Lim Channel, Viewpoint and Boat from Rovinj or Vrsar

What it is

The Lim channel (Limski kanal or Limski zaljev) is a long, narrow sea inlet on the west coast of Istria, between Vrsar and Rovinj, south of Poreč. It is about 10 km long and is the final stretch of the 35 km Pazinčica river valley. It is called a fjord, but it is not: a fjord is carved by a glacier, and Lim is a ria, the old bed of a river that the sea flooded when it rose. The Pazinčica no longer reaches here: today it sinks into the Pazin chasm, in the centre of the peninsula.

The slopes rise to 150 m above the water, covered in scrub. The south shore, in shade, has oak and ash woodland; the north, in sun, evergreen vegetation. The name comes from the Latin limes, border: in Roman times the boundary between two provinces passed here. In the 1950s the channel stood in for a Norwegian fjord in the film The Vikings, with Kirk Douglas and Tony Curtis, and a Viking village was built at the head of the valley for the shoot.

What you see

An arm of green water between two walls of forest, without houses, narrowing towards the interior. On the water you will see the rafts of the shellfish farms: the channel is an important shellfish-breeding area.

How to see it

• From above. From the road that circles the valley there are points with a view over the channel. Ask at the Vrsar or Rovinj tourist office about viewpoints with parking.
• From the water. Ask at the ports of Rovinj, Vrsar and Poreč about boat excursions to the channel, which usually run from spring to autumn, and compare what they include before paying. From the boat you see the walls close up and the farms.
• On foot or by bike. If you want to walk or cycle in the valley, ask at the Vrsar or Rovinj tourist offices about signposted routes.

When to go

All year for the viewpoint. Late in the afternoon the light enters along the channel from the sea. In summer, excursion boats are more frequent; in winter, the valley is quiet.

Swimming

The channel is a shellfish-breeding area and a boat thoroughfare. For swimming, the open coast of Vrsar or Rovinj is better.

Events

Since 2005 the Lim Channel swimming marathon has been held, and in the valley dirt-track motor races are run, such as the Formula Driver Lim. Check the local calendar if you go on those dates.

Getting there

By car, from Rovinj or Vrsar, along the coast roads. To sleep nearby, in Rovinj you have the Grand Park Hotel Rovinj, and for parking in the town, see the Rovinj car parks.

Combine the stop with the Rovinj old town, to the south, or the Euphrasian Basilica in Poreč, to the north.