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Cres or Krk?!?

Posted by (Northern California USA) on

We've been working on our itinerary for our 3 week adventure coming up in Aug-Sept, which I'll share very soon for feedback...but right now, I'm wondering about Krk?

After spending 4 nights in Rovinj and enjoying everything that Istria has to offer (which is very much our "speed") - we are looking for a stopping point before getting to Zadar, then on down the rest of the coast... and I was thinking about maybe chilling in Krk for two nights. We'll leave Rovinj in the morning, maybe swing by Hum, Opatija and Rijeka, before landing in Krk, for two nights. The thought is that we'd have a full day to go exploring, perhaps find some secluded getaway beach/hiking area and get some R&R.

Does anybody have any wonderful hidden gems that they have found or heard about in Krk? There's not a lot written about it really... What area should be actually look for lodging in? Is there anything that we should make sure and see or do there?

We also looked at heading to Cres, maybe that would be materially better? It looks like Krk to Zadar would be about 3:45, driving down the coast. Cres to Zadar looks more like 5 hours...

I think we're looking for some of the feel of the "islands" without all the people or the "busy" that it sounds like a lot of the more popular islands have.

I love reading this forum and am so thankful to everyone who participates, I learn so much! We took a trip to Italy in 2016 and got exceptional advice! Thanks, in advance, for your thoughts!

Posted by
3843 posts

Have only been to Krk but just as day trippers from Rijeka, never stayed overnight. In August they get many Hungarian and Italian tourist who camp because they have many camping sights on the island. It gets extremely crowded on the weekends with day trippers like us and traffic over the bridge is stop and go. I don't particularly like the beaches there (a mixture of sand, rocks, and dirt) so we usually find a pier and swim off of that instead. I can't tell you the one we go to because we "just know" where it is by landmarks, not street names, sorry. Drive around till you see one you like. It is lovely to walk around and they have many nice restaurants. You will definitely be able to have some R&R there.

Posted by
151 posts

i would choose Cres before Krk, it is has less tourists, unspoilt beauty and has lots of secluded beaches. Take short ferry from Brestova, after your stay, cross from Merag to Krk.

Posted by
15 posts

Thanks for the feedback, Barbara & COTG! I like the idea of hanging out in Cres (and just passing thru Krk) - if we leave Rovinj early, we could be parked on a secluded beach by noon... then have a relaxing dinner/evening somewhere and spend the night... we'll miss Opatija/Rijeka, but can use those as a stopping point for a future trip. Maybe stretch it to two nights on Cres, but we'll see, might be stuck with just a one nighter (try to avoid those!)

Any favorite spots in Cres? :)

Posted by
151 posts

For school holidays, we spent summer on Cres. Stay in Valun, a beautiful fishing village, is has great beach and quality places to eat. Cres is a complete nature park and cannot disappoint.

Posted by
5384 posts

We spend a week in Istria every year, so slower pace than you. Don’t forget to visit Novigrad, Porec, Groznjan, and the Kamenjak peninsula. Vrsar is also lovely. I’d stay on Cres, but I’d skip Rijeka for sure. No need.

Posted by
1 posts

We would like to visit Cres in May. This will be our first trip to Croatia. I worry about the availability of ferries. After reading previous posts, I think we would take the ferry from Krk and stay a night on Cres. We would then take the ferry to Brestova and spend a couple of days in Istria. Will I need to book that ahead for May travel? Something about traveling by ferry makes me worry that we could have a problem getting to our next destination. Thanks

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