The best fashion and gift stores Istria

Timetable

In summer, grocery stores, bakeries, supermarkets and shopping centers are open all year round, 7 days a week. Generally, they are open continuously from 8am to 8-9pm. Some close between noon and 3-4pm. Many souvenir stores and boutiques are also open 7/7 in summer, but keep their doors closed in winter. While tourist markets are open all day in summer, domestic markets close in the afternoon.

Budget & Tips

The cost of living is lower in Croatia than in France, even if recent years have seen widespread inflation among retailers and service providers.

Cigarettes, alcohol, foodstuffs, etc. are subject to reduced tax rates (5%). Gourmet products such as white truffles in jars cost €130 per 20g. They cost less if processed into condiments or marinated in olive oil, but are still cheaper to buy than in France. Grocery stores and supermarkets (Konzum, Billa, Mercator, Spar) have entire sections devoted to regional products. For food prices, visit the website of Konzum, Croatia's leading supermarket chain.

Credit and debit cards are accepted everywhere, even in the countryside. At the market, on the other hand, you pay in cash.

Sales

For shopping, head for the larger towns along the coast. In Pula, around Piazza Portarata, the forum and the amphitheater, you'll find ready-to-wear, shoes and accessories, books and stationery, souvenir stores, gourmet foods, pharmacies, drugstores, perfumeries, art galleries and the Max City and Pula City Mall shopping centers, among others. Four times a year, these large and small stores offer discounts of 15% on their entire range.

In Rijeka, the main pedestrian thoroughfare, Korzo, concentrates the most commercial activity.

What's very local

In Pula, the big market, which starts at the beginning of Rue Flanaticka, is open all year round. It's a must for buying fresh, gourmet produce, but there's no haggling at all. Prices advertised or displayed are fixed. Nearby, in the Forum and Kandlerova streets, the pedestrian shopping zone features souvenir stores, galleries and numerous mini-markets. Supermarkets are located on the outskirts. Special events such as Love Shopping on Valentine's Day, Late Night Shopping (June) and St. Nicholas shopping are festive traditions organized by retailers throughout Croatia. The Kupujmo in Pula is organized in partnership with the Istrian Crafts Fair (early October). The city center comes alive with music from 5pm to 10pm. In Opatija, you'll find luxury boutiques (jewelry, international brands, etc.) and souvenir stores on the historic seafront promenade. In Rovinj or Poreč, Rovinj's boutique-ateliers are packed with gift ideas (paintings, sculptures, ceramics, costume jewelry, etc.).

Tourist traps

Tourist markets in major coastal towns are packed with products made in China. Plastic junk, objects bearing the country's logo (red and white checkerboard) and the Istrian region's emblem (goat) are everywhere, but there's nothing authentic about them. To find beautiful handicrafts, you need to know how to sort through the merchants' stalls.

Coral branches, cut for decoration, are still on sale in Croatia. In France, they are protected and therefore forbidden for sale.

At roadside stands and tourist markets, beware of so-called natural olive oil sold in plastic bottles. Assured to be locally produced, they can just as easily be made from cut products or blends with European oils bought in supermarkets. Prefer glass bottles with sealed caps.