Dog-Friendly Attractions in Rovinj

The 18th-century Baroque parish church of saint Euphemia crowns the highest point of the Stari Grad peninsula, with a 60 m belltower (1654-1680) modelled on the campanile of San Marco in Venezia and topped by a copper weathervane of the saint that rotates with the wind. The hilltop square outside the church offers a 360° panorama of the Adriatic and the Rovinj Archipelago. Leashed dogs welcome on the square and the climb; the interior is small-dog-in-carrier only.

The Balbi Arch (Balbijev luk), built in 1679 by the Balbi family on the site of the old Venetian land gate, is the ornamental Baroque entry to the Stari Grad off Trg maršala Tita. Grisia Street climbs from the arch up to sv. Eufemije, lined with painter`s studios that hang their canvases on the stone walls; the second Sunday of August stages the open-air Grisia art show, a Rovinj institution since 1967. Entirely outdoor, fully dog-walkable.

The Rovinj Archipelago of 14 islands sits a few hundred metres offshore. The closest, Sv. Katarina, is a 5 min ferry tender from the harbour; the larger Crveni otok (Red Island, two linked islets) is 15 min. Both run shuttle boats from May to October and both accept leashed dogs aboard. The islands are forested, with shaded paths, swimming coves and bar terraces where dogs are typically welcome.