Camping Lanterna Resort sits on a pine-covered peninsula just outside Poreč, Croatia. I first camped here as a teenager and always wondered if the place would still feel special after all these years. Spoiler: it does, and it is way better equipped now.
As usual, we skipped the resort’s mobile homes and booked a Eurocamp tent. Think of it as camping on easy mode – proper mattresses, electricity, and a small kitchen corner ready to go. We love the “open-zip-door, smell-the-sea” vibe you only get under canvas, and Eurocamp handles all the faff so you can start holidaying the minute you roll in.
Over the next sections I will break down what has changed since my first trip, what still rocks, and where Camping Lanterna could improve. Expect straight-to-the-point tips, honest pros and cons, and zero fluffy sales talk. Let’s dive in.
Fast Facts at a Glance
Lanterna sits on its own green peninsula in Tar-Vabriga, halfway between the medieval stone lanes of Novigrad (7 km north) and lively Poreč (13 km south) on the west coast of Istria. Picture 83 hectares of fragrant pine and oak woodland tapering into almost three kilometres of Adriatic shoreline, dotted with pebble coves, one sandy family beach and a few rocky ledges for cliff-style sunbathing.
Size-wise, Camping Lanterna feels more like an outdoor resort town than a campsite: it can sleep up to about 9 200 guests at peak, spread across roughly 1 700 touring pitches, 1 400 rental units, plus glamping tents and dog-friendly themed zones. The official season usually stretches from mid-April to early October, giving you a solid half-year window to play with.
Camping Lanterna – Location and Access
Lanterna Premium Camping Resort spreads across a wooded peninsula in the municipality of Tar-Vabriga. It sits bang in the middle of Istria’s west coast, roughly 13 kilometres north of Poreč and 7 kilometres south of Novigrad. The spot is easy to find in any GPS app – just tap “Lanterna Camping Resort” and let the blue dot lead you to a headland wrapped in almost three kilometres of shoreline.
Getting there – car, plane, bus or ferry
By car (our road-trip choice)
We drove the whole way down from Sweden, hop-scotching Denmark, Germany, Austria and Slovenia before the final leg along Croatia’s A9 motorway, known locally as the Istrian Y. The A9 forms the region’s north-south backbone and drops you at the Novigrad exit less than 15 minutes from the campsite gates. Tolls are pay-as-you-go (cards accepted) and the main stretches are now dual-carriageway, with the last widening works scheduled to finish by late 2026.
Tips from the road: Buy your Austrian and Slovenian e-vignettes online before you reach the borders. If you would rather skip the Mirna bridge toll, leave the A9 earlier and follow the scenic coastal road through Novigrad. The detour hugs the water, adds only a handful of minutes, and rewards you with postcard views of fishing boats and salt flats.
By air
If you would rather shave days off the journey, fly in and hire a car:
- Pula (PUY) – 50-55 km, about one hour’s drive. This is the closest and has the widest summer schedule.
- Trieste (TRS) – 110-120 km, one hour forty minutes with a quick hop across the Slovenian border.
- Venice (VCE) – just over 200 km, budget two and a half hours via the A4 and Slovenian coast.
- Ljubljana (LJU) and Zagreb (ZAG) add a few extra kilometres but can be handy when low-cost carriers shift routes.
Valamar does not run a fixed shuttle, yet local transfer companies meet every scheduled flight – prices from 55-60 € per car from Pula.
By long-distance coach
FlixBus links Poreč with a web of European cities – think Munich in under nine hours or Berlin overnight – and runs several daily services from Trieste for under 15 €.
From Poreč bus station, local buses or a ten-minute taxi (about 15 €) cover the last 13 kilometres to the resort; there is also a summer shuttle that circles Poreč-Tar-Lanterna on an hourly loop.
By rail (and why it is the slow option)
There is no passenger rail on the west coast of Istria. The nearest Croatian station is Pazin, 35 kilometres inland, but most international travellers find it simpler to ride the train to Trieste or Koper, then hop on a FlixBus. The region has started upgrading its historic tracks, yet the project will not reach Poreč before the decade ends, so count on buses for now.
By sea
In high season fast catamarans dart across the Adriatic from Venice to Poreč up to twice a day. The crossing takes about three and a half hours and costs 74-84 € one-way; ticket desks sit next to Poreč’s waterfront park, an easy taxi ride from the campsite.
