The Underwater Museum of Medulin opens to the public: sold-out tours in Bijeca Bay
30/06/2026
Medulin (Croatia), 15 June 2026
Under the sea, history is never far away. In Bijeca Bay, in Medulin, the archaeological remains rest just 1–2 metres below the surface. On Monday 15 June, as part of the VALUE Plus Cultural Festival, the Municipality of Medulin organised free guided tours of the “Underwater Museum”. This new cultural and tourist attraction was set up as one of the project’s pilot actions.
Visitors could explore the site in three ways:
- by boat, on vessels fitted with a glass viewing device, with tours at 17:00, 18:00 and 19:00, each lasting 30–40 minutes;
- snorkelling, guided by an underwater archaeologist;
- freediving, organised on the same site.
Boarding took place from a floating pontoon at the Arena Medulin Campsite.
The underwater trail covers five archaeological locations: millstones, a Roman road, saltworks, a salt storage facility and a saltworks channel. Together they tell the story of the productive life of this stretch of the Istrian coast in Roman times. Each group was accompanied by an archaeologist who explained the remains and their context.
Public interest was exceptional. All 80 places were booked within a very short time after the call was published. Places were limited by the capacity of the boats and by safety rules for diving. Participants included local residents and both Croatian and international tourists, adults and children alike. They described the experience as unique and especially valued the expert guidance. The tour was planned for 14 June and moved to the following day because of strong waves.
The initiative was widely covered by local and national media, including reports on HRT 1 and Nova TV, as well as online news portals.
The event was organised by the Municipality of Medulin with expert support from the Archaeological Museum of Istria and hosted by the Arena Medulin Campsite. The pilot action included setting up and marking the underwater trail and presenting the underwater archaeological heritage. It shows how VALUE Plus makes the cultural heritage of the Adriatic accessible in new and engaging ways.