resort town of Rabac, Croatia is a few minutes down the hill from Labin. The little coves of tiny beaches and the view across the sea are stupendous. The turquoise water just sparkles.
People look relaxed and happy. We follow along a flat promenade that winds along the coves keeping our eyes out to sea. It looks amazing. But pivot 180 degrees, and a wave of plastic hits us. Out there in the blue, it looks very undeveloped and beautiful. Yacht services say there are pristine beaches out among the curves in the bay, but you need a boat to get there. We wonder if there might be a pristine beach that we can get to on foot and by car.
At Labin’s Trznica farmers market we taste borek, a pie made of thin flakey dough and filled with meat, cheese or spinach. We travel to Pican and Gracisce, where we see that all the hilltop towns have Venetian style steeples, reflecting Istria’s past under Venetian rule. Istria is only 70 miles from Venice across the sea. Old times of village life seem very well-preserved without communist era buildings interrupting the genuine style. At the grocery store we run into typical Croatian foods. Ayvar. We usually see only a jar or two of this red pepper spread on shelves at home, if we can even find it. Turkish coffee made in a special pot on a stovetop. And shelves of pates. In the vineyard a local family harvests grapes for wine made on the property. Then we visit Beach Bar Sveti Marina in Sveti Marina.
Huboko Beach is our favorite.
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About Us
We’re Emre and Maia. Our videos feature local, authentic, and immersive experiences in Europe. We love to engage with people in their own language, while we spend a gap year being curious about everything! We’re passionate about travel and food and have been to 44 countries with five passports between us! Longing for simplicity and freedom, we put our remaining possessions in storage, and set out with a suitcase and carry-on each. Guess what. Slow travel mindset works whether you have a few days or a whole year!
We like to keep it real. We did not receive, nor do we ask for compensation from any of the enterprises mentioned in this video.
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