Boat tours from Pula cruise around the 14 Brijuni islands, with options for dolphin watching at sunset, swimming stops on St. Jerolim island, and onboard meals and drinks. Most tours last 2 to 5.5 hours and include a live guide.
Free Cancellation 3-hour sunset boat cruise around the Brijuni Islands with dolphin watching plus dinner and drinks onboard.
Free Cancellation 3-hour sunset dolphin-watching boat trip from Pula with guide, dinner, and drinks included.
Free Cancellation 5-hour boat trip from Pula harbour to St. Jerolim island with 3 hours of free swim time, open bar, guide and entry fees included.
Free Cancellation 3.5-hour sunset boat cruise from Pula past the Brijuni Islands with dinner, open bar and dolphin spotting.
Free Cancellation 5-hour cruise through the Brijuni archipelago on the wooden boat Lucija, with lunch, drinks, and a 150-minute swim stop on Sveti Jerolim.
Free Cancellation 3-hour sunset cruise from Pula's old port around the Brijuni islands on the Martinabela boat, watching for dolphins.
Free Cancellation 5.5-hour sunset cruise from Pula on Boat Ana: 2.5-hour swim stop at St. Jerolim, dolphin watching, dinner, and return past Uljanik shipyard.
Free Cancellation 5.5-hour boat tour of Brijuni islands with a swim stop on St. Jerolim, lunch, drinks, and park entry included.
Free Cancellation 2-hour sunset boat trip from Pula past the Brijuni Islands, with possible dolphin sightings.
Read what travelers share about their experience visiting Brijuni National Park — from practical tips to personal highlights.
Every Brijuni boat tour starts with the water: either a 15-minute crossing from Fažana on the official park ferry, or a longer loop out of Pula harbour that circles the archipelago. Two kilometres offshore sits a national park like no other in Croatia — 14 flat limestone islands where Roman temples, a safari park of Cold War gifts, and Tito's presidential Cadillac share the same shoreline. You'll get history, wildlife and swimming in a single ticket, often with dinner thrown in.
The 9-hectare safari park on Veliki Brijun's northern meadows holds about 80 herbivores, most of them diplomatic gifts to Tito. The elephant Lanka arrived from Indira Gandhi in 1972; the zebras came from Guinea's Sékou Touré in 1960. The tourist train passes right through it.
Bottlenose dolphins live around the islands year-round, and the evening cruises from Pula are timed to their feeding hour. On the Martinabela sunset trip, the crew logs sightings on roughly 95% of departures. No guarantees, but the odds are about as good as dolphin watching gets.
A 1st-century BC villa rustica once covered this bay, complete with temples to Neptune, the Capitoline Triad and Venus, floored in mosaics and marble. The park train stops here. There's also a guided snorkel tour over the parts that slipped into the sea.
More than 200 footprints from 130–100 million years ago survive at four sites around the islands. At Cape Ploče and Cape Vrbanj a life-size theropod reconstruction stands beside the shoreline prints. A three-toed print sits in a limestone block right by the port, and most visitors walk straight past it.
This car-free islet inside the park has shallow swimming water, a beach bar, and an educational underwater trail you follow by snorkel. The swim-and-snorkel tours on the traditional wooden boat Lucija give you hours here. Note it runs as an island without single-use plastic, so bring a refillable bottle.
Carbon-dated by Zagreb's Ruđer Bošković Institute in the 1960s, this tree predates the Roman villa. A 1970s storm split it; concrete patched it. It still produces about 30 kg of olives a year, pressed into 4.1 kg of extra-virgin oil.
Two separate products share this page: the official park excursion from Fažana, and private boat tours from Pula that circle the islands. Know which one you're paying for before you book.
The official excursion from Fažana pairs the boat crossing with a guided tourist-train circuit and about four hours on Veliki Brijun, at €50 in summer or €35 from October to May. A self-guided ticket with the Brijuni Pocket Guide app costs €40 / €30 and drops the group. Viator boats from Pula run dolphin, sunset and swim tours lasting 2 to 5.5 hours, from $41.28 to $76.83.
