Croatia Travel Blog

Archive for the ‘Kvarner’ Category

As my personal holiday favorite, I was happy to see Opatija highlighted in this week’s Telegraph. Travel writer Julia Warren noted that Austrian musicians will present a special concert in Opatija on April 23 featuring music by Mozart, Dvorak and Bartok. Fittingly enough, the concert will take place in the opulent Crystal Ballroom of the Hotel Kvarner, once a choice address for vacationing Austrians. Although the hotel is now outclassed by the five-star Hotel Ambassador with its luxuriant spa, the faded elegance of the Kvarner still holds allure.

A tourism official remarks forlornly in the article that Opatija feels “forgotten” in comparison to high-profile Dubrovnik which is true but Opatija could learn some lessons from the relentless self-promotion of its southern sister. For example, the lovely Villa Angelina is, as Ms. Warren notes, now home to. . .a museum of Opatija tourism. Surely a more compelling use could be found for this 19th-century villa.

With its ice cream parlours, flaky pastries, Belle Epoque structures and a restful seaside promenade, Opatija successfully evokes another age and it remains a great base for further explorations. Nearby Volosko has one of Croatia’s finest restaurants, Plavi Podrum, and not much farther is Lovran, another architectural delight. Nature-lovers can easily take a ferry to unspoiled Cres Island and its famous griffon vultures.

Read more about Opatija

While passenger numbers zoomed at other Croatia airports–Zagreb, Split, Dubrovnik and Zadar airports recorded impressive increases this year–Rijeka‘s airport has seen a decline. That should change next year. Concerned about this year’s lack of direct flights from northern Europe to Rijeka’s airport,  tourism officials and Rijeka airport struck a deal with Croatia Airlines, Croatia’s national carrier, to subsidize a route from London Heathrow to Rijeka airport (actually on Krk Island).

Novilist has reported that there will be a weekly Wednesday flight from London Heathrow to Rijeka starting April 20, 2011 and running to October 19. The dates are important for local tourism officials who want to encourage traffic to the region outside of the peak summer season. With a price of only €200, tourists would be well advised to give this region a try even though the target market for the deal is Croatian diaspora in the UK and USA.

So what can you do when you arrive in Rijeka? Relax in the stately coastal resort of Opatija, rent a car and explore Istria, embark on a cruise of the northern Dalmatian islands and, oh yes, visit Rijeka!

See more on flights to Croatia.

It’s been a long time in the making, but finally “The Beautiful and the Damned” is ready to begin filming. Keira Knightly will play wildwoman Zelda Fitzgerald in this pic based on F Scott Fitzgerald’s life. Rumours are that Leonardo di Caprio will play F Scott.

Croatians are excited that portions of the film will be shot in Zagreb and Opatija. Were the Fitzgeralds ever in Croatia? Dear readers, I don’t think so. So I wonder which European cities Zagreb and Opatija will represent? My bet is Paris and Nice. The Fitzgeralds did spend a fair amount of time boozing it up in Paris and also spent some time on the Cote d’Azur. Opatija is often called “Croatia’s Nice” for the dramatic coastal scenery. Architecturally, the towns aren’t dissimilar as Opatija’s architecture dates from the late 19th-century Austrians who took the waters there while Nice was a seaside favorite of 19th-century Brits who left a strong architectural imprint. Getting Zagreb to pass as Paris could be tougher. With clever camera angles and lighting, I suppose that certain streets in Zagreb’s medieval Upper Town could suggest Paris’ Left Bank.

Shooting is scheduled to begin this spring and should shed a well-deserved spotlight on two of Croatia’s most underrated destinations: Zagreb and Opatija.

The beautiful islands of Losinj and Cres will be much easier to visit, especially for Austrians. Starting in May 2010 and continuing through September Innsbruck and Mali Losinj will be connected by weekly charter flights. A recent promotional flight brought 40 passengers to the tiny Losinj airport for the first time in 20 years. Long used as a launchpad for sightseeing flights and air taxis, the Losinj airport will require significant investment in order to lengthen the runway. As soon as that’s done, Mali Losinj should have a jump in demand for its newly renovated four star hotels.

See more about Losinj and Cres islands or flights to Croatia.

If it’s Fat Tuesday it must be the end of the spectacular Rijeka Carnival. Beginning on January 17, most Carnival festivities officially ended on February 3 with the final lowering of the Carnival flag. But it was a wild few weeks. Each year the Rijeka Carnival induces some 10,000 people to don costumes and parade the streets alongside 100 Carnival floats.  There’s a Children’s Parade, and International Parade, masked balls and a prestigious Carnival party not to mention the famous Rijeka Bell Ringers. Naturally, the ever-lively Rijeka nightlife reaches fever pitch until the whole extravaganza ends with the Burning of the Pust. And now it’s all over until next year.

Read more about the  Rijeka Carnival and other sights to see in Rijeka.