Parentium was the Roman name of Poreč, Parenzo the Italian one, and two beaches in town carry it today: the small pine-shaded town beach below the Valamar Parentino hotel, ten minutes on foot from the old town with a view back at it, and the Blue Flag pebble beach of the Hotel Parentium Plava Laguna in the Zelena Laguna resort, five kilometres south. Both are public, both are worth knowing, and people book a hotel for one and end up walking to the other. Here is which is which.
Checked: 12 September 2026
1. The town beach below the Valamar Parentino hotel
This is the one most people mean when they search for 'Parentino beach'. It lies on the shore south of the old town, below the Valamar Parentino hotel, which stands between a park and the sea a ten-minute stroll from the historic centre; the hotel gives the distance from its door to the water as 130 to 200 metres. The beach is small and shaded by pines, has an easy entry into the sea, and looks back across the bay at the bell tower of the Euphrasian Basilica, which is the reason to come in the evening. The town's tourist board lists it among the beaches of Poreč as the town beach below the hotel, with a beach bar next to it. Like every beach in Croatia it is public maritime domain: you do not need to be a hotel guest.
2. The Parentium beach at Zelena Laguna
Five kilometres south of the centre, in the Zelena Laguna resort of Plava Laguna, the Hotel Parentium has its own beach: pebbles and stone, a Blue Flag for water quality and safety, showers, sun loungers and umbrellas for hire, an outdoor fitness area under the pines, hammocks, pedal boats and water sports for rent, and a seafood restaurant behind it. Next door, the beach of the Zelena Laguna campsite is partly paved and pebbled, partly rock, has its own Blue Flag, a separated naturist section, a small boat harbour and beach volleyball, tennis, table tennis and mini golf. From town you get there on foot or by bike along the coastal path, or by car to the resort car parks.
Which one for what
- Staying in the old town or the centre, an hour of sea before dinner, the view of the basilica: the town beach below the Valamar Parentino, ten minutes on foot.
- A full day with children, loungers, sports and a Blue Flag: the Parentium beach and the campsite beach at Zelena Laguna, five kilometres south.
- Both are free to use; you pay only for loungers, umbrellas and rentals. Both are stone and pebble, so water shoes help, as almost everywhere in Istria.
- In September and October the sea is still warm enough for most people; the current temperature for Poreč is on our sea-temperature page.
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Poreč on video
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Frequently asked questions
- Where is Parentino beach in Poreč?
- On the shore south of the old town, below the Valamar Parentino hotel, about ten minutes on foot from the historic centre. A second beach with a similar name, the Parentium beach, is at the Zelena Laguna resort five kilometres south.
- Can I use the hotel beaches without staying at the hotel?
- Yes. Beaches in Croatia are public maritime domain and cannot be closed to the public; you pay only for loungers, umbrellas and rentals.
- Which of the two has a Blue Flag?
- The Parentium beach at Zelena Laguna, and the neighbouring beach of the Zelena Laguna campsite, which is awarded the Blue Flag year after year.
Official sources
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