Umag is a town in Istria on the Adriatic coast of Croatia.
Umag is a picturesque small Mediterranean town - harbour, the Croatian gate to Europe, the first tourist destination you come across on arrival to the northern part of the Adriatic coast. Umag has excellent road and air connections with all large towns in the world (at only 50 nautical miles from the famous Venice!). It is located in an attractive bay with one of the most prestigious ACI marinas awarded the Blue Flag. Its natural beauties, the history and tradition of the old town of Umag and of the surrounding Istrian area, a warm Mediterranean climate with an abundance of sunshine during most months of the year and high quality hotels, campsites, apartments and bungalows make Umag an ideal vacation place for the whole family. The history of Umag is exceptionally interesting: In ancient times it was discovered by Roman aristocracy who adopted it for their summer residence.The town has preserved parts of the town walls and defence towers, Renaissance and Baroque houses and churches, the most famous among them being the parish church of the Assumption of Virgin Mary and the church of St. Peregrine. Umag is a widely known site of the international ATP tennis tournament, which has been successfully organized since 1990.
- Old town of Umag Due to Umag’s stormy history the buildings from the Late Antiquity and Early Middle Ages were completely destroyed. The present historical core has inherited the urban structure of the Middle Ages. There are numerous reminders of that era: wall remains, Venetian villas and above all, picturesque narrow streets. The one that is best preserved is also the oldest one – the west tower now housing the Museum of Umag, keeper of a valuable collection of archaeological artefacts found on the site of the town of Umag.
- Church of St. Peregrine Not far from Umag, on the Rosazzo promontory there is a small, very old Church of St. Peregrine. It was built by the inhabitants of Umag to mark the spot where, during the Diocletian era.
- Lighthouse in Savudrija The oldest lighthouse on the Adriatic Coast built in 1818, 36 m high with the light visible from the distance of 32 kilometres. The construction of the lighthouse is connected with a love story of Count Metternich, who although married, fell in love with a local girl and had the lighthouse built to her honour.
- Sipar Promontory Between Savudrija and Umag during low tides a small 200 m long and 50 m wide promontory and a pile of stones rise from the sea: These are the only remains of the ancient Castle of Sipar from the 5th century. The town of Siparis existed here during the Roman era, a proof of this being the foundations of villas and houses, mosaics, marble, ceramic, urns and coins found in this location, all dating from the era of Constantine and Valerius. Sipar was totally plundered and destroyed in 876 by the Neretvian pirates led by the Ban Domagoj and never regained its previous significance.
- Villa Tiola A real paradise for divers! This luxury villa had its own Roman spa, water cistern, huge dwelling quarters lavishly decorated with mosaics on the floor and frescos on the walls. The remains of a pier measuring 30 metres in length and 6 metres wide are located in the sea near the villa, while the remains of an enormous construction can also be recognized, most likely a pool of another Roman villa.
Old town of Umag
Church of St. Peregrine
Lighthouse in Savudrija
Sipar Promontory
Villa Tiola