Book the official excursion online at shop.np-brijuni.hr ahead of your trip. In summer, language slots on guided tours — Croatian, English, German, Italian, Russian — sell out before boat capacity does. Viator tours run with 24-hour free cancellation, so you can lock in a sunset cruise early and still bail if the weather turns.
The official ticket bundles boat, train, guide, safari park, museums, the Mediterranean garden and insurance into one price. Pula tours vary: the all-inclusive $72.25 trip covers entrance fees and a meal, while the Lucija snorkel tour excludes St Jerolim entry — €7 for adults, €4 for kids 8–17, cash only. Read the inclusions list before paying.
July and August add a €15 evening ticket on the park's own boats, boarding at 18:00, 19:00 or 20:00 and returning as late as 23:00 — museums will be shut (the information point closes at 19:15), but the day crowds will be gone. The sunset dinner cruises from Pula, from $45.87, include a freshly grilled dinner and drinks through the sunset.
The park runs a guided snorkeling tour over the submerged Roman ruins in Verige Bay — the rarest ticket on this page. The Ulysses Theatre on Mali Brijun stages open-air productions inside Austro-Hungarian fortifications each summer, and self-guided visitors can rent an electric car or one of roughly 300 bicycles to cover the island.
Veliki Brijun is largely flat — the highest point anywhere in the park is 55 m — with the tourist train covering the long circuit and benches near the harbour. Viator boats take strollers and service animals and suit all fitness levels. Reduced tickets for students, over-65s and visitors with a disability aren't sold online; email [email protected] and collect at Brionska 10 in Fažana half an hour before departure.
The park boats board you only within the hour printed on your ticket — not earlier, not later — and a missed departure means no refund and no rebooking. This bites hardest if you're driving in from Rovinj or Poreč in August, when the coast road and Fažana parking both clog. Allow an hour more than the map says.
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| Official Park Excursion | Sunset Dolphin Dinner Cruise | Swim & Snorkel Tour | All-Inclusive Island & Dolphin Cruise | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Duration & departure | About 4 hours end to end, from Fažana (15-min crossing) | 3 hours, evening departure from Pula harbour | 5 hours on the traditional wooden boat Lucija | 5.5 hours from Pula, circling all 14 islands |
| Includes | Return boat, 1-hour tourist-train circuit, guide, safari park, Roman villa stop, museums | Freshly grilled dinner, alcoholic and soft drinks, live guide in English, German and Italian | Lunch and drinks served on board, snorkeling gear, swimming stop at St Jerolim (entry €7 adults / €4 kids, cash only) | Guided sightseeing loop, swimming stop at St Jerolim, meal and drinks, entrance fees |
| Price from | €35 (Oct–May) / €50 (Jun–Sep) | $45.87 | $45.87 plus island entry | $72.25 |
| Best for | First-time visitors who want the island itself — ruins, safari park and the old olive tree | Couples and photographers — dolphins feeding near the islands as the sun drops | Families and swimmers who'd rather be in the water than on a train | Visitors based in Pula without a car who want islands, swimming and dolphins in one trip |
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The park runs boats every day of the year except January and February, when individual tickets are not sold at all — visits are for groups only, on request.
In high summer the island information point closes at 19:15, so evening-ticket visitors get the promenades and beaches rather than the museums. Boarding is strictly by the hour printed on your ticket — the crew will not take you earlier or later.
The standard guided excursion runs about four hours end to end. Self-guided visitors with a rented bike or electric car commonly stay five to eight.
The only public way onto the islands is the park's own boat from Fažana, a 15-minute crossing of roughly 2 km. Cars are not transported, and no private operator lands on Veliki Brijun.
One warning for drivers: the €12/day (€15 in summer) car park at Boraca 9 belongs to the park's hotels, not day visitors. The park office selling tickets is at Brionska 10, Fažana.
Pula tours on this page depart from Pula harbour instead, with boarding typically closing 30 minutes before departure.
May–June and September–October are the sweet spot: warm sea for swimming, thinner crowds, and in late September still eleven boats a day.
Here's a tip worth €15 per adult: the peak €50 fare runs to 30 September inclusive, and the identical visit drops to €35 on 1 October. Shift your trip by a few days and you save the difference.
