28 May 2021
Whichever Kvarner island you visit, whether it's one of the four large ones or one of the many smaller ones, make sure you take a deep breath. People have always come to Kvarner to improve their health, breathe the area's healthy and fresh air, and benefit from its mild climate – in short, to enjoy a Mediterranean cocktail in which the scents of the sea mix with the fragrances of aromatic herbs and dense, green forests.
Which are these Kvarner islands? Krk, Cres, Lošinj and Rab, each of them distinctive in its own way and worth visiting and exploring! Krk will offer you its own autochthonous grape variety, top-quality Vrbnik Žlahtina white wine, Krk pršut dry-cured ham, and Krk olive oil. On Cres, you can listen to the silence of Tramontana Forest, home to the legendary Macmalići forest creatures, observe the flight of griffon vultures that have made their home on the cliffs of the island, or taste Cres lamb. Rab, an island with more than 30 sandy beaches and the old town of Rab, known for its four Renaissance bell towers and rich culture and history, invites you to taste traditional Rab cake and octopus prepared under a baking lid, or pod pekom. What about the island of Lošinj? It's the island of vitality! Thanks to their beneficial microclimate, the island towns of Mali Lošinj and Veli Lošinj have been declared climatic health resorts, where excellent results in the treatment of respiratory and skin diseases have been achieved.
The four large islands are also a good starting point to visit smaller, more remote and secluded ones: Susak, Unije, Vele and Male Srakane, the islet of Košljun on the island of Krk, Plavnik and Mali Plavnik, Kormati, Prvić, Sv. Grgur and Goli Otok.
Here are some suggestions of what to do on Kvarner's islands:
Camino Krk is a new 100-km-long themed circular route which is part of the European network of St James pilgrimage routes (Camino de Santiago)
(www.ExperienceKrk.com/camino).
Krk Hike – take a walk around the island of Krk following a total of 300 km of marked and connected walking and hiking trails (www.krk.hr).
Vrbnik on the island of Krk is a must-see destination for food and wine lovers known for the intoxicating drops of Vrbnička Žlahtina quality wine and sparkling Valomet wine, which is left to age 30 metres under the sea. In Vrbnik, you'll also find 'Klančić' – the 'narrowest street in the world' (www.vrbnik.hr).
The island of Prvić is located south of Baška on the island of Krk. This is a protected botanical and bird reserve with a number of endemic plants and the second largest colony of griffon vultures after the island of Cres. It's a great idea for taxi boat trip (www.krk.hr)!
The village of Lubenice on the island of Cres is located on the top of a cliff 378 metres above the sea, and was once the centre of the Cres-Lošinj archipelago due to its unique geostrategic position. In addition to the beautiful view and stunning Sv. Ivan Beach, which lies at the foot of the cliff, the village itself is an interesting oval shape with two parallel winding streets passing through it in a south-north direction, while the other streets don't have names (www.tzg-cres.hr).
The Museum of Apoxyomenos in Mali Lošinj, located in the Kvarner Palace is unique in the whole world because it's entirely dedicated to a single exhibit: a bronze statue of a young athlete Apoxyomenos. This bronze Greek statue dating from the 2nd or 1st century BC was raised from the bottom of the sea near Lošinj in 1999, where it had lain for almost two millennia. It represents an athlete cleaning himself of oil, sweat and sand after training or competing. The unusual and mysterious story of this statue and the special museum display leave a strong impression on every visitor (www.muzejapoksiomena.hr).
The interpretation centre of the maritime heritage of the island of Lošinj and the Lošinj lugger 'Nerezinac' is an open-air museum, a restored sailing ship modelled on the Lošinj luggers of the late 19th century that is moored on the waterfront in the centre of Mali Lošinj. You can visit the ship and learn more about the long and rich maritime tradition of Lošinj in an interactive way (www.malabarka.eu).
Hiking trail from Mišnjak via Kamenjak to Lopar on the island of Rab – although there are kilometres of trails on the island that everyone can enjoy, this one's a real challenge. You thought that the most demanding hiking trail in Croatia is in the mountains? No, it passes right by the sea, on an island (www.rab-visit.com)!
The small islands of Sv. Grgur and Goli Otok near Rab are known locally as the sites of former infamous prisons, but today they're an interesting day trip destination, where, in addition to visiting the ruins of the prisons, you can encounter tame fallow deer on the island of Sv. Grgur (www.lopar.com).
When you find a Kvarner island to your liking, you'll return home healthier, happier, braver and more relaxed!
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Photo: Vladimi Franolić, Sandro Tariba