Last mile – from the main road to your pitch
Once you turn off the A9, brown “Camping Lanterna” signs steer you through Tar village straight to the gatehouse.
Arrival tip: As you pull into the signed parking area, glance right. The first row of reception booths belongs to tour operators such as Eurocamp, Selectcamp, and a few other agencies that run their own tents and mobile homes inside the resort. Check in there if you booked through one of them. Guests using Lanterna’s own accommodation drive a few metres farther, pass the barrier, and use the main Valamar reception, which is also on the right. Not sure which desk is yours? The parking staff are happy to point you in the right direction.
Accommodation Options – finding “your” Lanterna setup
Caming Lanterna is the sort of place that hands you a menu rather than a single recipe. You can rock up with a two-person pop-up or move straight into a designer chalet with an infinity pool – and just about every stepping-stone in between. Below is an overview of what is on offer right now, plus a quick look at the ready-made units run by outside tour operators and a note for anyone travelling with a dog.
Pitch up with your own wheels or canvas
Valamar’s standard pitches sit slightly inland, measure roughly 60-80 m², and come with mains electricity. Step up to Comfort and Comfort Mare categories and you get up to 100 m², water and drainage, and (for the Mare rows) front-row views of the Adriatic. If you need more elbow room there are Mega Comfort plots at 120-150 m² and the Family Mega Luxury zone that maxes out at 400 m², complete with its own barbecue and private shower. Camper-service points, freshly renovated sanitary blocks and dish-washing huts are scattered every few hundred metres, so it never feels like a trek with a toothbrush.
Mobile homes direct from Valamar
Book through Valamar and you choose between a string of themed “villages.” Maro Village wraps family chalets around a mini water park, Istrian Village adds local-stone façades and herb borders, while hill-top Punto Blu keeps things boutique with just thirty wood-clad units and a sunset infinity pool. Floor plans range from 30 m² two-bed models to 38 m² three-bed family lodges, all air-conditioned, all with big covered terraces and fully equipped kitchens.
Glamping tents and tiny houses
If you fancy proper mattresses and a sea view without losing the canvas vibe, the Tar Bay Glamping Village lines 28 safari-style tents above the beach. Each tent gives you around 35 m² of floor space, a real bathroom, a kitchenette with fridge, and a front deck that catches the sunset over Novigrad.
Ready-made stays with external operators
Not keen on hauling gear? Companies such as Eurocamp, Canvas Holidays, Vacansoleil, Happy Camp, Roan Camping Holidays and Easyatent maintain their own rows of air-conditioned mobile homes or fully furnished bungalow tents inside the resort. Think real beds with linen, a gas barbecue, a small but serviceable kitchen. You still wear the same wristband and use every pool, bar and beach as Valamar guests; the only difference is where you pick up your welcome pack – those operator booths you saw on the right as you entered.
Bringing the dog to Camping Lanterna
Camping Lanterna does allow pets. The Happy Dog Premium Village sits by Tar Bay and bundles paw-friendly mobile homes with fenced decks, an agility park and a tiny pebble dog-beach. Selected pitch rows and several standard mobile-home lines also accept up to two pets per unit, and there are showers for rinsing sandy paws next to most sanitary blocks
Facilities and On-Site Amenities
Pools and splash zones at Camping Lanterna
Camping Lanterna is a dream if you, or your kids, measure holiday quality by pool count. The headline attraction is Aquamar, a family water park packed with eight heated freshwater pools, twisty slides and a full-size pirate ship. Count every lagoon, toddler splash pad and seawater infinity pool scattered round the peninsula and you land at sixteen pools with more than 2 600 m² of water surface. If you book one of the hill-top chalets in Punto Blu Premium Village you unlock an extra perk: a quiet, guests-only infinity pool with panoramic sunset views and waiter service.
Beaches at Camping Lanterna
Three kilometres of coast wrap the campsite, and the character changes every few hundred metres. In front of the Glamping Village at Tar Bay you step straight onto a natural mix of sand, small pebbles and flat sun-bathing rocks; wander south and you hit Valeta, a man-made sandy cove that is perfect for sand-castle ambitions. A separate stretch beside Happy Dog Village lets four-legged campers paddle without side-eye from sun-lounger neighbours.
Beach access itself is simple: once you are through the campsite gate you can walk the full shoreline, but the front-row sunbeds in a couple of premium zones and the Punto Blu sundeck are reserved for the guests who sleep there. Outsiders cannot just wander in -reception issues wristbands and road-barrier passes, so the crowd on the sand is always people who are actually staying on site.
