Umag is the Istrian town visitors skip — they fly into Pula or Zagreb, stop further south at Rovinj or Poreč, and never make it to the Italian-border edge of the peninsula. That’s a mistake. The ATP Croatia Open in July, the inland wineries, and the easy crossing to Trieste, Piran or the Slovenian coast give Umag specific reasons to be on your list. We drive guests up here most weeks from May through October, and after enough trips we have a clear sense of why Umag deserves more attention than it gets.
Umag sits at the northwestern tip of Istria, 12 km from Slovenia and 35 km from Trieste. The town itself is small but the surrounding region — Brtonigla, Momjan, Buje, Savudrija — packs in tennis, wine, olive oil, the oldest lighthouse in Istria, and some of the best food in the country.
Umag at a glance
- Distance from Pula: ~75 km, 1 h 15 min
- Distance from Pula airport: ~80 km
- Distance from Trieste airport: ~50 km
- Distance from Slovenia (Sečovlje): ~12 km
- Distance from Trieste: ~35 km
- Population: ~13,500
- ATP Croatia Open: Mid-July annually, Stella Maris tennis centre
- Famous for: Tennis, Malvazija and Teran wines, Savudrija lighthouse, Sea Star festival
The ATP Croatia Open — what to know
Umag’s main international claim is its ATP 250 tennis tournament, held at the Stella Maris tennis centre every July since 1990. The centre court — the Goran Ivanišević Stadium — sits on the coast a few kilometres west of town. Match schedule, draw and ticket info are on the official Croatia Open Umag site.
- Dates: Mid-July (specific dates published 4-6 months ahead)
- Prize money: Around €600,000 in recent editions
- Past champions: Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, Stan Wawrinka, Dominic Thiem
- Centre court capacity: ~4,000
- Tickets: Released early spring; finals weekend sells out fast
If you’re combining tennis with a holiday: book accommodation by April. Hotels and apartments along the Umag-Savudrija coast fill for the full week; some only rent on a 7-night minimum during the tournament.
Sea Star Festival and other summer events
Sea Star is a 3-day electronic music festival held in late May/early June at Stella Maris (the same area as the tennis). Big international DJ lineup, smaller and more relaxed than Ultra in Split. Brings a younger crowd to the area for a few days.
The town also runs a series of smaller summer events — open-air concerts, the Umag Summer of Tennis fan zone during the ATP, the local Istrian gastronomic festivals.
Beaches in and around Umag
- Stella Maris. The main resort beach, managed pebble with full facilities, sun loungers, restaurants. Where the tennis spills onto the beach during the tournament.
- Laguna Stella Maris. Adjacent, similar setup, family-oriented.
- Kanegra. 5 km north of town, includes a long managed beach and Croatia’s first naturist resort (since 1959). Sand-pebble in places.
- Savudrija. Wilder coast around the lighthouse — rocky entry into very clear water, less crowded, no facilities. Good snorkelling.
- Lovrečica. Small fishing village south of Umag with a pebble beach and a few good restaurants.
None of Umag’s beaches are remarkable on a national scale — Istria’s beaches are mostly pebble or rocky platforms, not the dramatic Dalmatian coves further south. But the water is consistently clear and the coast is much less crowded than Split or Hvar in peak summer.
Savudrija lighthouse — the oldest in Istria
Eight kilometres north of Umag at the very tip of the Istrian peninsula, the Savudrija lighthouse has been operating since 1818 — the oldest in Istria and one of the oldest still-active lighthouses on the Adriatic. It’s a working lighthouse, not a museum, but you can drive up, walk around the base, and use the rocky coast for swimming on either side.
The cliffs and rocky shore around the lighthouse are quieter than the managed beaches in Umag, with deeper water and the open sea horizon — Italy is just over the bay.
Wineries — the inland is the secret
Umag’s wine region runs inland through Brtonigla, Buje and Momjan. Malvazija (white) and Teran (red) are the two indigenous Istrian grapes; both produce serious wines here.
The shortlist:
- Kabola (Momjan). Family-run, organic, full visitor centre with tastings and a tower converted into a small museum. The white Malvazija is the standard order.
- Cattunar (Brtonigla). Larger producer with a good restaurant attached. Try the four-Malvazija tasting.
- Coronica (Koreniki, near Umag). The benchmark Teran. Smaller production, by appointment.
