Croatia Travel Blog

Archive for the ‘Kvarner’ Category

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. 

One of my very favorite of Croatia’s many idyllic islands is untamed Cres Island. It’s not hard to reach–there are regular ferries from Valbiska on the mainland–but it just feels so remote. Large patches of this long island (shaped like an exclamation point) are pastures, shrubs and pine forests but there are also some wonderful beaches, like Valun. For whatever reason, Cres has been under the radar and largely apart from the great tourist rush to Croatia.

No more.

The Times has just delivered a glowing write-up of Cres Island under the headlines: “Relaxing Holidays Away from the Beach”; “A Secret Island in Croatia”.

I was pleased to see the attractions of Beli highlighted but there are also other highlights in Cres that are unmentioned, such as “artistic” Osor, “Venetian” Cres Town and the marvellous sandy beach at the aforesaid Valun. Read more about Cres Island.