Sanitary blocks at Camping Lanterna
Because we camped under canvas, the sanitary facilities mattered. There are 15 modern blocks dotted around the grounds, each with plenty of showers, changing cubicles and toilets, plus baby rooms, accessible cabins and even dedicated dog showers.
Every block has a resident cleaning team. You will see the staff making rounds all day. The buildings stay brightly lit after dark. In a full week I never queued for a shower, even at peak morning rush. Need to wash clothes? Pop a token into the washer-dryer stations located in blocks 8, 14 and 15; detergent is included.
Food and drink at Camping Lanterna
The central Piazza feels more like a tiny village square than a campsite hub. You will find a supermarket, a Valfresco deli, a bakery and a daily green market piled high with Istrian tomatoes and figs. If cooking seems like effort, order through the Valfresco Direkt app and a golf-cart courier will drop groceries at your pitch within the hour.
When hunger wins over kitchen pride, grab a table at Grano Duro Pizza & Pasta, La Pentola Trattoria Italiana, seafood-focused Tuna Bay, family-friendly Oliva Grill, pizzeria Kras or the rustic Konoba Bokoon for local stews. Scatter those meals with cold drinks from beach bars such as Movida or Mezzino, where live bands or acoustic duos crop up several nights a week, and keep an eye on the Lanterna Summer Nights programme for free open-air cinema screenings and dance shows right on the sand.
Sports, wellness and handy extras at Camping Lanterna
The resort brands itself as “a town where you sleep in the woods,” and the sports offer proves it. V Sport Park bundles tennis courts, a multi-use arena, beach-volleyball nets, a bowls court, an 18-hole adventure mini-golf course and even a skate park. Daily Stay Fit classes—yoga, aqua aerobics, morning runs—are free for anyone with a wristband. Paddleboards, kayaks, pedal boats and small motorboats wait down at the marina for a fee.
When muscles complain, the Balance Mediterranean Spa by Valamar has a menu of sports massages, facials and aromatherapy rituals, and right next door a compact indoor gym keeps rain-day calories in check. Add in a hairdresser, manicure station, bike-rental hut and an experience-concierge desk that books truffle hunts or wine tours, and you really can treat the place like an à-la-carte resort—just be ready to tap the wristband or card for every extra.
Family Friendliness and Accessibility at Camping Lanterna
Lanterna was designed with multi-generation holidays in mind, so the minute you roll in you notice how neatly every age group is catered for. Valamar’s own “Maro” concept splits the kids’ programme by age: Baby Club for the tiniest campers (up to three), Mini Club for ages three to seven, Maxi Club for seven to twelve, and a Teen Lounge loaded with consoles, foosball tables and beanbags for anyone who has officially outgrown finger-painting.
Each club runs a structured, multilingual timetable from mid-morning to early evening. Mornings lean toward crafts and science experiments, afternoons switch to pool games or beach volleyball, and after dinner the whole gang reunites on the main square for a mini disco or open-air movie. Parents often use that slot to steal a quiet drink at the neighbouring beach bar, knowing staff have eyes on the kids until the last “Baby Shark” remix fades out.
The youth fun is not fenced inside one building either. More than a dozen playgrounds are scattered between pitch rows and mobile-home lanes, so toddlers can clamber while adults keep an eye on dinner sizzling at the barbecue. Older children drift toward the eighteen-hole adventure mini-golf course or the skate park next to V Sport Park, where organised tournaments—football, basketball, even table-tennis knock-outs—fill the weekly animation board. Bike-rental huts stock everything from balance bikes to full-suspension MTBs, and the Stay Fit team hosts guided family rides when the heat drops in the late afternoon.
Accessibility is another box Camping Lanterna ticks confidently. The main paths are wide, well-paved and mostly level, so pushing a stroller or wheelchair from pitch to pool is a breeze. Gentle ramps lead down to the central Valeta beach and into every sanitary block, and reserved parking bays sit right outside the Maro Village pool for guests with reduced mobility. A slow-moving mini-train loops the peninsula every twenty minutes in high season; hop on with a buggy or tired toddler, hop off by the water park or the marina.
Safety feels tight but unobtrusive. Barrier cards and wristbands filter all incoming traffic, 24-hour security patrols cruise the lanes, and lifeguards watch both the Aquamar complex and the busiest beach coves. After sunset the whole internal road network stays softly lit, making evening strolls with a pram feel relaxed rather than tricky.
