Introduction
The seaside resorts nearest to Zagreb are packed around the Kvarner Gulf, a large deep bay sheltered by mountains of up to 1500 m. The Kvarner region separates the Istrian Peninsula from Dalmatia and its chief city is the hard-working and slightly austere industrial port of Rijeka. Half an hour west of Rijeka is Opatija, Croatia’s oldest coastal resort. Packed with grandiose, Austro-Hungarian-style hotels, it attracts an elderly clientele of middle-class Europeans.
Kvarner also has its share of islands. The largest and easiest to reach is Krk – linked to the mainland by bridge – which has a string of rather uninspiring package resorts along the west coast, a pretty monastery on the islet of Košljun and a stunning sand beach on the southeast coast at Baška.
Slightly more upmarket, the island of Rab is best known for Rab Town, a romantic medieval settlement built on a walled peninsula with four bell towers creating a distinctive skyline. There is no shortage of good beaches here, especially Lopar Peninsula to the north which offers long stretches of sand and pebbles.
West of Rab, Cres is a long, thin island of scanty pastures, dry stonewalls and more sheep than people. With few memorable cultural monuments, it remains firmly off the beaten track, but for those who enjoy hiking and wildlife, the pine forests of the Tramuntana offer blissful walks and great opportunities for birdwatching.
South of Cres, and linked to it by a bridge, the island of Lošinj attracts tourists to the pretty town of Mali Lošinj, renowned for a string of 19th-century villas, each set amid a garden filled with exotic plants. The sister town of Veli Lošinj is smaller, quieter and undeniably more authentic.
Returning to the mainland, east of Rijekja soar the rugged heights of Gorski Kotar, part of which is contained within Risnjak National Park, offering well-marked hiking paths, dense pine forests and bracing mountain air.
