Opatija Riviera
Opatija is the centre of a 30-km-long riviera set between the green slopes of Mount Učka and the blue expanse of the sea.
Whether you tour the riviera along a winding scenic road or on a yacht, you will be charmed by the combination of cultivated scenery and unspoilt nature.
The picture would not be complete without the famous Lungomare promenade, which is 10 km long. To visit Opatija and not walk along the Lungomare is like going to Rome and not seeing the Pope.
From royal Opatija to the medieval fortified towns and shepherd’s hamlets on Učka, it is only half an hour’s drive along scenic roads! Each of the places around Opatija has its own unique attraction.
The charm of the fishing villages of Volosko and Mošćenička Draga, the urban rush of Rijeka, the absolute calm of the dazzling white pebble beaches and green forest clearings - miss out on just one of these and you’ll never complete the picture.
Icici
The sea has always been the main resource for the people of Ičići ever since the ninth century BC when the Liburnians (an Illyrian tribe) used to build their fast ships along these coasts and then sail to North Africa and Asia Minor. It is therefore no wonder that this ancient connection with the sea has been preserved right up to the present day. Today, Ičići is most famous for its attractive beach and one of the best marinas in the Adriatic.
For more than a decade, Ičići beach has been awarded the Blue Flag, an international symbol of high-quality service and cleanliness, and has been listed as one of the five best-maintained beaches in Croatia. The marina, sheltered from the northern bura wind by Mount Učka, has 283 berths with electricity and water, and is the best harbour for yachts up to a length of 40 metres in the northern Adriatic.
However, Ičići offers much more than just enjoying the beach and sea. Visitors can spend an action-packed holiday doing a variety of sports activities such as speedminton, sand volleyball, beach aerobics, tennis, paintball and football at the nearby campsite. For hiking enthusiasts, there are numerous marked trails leading up to Mount Učka that start in Ičići and end at the top of the highest mountain in Kvarner.
Lovran
Lovran is a town with a long and diverse past, with a hundred-year-long tradition of tourism. It took its name from laurel, laurus nobilis, which grows abundantly in the evergreen groves in the town and environs.
Of all the places that have developed on the steep eastern slopes of Učka, Lovran is the oldest, coming into being directly on the coast of Liburnia. Lovran has preserved its historical core and medieval city plan. The old city was girt with defensive walls and bastions, on the foundations and walls of which, during time, houses have been built.The courtyards of the Old Town are a particular charm of Mediterranean cityscapes. Behind the stone portals the façades of the neighbouring houses can be seen, decorated with their steps, porches and vaults. In the centre of the courtyard is the wellhead.
A good climate, luxuriant Mediterranean vegetation and a favorable geographic location contributed to the rapid development of tourism during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Since that time, Lovran, together with Opatija, has been the most important locality on the famed Riviera. Several villas designed by the celebrated Viennese architect Carl Seidel dating from that period are part of the world architectural heritage.
At the beginning of the 21st century, Lovran can draw on a rich historical heritage, a hundred-year-old tradition of tourism, a well-preserved nature, a developed infrastructure and everything else that permits a new take-off in the tourist industry combined with sustainable development and respect for all ecological standards.