A personal note here: I first camped at Lanterna as a kid and rarely remember asking, “What can I do now?” Between organised treasure hunts, spontaneous water-balloon wars and those legendary mini discos, my parents actually managed to finish novels on their loungers. Two decades later I can see why—the resort still gives grown-ups guilt-free breathing space while the animation crew keeps youngsters buzzing. If you are travelling with children, expect them to crash into bed each night happily exhausted—and expect to enjoy a proper adult conversation over Istrian wine before doing the same yourself.
Our Personal Experience at Camping Lanterna and Verdict
Coming back to Camping Lanterna after a twenty-year gap felt a bit like visiting a childhood theme park and discovering it has levelled up into a full-blown resort. I last camped here when I was eight or nine; this time I returned as a twenty-nine-year-old with my husband for our first holiday as a party of two.
Camping Lanterna has grown up too. Where I once remember one main pool and a small grocery hut there is now an entire village of restaurants, shops and splash zones. You could park the car on day one, hide the keys for a week, and never feel stranded for anything. That level of self-sufficiency is gold for travellers who want an all-inclusive vibe without boarding a cruise ship.
We are not usually that kind of traveller. We like to roam, to hop in the car after lunch and chase viewpoints or wineries. Still, it was reassuring to know that a hot pizza, a bag of charcoal or a spare swimsuit were always a five-minute flip-flop walk away. For families who prefer to stay put, Lanterna is basically holiday autopilot.
Sleep, noise and the morning soundtrack
Our Eurocamp tent surprised us with proper mattresses and enough headroom for my six-foot-two husband to stand upright. Nights were quiet except for cicadas and the occasional sea breeze rattling the canvas. Daytime is a different story. Lanterna’s pools are toddler magnets, so mid-morning and late afternoon become a cheerful riot of squeals and splash fights. We dodged the crowds by wandering north along the rocky shoreline and laying out a blanket on one of the empty ledges. Five minutes of walking bought us private Adriatic views every time.
Dining on the go at Camping Lanterna
Lanterna’s restaurants range from solid snack stops to sit-down seafood dinners. We mostly used them for quick refuelling before driving out to explore coastal towns. Service was brisk, prices were resort-standard rather than budget, and nobody blinked when we ordered just a salad and a cold drink. Deep-dive food reviews are coming in a separate post, but the short version is: reliable for convenience, not the reason you book the stay.
Why Eurocamp won us over
Booking through an external operator turned out to be a sweet deal. Seven nights cost us 1900 DKK, roughly 2800 SEK (around €280), for a tent that can sleep five. Whether you fill every bed or travel as a couple, the price holds steady, and you still get full access to every pool, show and sports court on site. We showed up with clothes, towels and curiosity; Eurocamp supplied everything else. If you value a light car or fly in with hand luggage, this model is hard to beat.
Would we return to Camping Lanterna?
Absolutely, but probably not next summer. We spent so little time inside the resort that a smaller, cheaper campsite would have matched our road-tripping style better. Camping Lanterna shines when you plan to stay put, especially with kids. Should we travel with future little ones, the built-in animation clubs and fenced playgrounds will be a lifesaver. For now, we log this week as a nostalgic, hassle-free success, tip our hats to how far the place has come, and keep scouting for quieter corners of the Adriatic that let our wheels and curiosity roll a bit farther each day.
Get here
Frequently Asked Questions About Poreč Camping Lanterna
Are the pools heated outside peak summer?
Yes. All Aquamar pools and most kids’ splash zones are heated to around 28 °C from opening day in April until early June, and again from mid-September to closing.
Is Wi-Fi strong enough for remote work?
The free network is fine for email and browsing. If you need video calls, buy the premium plan (about €5 per day) or bring a local e-SIM for 4G speeds.
What are supermarket opening hours?
Main market: 07.00-21.00 daily in high season, 08.00-19.00 in spring and autumn. The Valfresco app delivers within the resort until 19.30.
Can I bring my dog everywhere?
Dogs are allowed on most pitch rows, the Happy Dog Village beach, and signed walking trails. They cannot enter the Aquamar water park or indoor restaurants.
How noisy is the campsite at night?
Animation ends by 23.00. After that the resort enforces a quiet period. If you are a very light sleeper, choose pitches in the pine belt just north of Sanitary Block 10.
