Istria Truffle Hunting
Istria’s white truffles come from the oak woods of the Mirna valley below Motovun, and the biggest one ever found, 1.31 kilograms, was dug up in Livade in 1999. This page compares the top-rated truffle hunting experiences in Istria: hunts with dogs from Motovun, Livade and Buzet, hunt-and-lunch and hunt-and-wine combinations, and the season calendar so you book white truffles when they are actually in the ground.
The season: white truffles from September to January, peaking in October and November; black summer truffles from May to September. The hunt is the same in any month; the price of what the dog finds is not.
Where: the Motovun forest along the Mirna river, Livade, and the hills around Buzet, the self-declared city of truffles.
The ladder: hunt and tasting; hunt and lunch with fuži and eggs; hunt and wine at a Momjan cellar. Most people are happiest with hunt plus lunch.
Truffle hunting in Istria: how it works
An Istrian truffle hunt is an hour or two in the damp oak and poplar woods of the Mirna valley with a hunter, a tartufar, and one or two dogs, then a table: fuži pasta or scrambled eggs shaved with what was found, local Malvazija or Teran, and, if you have booked it, a lunch built around truffles. The hunters are families who have done this for generations, and the woods around Motovun, Livade and Buzet are the same ones the Zigante truffle empire was built on.
The calendar
White truffle, Tuber magnatum, the expensive one, runs from September to January with October and November the peak. Black summer truffle, the scorzone, runs from May to September and is what a summer hunt finds. If white truffles are the reason you are coming, book October or November; if the walk and the dog are the point, any month works. Zigante Truffle Days fill the weekends in Livade from early October to the start of November, and Motovun’s Teran and Truffle festival follows in mid-October.
Motovun, Livade and Buzet
Motovun is the hilltop town everyone photographs, above the woods where most hunts start. Livade, in the valley below, is the truffle village, home to the record find and the festival. Buzet, further up the valley, calls itself the city of truffles and cooks a giant omelette with more than two thousand eggs on the second weekend of September. Hunts collect from all three and from Rovinj, Poreč and Pula on the coast.
Hunt, lunch or wine?
The basic hunt includes the walk and a tasting of the finds. Adding lunch gets you the full Istrian truffle table: fuži, eggs, pršut, cheese with truffle honey. Adding wine takes you to a Momjan or Buje cellar afterwards for Malvazija and Teran. Prices run roughly 60 to 100 euros for the hunt and tasting, 100 to 160 with lunch, more for private hunts.
Getting there
Motovun is 45 minutes from Rovinj, an hour from Pula, and about an hour and a half from Trieste or Ljubljana. Many hunts include transfer from the coast; otherwise a car is the practical answer, and inland Istria is easy driving.
What to wear
Closed shoes that can get muddy, long trousers, and a layer; the Mirna valley is cool and damp in truffle season, which is why the truffles like it.
Read next: 3 days in Istria: truffles, wine & olive oil · Croatia food & wine road trip: Istria to Dalmatia
How we choose
We list only experiences with a strong rating over a meaningful number of reviews and free cancellation where available, and we favour small-group and family-run hosts. FindEatLocal earns a commission when you book through GetYourGuide or Viator links on this page; it doesn’t change the price you pay. More about how we choose.
FAQ about Istria Truffle Hunting
Frequently asked questions
Why hunt truffles in Istria?
Because it is the same white truffle as Alba’s, Tuber magnatum, from woods twenty minutes from the sea, at prices that make a truffle lunch an ordinary thing to do.
When is truffle season in Istria?
White truffles September to January, peak October and November; black summer truffles May to September.
Are Istrian truffles as good as Alba’s?
Same species, same woods geologically, and Italian buyers have been quietly importing them for decades. They cost less because the name is less famous.
Are truffles guaranteed on a hunt?
No hunt can promise a find, but the hunters know their spots and the tasting afterwards uses the family’s own truffles regardless.
Can children come?
Yes; the dogs are the highlight. Check the walk length and minimum age on the listing.
How much does truffle hunting in Istria cost?
About 60 to 100 euros per person for the hunt and tasting, 100 to 160 with lunch, and from 200 for private hunts with wine.