Riva park

Why it is worth your time

The park along the waterfront is the green belt on Umag's northern shore, between the core and the marina, and the most used piece of the town that is not a beach: several hundred metres of pines, palms and tamarisks by the sea itself, with benches turned west, a children's playground and a path along which people run in the morning, walk with prams in the afternoon and sit until dark in the evening. The park is the reason Umag looks calmer in summer than it is: a belt of greenery between the road and the sea absorbs both noise and heat.

Along the path are entries into the sea over ladders, showers and several cafés, so even someone with no time for a proper beach bathes here. The best moment is early evening: the sun falls straight into the sea across the open west, and from the benches one watches the lights come on in the marina. The park is open, free and lit, and the core is a five-minute walk away.