July–August bring peak heat, the year's biggest crowds and congested coast roads, but they're also evening season — the €15 ticket from 6 pm, the open-air Ulysses Theatre on Mali Brijun, and the Podium chamber-music festival. If you're going in high summer, go late in the day.
November–March means two sailings a day and a 16:00 last return, so a winter day trip needs a very early start. January–February close the park to individual visitors entirely.
This is one of the easier national-park visits in Croatia. Veliki Brijun is largely flat — the highest point in the whole park is 55 m — and the tourist train covers the long circuit, so the safari park, Roman villa, museums and the old olive tree are all reachable without significant climbing. Benches and cafés sit near the harbour.
The caveats: much of the sightseeing relies on gravel paths, boarding the tourist train may require assistance, and remote sites like the dinosaur footprints at Cape Ploče are harder to reach. Visitors with reduced mobility should contact the park in advance at [email protected].
Reduced tickets for students, over-65s and visitors with a disability are booked by email at [email protected] — they're not sold online. Collect at the Fažana office half an hour before departure.
The Viator boats from Pula are stroller-accessible, take service animals, and are listed as suitable for all fitness levels. Seniors over 65 pay €30–€40 on the official excursion; self-guided visitors can rent an electric car and skip walking altogether.
On Veliki Brijun, cafés and restaurants cluster near the harbour — and the dress code applies inside them, so pack a cover-up over your swimsuit. Café Brijuni sits on the Fažana quay and fills the wait either side of your sailing.
Self-guided visitors can rent from a fleet of about 300 bicycles (the park admits they sometimes run short at peak times — go on the first boat) or an electric car to cover the island without walking in the heat.
Saluga beach is the main swimming spot on Veliki Brijun. St Jerolim adds a beach bar and an educational underwater trail, and runs as an island without single-use plastic, with bottle drop-off points and waste bins being removed — take your rubbish home.
Three park hotels sit on Veliki Brijun; guests get 20% off tickets, though the Boraca 9 car park in Fažana (€12/day, €15 in summer) is reserved for them. On the Pula tour boats you'll find everything from an open bar of white wine, Cola and mineral water to a full grilled dinner served on board.
Timed entry is strict. The crew boards you only within the hour on your ticket; a missed departure means no refund and no rebooking. If you're driving in from Rovinj or Poreč in August, allow an extra hour.
Dress code: swimwear is allowed only on designated beaches. You cannot board the boat, walk the island, or enter restaurants, cafés, hotels or reception areas in a swimsuit — clothing over it outside beach zones, or you may be turned away.
Photography is free across the park except inside the protected zone managed by Croatia's Ministry of Defence, which forms part of the park — respect the markers. Commercial shoots need park permission at least 15 days in advance, and any drone flight additionally requires a State Geodetic Administration permit.
Dogs need a €15 ticket, must not roam freely, and are barred from the safari park, the tourist train and the museums — which makes the self-guided ticket the practical choice for dog owners. Aggressive dogs must be muzzled on the boat and during sightseeing.
Croatia uses the euro. St Jerolim's entry fee (€7 adults / €4 kids, where not included in your tour) is cash only.
The only way to land on the main island, Veliki Brijun, is the official park boat from Fažana — a 15-minute crossing about 2 km offshore, with cars not transported. Tours from Pula harbour circle the archipelago by boat and some stop for swimming at St Jerolim, a smaller island within the park, but they don't put you on Veliki Brijun itself. If the safari park, Roman villa and museums are your goal, you need the Fažana ferry.
The official excursion costs €50 per adult from 1 June to 30 September and €35 from October to May, covering boat, train, guide, safari park and museums; children 7–18 pay €20 / €15 and under-7s go free. Viator tours from Pula range from $41.28 for a 2-hour dolphin run to $76.83 for the 5.5-hour all-inclusive cruise. Note the park fare is the steepest standard admission of any Croatian national park.
Bottlenose dolphins live around the islands year-round, and the evening departures are timed to their feeding hour along the coast. The Martinabela sunset cruise reports sightings on about 95% of departures. No operator guarantees them, but the odds here are about as good as Adriatic dolphin watching gets.
