Vintage Zastava Tour

Pula's Roman monuments get the headlines, but the twentieth century left equally interesting marks, and a vintage car tour is a memorable way to see them. A restored Zastava 101, a boxy small car that was once a fixture on Yugoslav roads, serves as your transport and a talking point. The guide drives you past the shipyard cranes that still dominate the skyline, former military barracks and naval installations, the neighbourhoods built under Austrian rule and the post-war housing that followed. Along the way you hear about life in socialist Yugoslavia, from factory workers to holiday habits, and about the town's complicated history as an Austro-Hungarian naval base, an Italian city and then part of Yugoslavia. It is a human-scale approach to history, with plenty of room for questions.

The tour suits curious travellers who have already seen the Arena or want a different angle on the town. Because it is a private experience in a small car, it is flexible: guides can stop for photographs at scenic viewpoints, add coffee or a drink at a local cafe and adapt the route to your interests, whether that is architecture, music, politics or everyday life.

The shipyard landscape, with its colourful cranes lit at sunset, is a visual highlight, and the cranes have been lit up in a colourful summer light show that has become a local symbol. The car itself is part of the fun, with simple dashboards, manual gears and the nostalgia of an era that many locals remember warmly.

Because seating is limited, it works best for two to three adults, or a small family. Check the seat count when you book and confirm whether child seats are available. Tours usually run for about two hours and can start from your hotel or a central meeting point in the old town.

Weather matters in an older car, which may have limited air conditioning, so choose morning or late afternoon in summer. The tour is gentle on mobility, with minimal walking, and is a good option for visitors who want to see much of Pula without tackling the hills.

Combine it with a walk through the Roman core and a meal in a local konoba for a balanced day that covers both antiquity and modernity. Those interested in the Tito-era story will find it a natural prelude to a visit to Brijuni, where the same figure left a very different kind of imprint.

It helps to know a little of the story before you go. Pula was a major naval base of the Habsburg Empire, passed to Italy after the First World War and became part of Yugoslavia after the Second, and each change left traces in street names, buildings and family memories. Guides who grew up here often share personal stories alongside the facts, so you hear about queues, holidays, music and sport as well as politics.

Questions are encouraged, and the small scale makes it easy to wander off script when something catches your eye, whether that is a mural, a market or a view of the harbour. Wear light clothing in summer, bring a camera and expect plenty of smiles from passers-by who recognise the car.