In town there is a small busy beach area in front of the Hotel Rovinj (see p88). For the pine-forested beaches at the edge of town, you'll need sandals to wade on the jagged shore, but the lack of sand means the sea is incredibly clear, great for snorkelling or diving. Head south of town, past the marina and the Hotel Park, to the area of Monte Mullini and the wooded peninsula of Zlatni Rt (Golden Cape). The walk along the water is a little more than a kilometre from town. There is a cluster of resorts around here, but it's uphill, so the beaches are mostly undisturbed nature. If you keep going south, there are some quiet stretches where you can find your own private boulder to sun on. About 3km (two miles) south of town are two nudist beaches, Polari Bay and the adjacent Cape Eve. The 13 small islands here have thick forests surrounded by rocky beach.
The most popular excursions are to nearby Sv Katarina Island and dazzling Sv Andrea or Crveni ('Red') Island, both a short hop by taxi boat from the main harbour. Each has a hotel (see p88) but offers enough secluded cover to warrant the 10kn-20kn return ticket.Local travel agencies offer trips to the Limski kanal