Yes, on the tours that stop at St Jerolim — the Lucija swim-and-snorkel tour gives you hours there with gear included, and boat Ana allows 2.5 hours of free time with a beach bar. On Veliki Brijun, swimming is limited to designated beaches like Saluga. Remember the dress code: no walking around or entering venues in swimwear outside beach zones.
On several of them, yes. The $57.34 sunset tour from Pula prepares a freshly grilled dinner on board — fish is the standard — with alcoholic and soft drinks included. The $65.36 premium cruise throws in unlimited white wine, soft drinks, binoculars and a route map per passenger. Check the inclusions list on each tour; the cheaper 2-hour dolphin runs from Pula include only fuel and skipper.
Yes, in summer. On the official excursion it's the language slots on guided tours — Croatian, English, German, Italian, Russian — that sell out first, not boat capacity, so book online at shop.np-brijuni.hr ahead of time. Viator tours can be cancelled free up to 24 hours before departure, so there's little risk in booking early.
Nothing good. Brijuni runs strict timed entry: the crew will not board you earlier or later than the hour on your ticket, and a missed departure means no refund and no rebooking. This bites hardest when driving from Rovinj or Poreč in August, when the coast road clogs and Fažana parking is scarce — leave an hour more than the map suggests.
Yes. The self-guided ticket, with the Brijuni Pocket Guide app as your commentary, costs €40 in summer or €30 from October to May for adults, and includes the same return boat. You explore on foot or with a rented bike or electric car, and people on this option commonly stay five to eight hours rather than the standard four.
Dogs are allowed but need their own €15 ticket, and they're barred from the safari park, the tourist train and the museums — so dog owners should take the self-guided option rather than the excursion. Dogs must not roam freely, and aggressive dogs must wear a muzzle during boat transfers and sightseeing.
Generally yes. Under-7s travel free on the park boats and pay nothing at St Jerolim, 7–18-year-olds pay roughly half price, and the tourist train removes most of the walking on Veliki Brijun. The Viator boats from Pula take strollers and allow service animals; infants sit on an adult's lap, and on dinner cruises the minimum drinking age is 18.
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A 3-hour evening boat cruise that circles the Brijuni Islands from the water, timed to the hour when the resident bottlenose dolphins feed near the coast. The crew runs the route in German, English, and Italian, and the boat stays out through sunset before returning. Dinner is prepared and served onboard, with carbonated drinks, bottled water, and alcoholic beverages included in the price. You eat while the boat moves, so expect a casual deck dinner rather than a seated restaurant meal. Hotel pickup and drop-off are available on request but cost extra, and a tip to the crew is optional. Cancel at least 24 hours before departure for a full refund.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
German, English, Italian
A 3-hour evening cruise out of Pula that spends its full 180 minutes on dolphin watching in the waters around the Brijuni islands. It runs as a sunset departure, so most of the trip happens in the last light of the day. Boarding closes 30 minutes before departure, so arrive early. The boat carries a professional guide who can narrate in Czech, German, English, Croatian, or Italian, and each passenger gets a route map plus binoculars to use on board. Dinner is included, along with unlimited white wine, mineral water, and soft drinks (Coca-Cola and Fanta). Booking is online only. Departure times can shift with weather conditions, and cancelling at least 24 hours before departure gets you a full refund.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Czech, German, English, Croatian, Italian, Polish, French, Hungarian, Dutch, Spanish
A 5-hour boat excursion departing from Pula harbour, with about 2 hours of sailing each way and 3 hours of free time on St. Jerolim, a small island inside the national park. Most of that island time is yours for swimming — bring a suit and towel. The price covers an open bar on board (white wine, mineral water, Cola, Fanta), meals, entrance fees to the park, and transport. A professional art historian guide accompanies the trip, with commentary available in Croatian, English, German, Italian, and Czech. The meeting point is at Pula harbour (GPS: 44.874430615561664, 13.848145927093332); a Google Maps link is provided at booking. Reservation is online only. Cancel at least 24 hours before departure for a full refund.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Czech, German, English, Croatian, Italian, Polish, French, Hungarian, Dutch, Spanish
