A secret perhaps to some, yet not to everybody.

Kvarner Region has long been the preferred holiday choice of some very special visitors including European Royal families, composers including Gustav Mahler, writers including Anton Chekov and dancers including Isadora Duncan. Those who came all referred to the magical, unspoilt nature of Kvarner, a place offering well-being, inspiration, clarity and joy.

Today, visitors arrive by air, road and sea from across the world and for a variety of reasons.

Family friendly, quality camping right by the sea, stylish waterfront villas,  private accommodation overlooking the blue Adriatic, rustic inland hotels in our gorgeous green interior of the Ucka mountain foothills and Gorski Kotar to world class hotels from boutique style to five star luxury often in stunning waterfront locations. Our guests stay in all these places or on board motor cruisers and sailing craft both their own and hired.

They come for our unspoilt coastline, bays, beaches and coves. They come for our pristine, preserved nature which is home on the ground to bears and lynx , in the skies to the rare Eurasian Griffon vulture and in the sea to more than 150 dolphins who live in a colony near Losinj . They come for our great outdoors and sporting events (in October this year, the Kvarner Swim Challenge welcomed some 100 swimmers for the first ever swim between the islands of Cres and Krk). They come for our talked-about gourmet offer featuring Kvarner Bay scampi and fish served both in award winning locations and in simpler konobas (like tavernas). They come for the Jerry Ricks Blues Festival, the biggest in Croatia and other musical extravaganzas. They come for our exquisite architecture from original Liburnian stone ruins to Venetian palaces and Belle Epoque villas.   

Our Kvarner Gulf is the location of Croatia's largest islands, Krk and Cres and to some of the smallest inhabited ones,  Susak, Unije , Ilovik with  more in between including  Losinj and Rab, distinct in Croatia for her 25 plus sandy beaches  (rare in Croatia).

“Kvarner – diversity is beautiful” is how we are known: it is what our residents know and what our visitors discover.

Much has been happening recently:

• We've been in the movies and on TV as Hollywood chose Opatija and Rijeka as filming locations for “The Hitman's Bodyguard's wife” and the hit BBC TV series featured Opatija and her famous 12 kilometre lungomare, (seaside promenade) in the award winning “McMafia”series.
• In March, we welcomed Croatia's fifth Michelin star restaurant and Kvarner's first at “Draga di Lovrana” in the hills above Lovran and under the direction of a talented young chef from the nearby island of Krk.
• In April we saw the opening of Kvarner's first hotel which is a member of “Leading Hotels of the World” when the luxurious “Ikador” opened on the Opatija Riviera.

By the way:

• Our maritime heritage is all around us from the tiny museum of the sea in Moscenica Draga to the marine interpretive centre on Mali Losinj and, of course, everyone is talking about Rijeka 2020 the new home of “Galeb”, the private ship of 'Tito', former leader of ex Yugoslavia and the only craft ever allowed to sail up the River Thames in 1953 when British Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill welcomed the first Communist leader to visit the United Kingdom. [“Galeb” will be permanently moored in Rijeka harbour and is set to open as a maritime heritage museum-restaurant-floating hotel in December 2020]
• Famous 'Terme Selce' in Selce on the Kvarner Bay is a centre of health and medical excellence with emphasis on rehabilitation and movement and has treated Olympic medalists and famous sports people from around the world and around Croatia including the nation's much loved football team, World Cup runners up in 2018!

 Photo:Hrvoje Serdar, Frank Heuer 

www.kvarner.hr