- Kozlović (Momjan). Excellent Malvazija and Muškat Momjanski. Modern winery with views over the Mirna valley.
Most wineries take walk-ins in summer but appointments are smarter — production is small and the family running it might be busy with deliveries.
Where to eat
- Konoba Nono in Petrovija. Local Istrian dishes, truffles in season.
- Badi in Lovrečica. Long-running fine-dining seafood, on the coast.
- San Rocco in Brtonigla. Hotel restaurant, serious kitchen, often listed in the top 10 in Croatia.
- San Servolo brewery near Buje. Their own beer, food alongside, good for casual lunch.
- Buffet U Famiglia in Brtonigla. Family-run, fair prices, generous portions, pasta with truffles.
The Brtonigla-Momjan-Buje triangle inland is where the food is. Umag town centre has decent restaurants but the standout kitchens are in the villages.
Day trips from Umag
Umag’s location makes it a strong base for cross-border trips:
- Piran (Slovenia). 25 km, 30 minutes. The most beautiful town on the Slovenian coast, Venetian-era core, walkable in half a day.
- Portorož. 22 km, the Slovenian beach resort next to Piran.
- Trieste (Italy). 35 km, 45 minutes. Old Habsburg-era port city with serious coffee culture and the Miramare castle just outside.
- Motovun. 50 km inland, hilltop medieval town. Famous for truffles and the summer film festival.
- Grožnjan. 35 km. Smaller hilltop village, “City of Artists” since 1965.
- Rovinj. 70 km, the showpiece Istrian coastal town — pricier than Umag but worth a day.
What surprises first-time visitors to Umag
- Booking Pula airport when Trieste is closer. If you’re flying low-cost from northern Europe, check Trieste before Pula.
- Visiting wineries without calling ahead. Especially in summer when families are doing harvests or deliveries.
- Going to Stella Maris during ATP week without a ticket. The whole peninsula is restricted access during finals.
- Crossing to Slovenia or Italy without a passport. Both are EU/Schengen but you still need ID, and rental cars sometimes need cross-border insurance.
- Skipping the inland villages. Buje, Brtonigla and Momjan have the food and the wine; Umag has the beaches and the tennis. Do both.
Best time to visit
Mid-May through June and September into October. Warm enough for the beaches, the wineries are active, the food is at its best (white truffle season starts late September), and the crowds are manageable. July and August are hot and packed, especially during the ATP and Sea Star.
Winter is quiet — most beach restaurants close, but the inland konobas stay open and truffle-focused menus continue. A January visit for white truffles in Motovun is one of the better off-season trips in this part of Croatia.
How we drive clients to Umag
From Pula we run up the Istrian highway in about 1 h 15 min. From Rijeka it’s longer (~2 h) but the Učka tunnel and the Mirna valley make it scenic. Many clients we drive to Umag are using it as a base for cross-border trips, so we coordinate the drives accordingly.
If you’d like us to handle the drive, the airport pickup, or a winery day, send us your dates. Croatia Limo drives Istria year-round and we know which border crossings are fastest at which times of day.
Frequently asked questions
When is the ATP Croatia Open in Umag?
Mid-July annually. The 2026 edition runs in the Stella Maris tennis centre on the Goran Ivanišević Stadium. Prize money in 2025 was around €596,000. Tickets and accommodation book up months ahead in the area.
How far is Umag from Pula?
About 75 km, 1 hour 15 minutes by car along the Istrian highway. From Pula airport it’s slightly less. Umag is closer to Trieste airport (~50 km) than to either Croatian airport, which matters for many travellers from the EU.
Are Umag beaches sandy?
Mostly pebble or rock-and-concrete platforms, like most of Istria. Stella Maris and Kanegra have managed pebble beaches with full facilities. The wilder coast around Savudrija has rocky entry with very clear water.
What wineries are worth visiting near Umag?
Kabola in Momjan (organic, family-run). Cattunar in Brtonigla. Coronica near Umag for Teran. Kozlović in Momjan for Malvazija. All open by appointment; some have full wine bars and food.
Can I cross to Italy or Slovenia from Umag?
Easily — Umag is the closest Croatian town to both borders. Slovenia is ~12 km away (Sečovlje and Plovanija crossings). Italy (Trieste area) is ~35 km. Day trips to Trieste, Piran or Portorož are realistic.
