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Day trip · The Krk Map
Istria's hill towns: Motovun, Grožnjan and truffles
A long autumn food day: a truffle hunt with dogs, lunch in Motovun, walls with a view.
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North Istria is truffle country: the Motovun forest below the town yields both black and white truffles, and in autumn a morning with truffle dogs followed by a truffle lunch below Motovun's walls is a real highlight. But it is two and a quarter hours each way from Vrbnik, through the Učka tunnel. Make it the headline of an autumn stay, not a summer filler.
When to come: Mid-September to November (white truffle); October weekends for the Livade fair
What to do
Go in white-truffle season, or don't go
The long drive only pays off between mid-September and November, when the white truffle is in season and north Istria runs its truffle festivals.
- Where
- North Istria (Buzet, Motovun, Livade)
- When
- Mid-Sep to Nov; October weekends in Livade
- Time
- Full day
- How
- 2 h 15 min each way from Vrbnik via Rijeka and the Učka tunnel (toll).
Tip: In 2026: Buzet's Subotina in mid-September, Zigante Truffle Days in Livade every weekend in October, and Motovun's Teran and Truffle Festival in mid-October. Check the 2027 calendar.
Morning truffle hunt with the Karlić dogs
About two hours in the forest with trained dogs, then a tasting.
- Where
- Paladini 14, near Buzet
- When
- Morning; book ahead
- Time
- About 2 h
- How
- About 2 h 7 min by car from Vrbnik, 2 h 18 min from Stara Baška. Price on request.
Walk Motovun's walls
A 270 m hilltop town whose medieval walls are intact and walkable, with views over the Mirna valley and the Motovun truffle forest.
- Where
- Motovun
- When
- Before lunch
- Time
- 1–1.5 h
- How
- 20 min by car from Paladini to Livade, then 9 min on to Motovun. There are two car parks: one at the foot of the hill and one on the road before the gate.
Tip: Use the upper car park if there is space; the lower one means a steep climb.
Truffle lunch at Konoba Mondo
Boškarin carpaccio with black truffle, truffle pastas, lamb ribs in Teran.
- Where
- Barbican 1, Motovun
- When
- Lunch
- Time
- 1.5–2 h
- How
- On foot from the upper car park.
Tip: Alternative: Zigante's restaurant and shop down in Livade, 9 minutes away, the centre of the October truffle fair.
Grožnjan, the artists' town
A tiny hill town with about 20 galleries, a summer music school and a July jazz festival.
- Where
- Grožnjan
- When
- Afternoon
- Time
- 1 h
- How
- 25 min by car from Motovun.
Tip: Only if you still have the energy: it adds nearly half an hour to an already long drive home.
A half day here
- Not possible from Krk.
Where to eat and drink
- Konoba Mondo: Gault&Millau 2026 truffle konoba below Motovun's gate
Watch out
- 4.5 h of driving in a day.
- Motovun's car parks fill up in season.
Curated by Benjamin Haller and our guests · Facts checked 31 Oct 2026 · How this map is made
The Krk Map is made by Marim Luxury Villas, a family company that hosts guests in Stara Baška and Vrbnik. No place pays to be on it; partners and our curators’ own offers are marked. Our villas