The Kristofor glides away from Poreč's main riva with the town's stone façades shrinking behind you and the open Adriatic stretching ahead like a promise. Salt air moves through the rails; gulls wheel and the west coast of Istria passes in a slow roll of cliffs, olive terraces and red-tiled roofs. This is a day designed around the sea: a two-hour stop in Rovinj to walk cobbled lanes and climb to St. Euphemia’s tower, followed by a quieter afternoon circling Lim Fjord, visiting the so-called Pirate Cave and diving into blue-green water for a swim and sun.