From Kamenjak via Pula, Rovinj and Brijuni to Učka and Buzet: the new “Wunderschön!” episode brings together landscapes, people and food – and, according to ARD, remains available until 2031.
The documentary is not a short promotional clip
“Istrien – Kroatiens überraschende Halbinsel” (“Istria – Croatia’s surprising peninsula”) is an 89-minute episode of the ARD travel series “Wunderschön!”. It was broadcast on 16 August 2026 and can be watched free of charge in the ARD Mediathek. Presenter Stephanie Müller-Spirra guides viewers through the region; subtitles are available.
The media library lists 16 August 2031 at 05:00 as the end of availability. Such dates can change if rights arrangements change, but they are considerably more reliable than an unattributed third-party upload. Golden Beach therefore links directly to the official ARD page and does not reproduce either the video or its preview image.
The journey begins at Cape Kamenjak
The trip starts in southern Istria at Cape Kamenjak, including a view from a kayak. The episode then continues to Pula and its Roman amphitheatre. There, the presenter also meets Marko Purišić, known as Baby Lasagna – a modern pop-culture contrast to the ancient setting.
Anyone wishing to visit Kamenjak or Pula still needs current opening hours and access and parking rules after watching the film. The documentary provides images and context; it is not an up-to-the-minute operating guide.
Rovinj, Poreč and Brijuni show three different sides of Istria
Rovinj represents the densely built coastal town and its Venetian-influenced silhouette, Poreč its urban history and cultural heritage, and Brijuni its island nature and layers of history. These stops are not simply next to one another on a single walk. Viewed as a planning aid, the episode is particularly useful for setting priorities instead of creating an unrealistic one-day list.
A television evening can therefore help with an initial decision: more old town, more island, more coastal landscape, or perhaps accommodation inland. Anyone wishing to retrace every location should spread them across several days.
With Učka and Buzet, the episode leaves the coastal postcard behind
In the Učka mountains, the presenter hikes with alpinist Ines Papert. Around Buzet, the focus turns to truffles; other stops connect landscape, food, olive oil and wine. The film thus presents Istria not merely as a series of attractive harbour towns, but also as a cultivated and inhabited hinterland.
This change of perspective offers the greatest practical value for planning: anyone hoping to avoid coastal heat and full car parks in high summer can see alternatives. Weather, trail conditions and providers still need to be checked before an actual trip.
What the film does well – and what it does not replace
A carefully edited television journey can relate places to one another, make distances tangible and spark interest in people or subjects that would never appear in a search list. But it compresses several days of filming into 89 minutes. Waiting times, traffic, prices and seasonal closures inevitably disappear.
The episode is therefore especially useful in the first or second round of planning. Official information from car parks, nature parks, museums and ferry operators should follow. A beautiful moment on camera does not guarantee that the same place will be quiet, open or windless on the day of your own visit.
How to turn 89 minutes into a travel plan
On the first viewing, note only three things: Which landscape appeals to you, which activity genuinely suits you, and which place would still be interesting in less-than-perfect weather? Only then consider distances and where to stay. This keeps the episode from becoming a frantic checklist.
Families, people with limited mobility and travellers with dogs should make a second check for every favourite. The documentary portrays a region; accessibility, age limits, leash requirements and current admission prices must be confirmed by the respective operators.
Go directly to the official version
The most reliable version is in the ARD Mediathek under the title “Istrien – Kroatiens überraschende Halbinsel”. Running time, subtitles, broadcast date and availability are listed together there. Free access does not mean that images or excerpts may be reused freely.
Golden Beach recommends the episode as a clearly labelled editorial media tip. We neither adopt its statements or images as our own nor claim viewing figures from tourism publicity. Its value is simply the chance to spend almost an hour and a half getting to know Istria in German from several perspectives.
Evidence
Sources & date
Sources support the facts. Planning notes and recommendations are Golden Beach editorial assessments.
Time-sensitive information may change. Please check the linked primary source before travelling.
