The viewpoints
From the road above, the best angle along its full length.
Viktar Palstsiuk — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Nick Savchenko from Kiev, Ukraine — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Nick Savchenko from Kiev, Ukraine — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Nick Savchenko from Kiev, Ukraine — CC BY-SA 2.0
A narrow sea inlet running about **ten kilometres** inland between wooded walls a hundred metres high — the strangest coastal formation in Istria. Locally it is the «Limski kanal» and is often described as a **fjord** — which is geologically wrong. A fjord is carved by ice; this is an old limestone river valley **flooded by the sea** as levels rose at the end of the last ice age. It is a drowned valley, not a glacial one. The distinction is not merely academic. The water here is **low in salinity** because freshwater springs feed into it, the movement is slow and the temperature stable — ideal conditions for farming **oysters and mussels**, as they have been since Roman times. The oyster frames are visible on the surface, and most restaurants in the area serve their produce. Note: **swimming and diving are prohibited** across most of the bay — it is a protected area and a working shellfish farm. It is best seen from the **viewpoints** on the road above, or on a boat trip from Rovinj or Vrsar.
From the road above, the best angle along its full length.
Visible on the surface, their produce in local restaurants.
From Rovinj or Vrsar in summer, running the whole inlet.
Limski kanal — about 12 km north-east of Rovinj
Mostly no — it is worth **a stop**, not a day. The view from the lookouts is striking for ten minutes and then repeats, swimming is banned, and the few restaurants are tourist-facing. Its best use is as **a halt on the way** between Rovinj and Poreč, or coming back from inland Istria. Anyone wanting longer should take a **boat trip** from Rovinj or Vrsar — about two hours, running to the head of the inlet with the shellfish farming explained, and many include a tasting. ⚠ The bay also holds **Romuald''s Cave**, said to have been occupied by a hermit in the eleventh century; it is small and plain and needs a short climb.
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