Dolphin Watching Boat Ride Vrsar

Vrsar harbour, the starting point

Vrsar is a small fishing town on the west coast of Istria, between Poreč and the mouth of the Lim Channel. Its harbour sits at the foot of the old town, lined with fishing boats, café terraces and the large wooden excursion boats that leave every afternoon in summer. This is where you board, a few steps from the town quay.

If you wonder how to get to Vrsar harbour, it is an easy walk from the town centre and the nearby campsites and apartments, and there is parking along the waterfront. Arrive about 15 minutes before departure so you can choose your seat on deck. The calm water of the harbour is a good place for the first photos of the boats and the town rising behind them.

Bottlenose dolphins of the Adriatic

The northern Adriatic has resident groups of common bottlenose dolphins, which feed on fish along the Istrian coast and are studied by local marine researchers. They are wild animals, so sightings are never guaranteed, but the captain reads the sea, the birds and the fishing activity to find them, and in good conditions you can watch them surface, breathe and swim alongside the boat.

This Vrsar dolphin watching trip respects the animals: the boat slows down, keeps its distance and lets the dolphins decide how close to come. Keep your camera ready on the side of the deck and watch for the curved dorsal fins breaking the surface. The late-afternoon departure is a good time, as the sea is often calmer and the light softer.

Vrsar old town seen from the sea

Vrsar's old town crowns a small hill above the harbour, a tight maze of stone houses and narrow lanes topped by the tall bell tower of the parish church of Saint Martin. Down by the shore stands the Romanesque basilica of Saint Mary of the Sea, one of the oldest churches on the Istrian coast.

From the deck you see the whole town at once, with terracotta roofs stacked up the slope and the bell tower standing out against the sky. Is Vrsar worth visiting? This view answers it, and after the boat ride many travellers walk up to the old town for the sunset over the sea and the small islets in front of the coast.

The Istrian coast and the evening light

Beyond the harbour the boat follows the green Istrian coastline, dotted with pine woods, coves and small uninhabited islets. The water here is clear and deep blue, and in summer the late-afternoon breeze keeps the deck pleasant even on hot days.

As the trip comes to an end the sun drops lower and the coast turns gold, which makes this one of the most relaxing things to do in Vrsar. Relax with a cold soft drink, enjoy the quiet after the search for the dolphins, and watch the town come back into view. The best time to book a dolphin boat trip in Istria is from late spring to early autumn, when the sea is calm and the evenings are long.