Until 1993 Žminj was a part of the Municipality of Rovinj, which itself speaks of Žminj’s connections to Istria’s west coast and towards the central part of this beautiful peninsula. Somewhere halfway, Žminj certainly found its place under the sun. Green, healthy and sustainable tourism is characteristic of this culturally and gastronomically imposing municipality. Currently, Žminj represents a tourist destination with over 210 rental properties with a total of 1310 beds. These are mainly holiday homes with three, four and five star ratings. Some of the basic characteristics of our destination include a peaceful environment, local products, Istrian authenticity, along with unique experiences and connectedness of the local producers. For example, our guests have the opportunity to sleep in beautifully decorated outdoor tents, in nature, without electricity. This type of relaxing holiday can be booked at Robinson accommodation “Freedom” in village Čubani. Furthermore, one can sleep on hay, with chickens and donkeys, and every morning there’s an opportunity to collect eggs in a chicken coop and later prepare famous frita (scrambled eggs) for breakfast. This is just one part of the offer at “La Casa di Matiki”, which was recognized as best Bed & Breakfast in 2019 (on TripAdvisor). Žminj’s tourist offer also includes: old forgotten recipes, frescoes, dialects, customs, oral tradition, Istrian music, cave Feštinsko kraljevstvo (The Kingdom of Festini), sausages to go (offered by Žminjski gušti), Žminj’s coffee (ask for žminjsko kafe), specific handmade types of pasta, traditional biscuit “Christ’s crown”, numerous ponds, fresh donkey milk, homemade mozzarella, yogurts, cottage cheese, fresh butter, traditional prosciutto, wine, olive oils, old chapels, forests and viewpoints. Many of these can be found at our manifestations which are held throughout the year, for example: Istrijanske pinci pod čerepnjon na ugnjišće (making of traditional Easter cakes), Žminjski mačkari (Žminj's masquerade), Žminjska Bartulja (Žminj's main manifestation - celebration of St. Bartholomew), Armonike Zad kaštela (a day filled with accordion music), Sabor čakavskog pjesništva (Chakavian poetry manifestation), Žminjska štuorija (sightseeing tour of Žminj), Mali samanj u kuli (market in our Tower), Stočni sajam (Livestock fair), Štrigariji po žminjskeh križinah, Izložba jaslica u kuli (handmade nativity scenes), Rekreativna gastro – biciklijada (recreational gastro-cycling), Utrka Žminj teče(ka), biciklističke ture Otkrijte zelenu Istru biciklom (cycling tours – Discover Green Istria by Bike), Žminj craft beer festival, etc.
Žminj’s guests enjoy the tranquillity and greenery of our countryside along with the closeness to our beautiful coastline. One’s taste buds will sure enjoy trying new flavours in our taverns, restaurants, agritourisms, pizzerias and newly opened fast food. You can find out about life in Žminj and about its rich history, stone paved streets, frescoes, churches, cultural goods and gastronomy, each Wednesday at 10 AM when a one-hour free sightseeing tour of Žminj takes place. A licensed guide will take you around our town, who’s regularly dressed in our traditional costume of the Folklore Society of Cere (the oldest folklore society in Istria), while her face is adorned with Žminj’s rićin (a replica of an earring found in an old Croatian cemetery in Žminj).
At our numerous events, Žminj’s guests can participate in Istrian pasta or sweet bread making, and they can even register for playing at our traditional accordion manifestation held on the second Saturday in July. What is becoming a trend when it comes to eco-tourism, in Žminj, we dare say, is simply a way of life – the coexistence of locals and guests, who are staying in one of our 112 villages, do not burden the municipality’s centre and thus uninterruptedly experience our peaceful environment and everything that Žminj has to offer.