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North of Pula lie the Brijuni (Italian, Brioni), a small archipelago of fourteen islands that became famous as the private retreat of Tito, before being still accord- ed national-park status and opened to visitors in 1983. Visitors are only allowed on two of the islands, Veli Brijun and Mali Brijun,

and travel here is strictly controlled due to the islands' status as a nature conservation area.You can visit the Brijuni on an organized day-trip - in which case you'll probably be whisked around Vela, Brijun by tourist train - or book into one of the two upmarket hotels on Veli Brijun, in which case you'll have freedom to stroll around the island unsupervised.

The obvious gateway to the islands is the small fishing village of FAŽANA, 8km northwest of Pula (reachable from the city on bus #6). The national-park office on Fauna's harbourfront square (Mon–Sat 8am-8pm, Sun 8am-5pm) sells tickets for day-trips to the biggest island and main tourist draw, Veli Brijun, as well as arranging transport to the hotels. There are about five such excursions daily from Fažana in summer, one daily in winter; each lasts roughly four hours and costs 170Kn in June, July and August, 130 kn in April, May, September and October, and 80Kn in other months. If you're staying in a package hotel in Istria you'll probably be paying around 250Kn for a Brijuni excursion, with transport to Fažana – and possibly lunch – thrown in. Trips to Brijuni are also offered by boats in Pula harbour although these tend not to stop at Veli Brijun, heading instead for a bay on Mali Brijun for swimming and a fish picnic.