A 3.5-hour sunset cruise departing from the port of Pula, first through Pula's historic harbor and then along the Brijuni Islands, which you pass by boat while the guide explains their history. Dolphins are often seen near the boat on this route. Dinner is freshly prepared on board: grilled fish is the operator's top recommendation, with grilled pork and a vegetarian option as alternatives. Unlimited drinks from the open bar are included — alcoholic beverages included — for the whole trip. Your captain, Milan, is an experienced sailor and a live guide in English, German and Italian. Cancel at least 24 hours before departure for a full refund.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
German, English, Italian
This 5-hour tour runs on the Lucija, a traditional wooden boat, and starts with a slow cruise around the Brijuni islands while lunch is served onboard. Lunch and drinks are included in the ticket — both alcoholic and soft, served throughout the trip. A crew member gives the commentary in English. The single shore stop is Sveti Jerolim, one of the archipelago's 14 islands, where you get 150 minutes of free time. Bring cash: entry to the islet isn't in the ticket price and is collected on the spot (€7 adults, €4 ages 8–17, free under 8, cash only). Snorkeling gear is provided, and the island has pebble beaches and pine shade if you'd rather stay dry. Hotel pickup and drop-off can be arranged on request but cost extra, as does a crew tip. Cancel at least 24 hours ahead for a full refund. A cheaper DRINKS ONLY version of the same route exists on a different boat, Emilio — pick the Lucija option if you want the lunch.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
English
The boat is the Martinabela — the name is on your ticket — and it leaves from the old port of Pula for roughly 3 hours, sailing a loop around the 14 Brijuni islands as the sun goes down. The crew actively searches for dolphins, and sightings are claimed on about 95% of departures. You'll have time to watch and photograph them before the boat turns back. The route out passes the Pula Arena, the Roman amphitheatre visible from the water, and the return leg gives you a portside view of the Arena lit up after dark. Bring your camera for that part. Capacity is capped at 100 passengers, with two restrooms on board and free non-alcoholic drinks included. Guides speak English, German, and Italian. Cancel at least 24 hours before departure for a full refund.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
German, English, Italian
Boat Ana leaves Pula Harbor in the afternoon for a 5.5-hour cruise. First stop is St. Jerolim Island, where you get 2.5 hours of free time for swimming and the beach bar before the boat moves on. The route then circles all 14 Brijuni islands — about 2 hours of panoramic cruising through a protected marine zone where wild dolphins are commonly spotted. After that, dinner is served onboard: grilled fish, meat, or a vegetarian option, with white wine, Fanta, or mineral water included. The return leg runs through sunset, arriving back at Pula after dark with a pass by the illuminated Uljanik shipyard cranes, the so-called Lighting Giants. The crew guides in Czech, German, English, Croatian, and Italian. Cancel at least 24 hours ahead for a full refund.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Czech, German, English, Croatian, Italian, Polish, French
A 5.5-hour boat trip from Pula that circles all 14 Brijuni islands with a guide on board, then stops at St. Jerolim for swimming. The captain and guide run a sightseeing loop around the islands and talk through their history and famous former owners along the way. On the return leg you'll pass the Pula Arena, the Roman amphitheater visible from the water. Lunch is traditional Mediterranean — fish, beef, or vegetable dishes — and alcoholic and soft drinks are included, along with entrance fees and transport to the park. Nothing extra to pay on board. The St. Jerolim stop is optional. If you'd rather swim, the island has a beach, shower, and restaurant, and the ship comes back to collect you 2.5 hours later. Guides speak Czech, German, English, Croatian, and Italian. Cancel at least 24 hours before departure for a full refund.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Czech, German, English, Croatian, Italian, Polish, French, Hungarian, Dutch, Spanish
Two hours on the water, departing from and returning to the Port of Pula. The route crosses Pula Bay — a 4.5-kilometer stretch — then heads south past the "Peneda" lighthouse at the southernmost tip of the Brijuni archipelago before turning back. Dolphins live in these waters and the boat slows when a pod appears, but sightings aren't guaranteed — treat them as a bonus, not the point of the booking. The departure is timed for sunset, so the coastline and the islands are lit low and warm on the way out. Back in port you pass the "Luminous Giants", the illuminated shipyard cranes at the harbor entrance, with the lit-up Pula Amphitheatre in view to finish. Fuel and skipper are included in the price. Cancel at least 24 hours before departure for a full refund.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.