Travel Croatia – Pretty places to visit on Krk Island

This travel guide is full of information and travel inspiration for first-time visitors to Krk Island in Northern Croatia. Come for the beach – stay for the friendly atmosphere.

Travel Croatia – Pretty places to visit on Krk Island

Croatians and international visitors, both, love spending time on Croatian islands. Positioned nicely in the centre of Kvarner bay, Krk Island, 28 kilometres long and 20 kilometres wide, is one of Croatia’s 1185 islands.

If you go all the way back, it looks as if almost everybody had a try at reigning, ruling, or governing over Krk. Venetians, French, Austro-Hungarians, Italians, Germans, and Yugoslavians. Then there were also countless pirate attacks locals had to withstand. Today, Krk is part of Croatia. The many changes in who ruled the island over the centuries created diversity. Today, four different dialects are spoken on Krk Island.

A bridge, with the name Krcki Most in Croatian, connects Krk Island, in the bay of Kvarner, to mainland Croatia. There is no need to jump on board a ferry to get here. Krk Island’s proximity to the mainland makes it the ideal place to plan a trip. Whether you want excitement or rest, crowds, or solitude, Krk is the island for you.

Travel Croatia – Pretty places to visit on Krk Island

 

Baška on the southeast coast of Krk Island

Are you beach-ready? Baška, a small village, surrounded by vineyards and olive groves, boasts the Kvarner Bay region's characteristic architecture. Think about narrow stone cottages and a church tower surrounded by red rooftops.

In Baška, you find small shops, souvenir shops and cafés and restaurants. Jump onto a bicycle or go hiking. There is also the possibility to rent water sports equipment like for example stand-up paddle boards plus a paddle. The main beach is a two kilometres long pebble beach. It is beautiful, and at the height of summer, it might be a challenge to find a free space after 10 am. Keep on walking along the promenade. You will find there are more beaches and endless possibilities to go for a swim. Come night, many bars along the waterfront in Baška open their doors.

Have you ever heard about the Glagolitic script? It is a vital part of Croatia's cultural heritage. From Baška, all the way to the Treskavac pass, you can wander a path with 34 stone sculptures. Each one represents one letter of the Glagolitic alphabet from a to Ω. The trail celebrates the century-old heritage of the Croatian language and literature. In St Lucy's Church, you can see the Glagolitic script in action in form of a stone plate. 13 lines of Glagolitic chiselled into a two metres long stone slab. The Baška Tablet dated from 1100, has inscriptions written in Glagolitic. What you find in St Lucy's Church is the replica. The Baška Tablet is the most important Croatian cultural monument. The original is now at home at the Palace of the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts in Zagreb.

Red rooftops of a maze of colourful houses by the sea.

Crystal blue sea in front of a mountainscape.

The black and beige bow of a wooden ship in crystal blue sea in front of a promenade lined with several rows of colourful houses and a forest.

A light yellow two-storeyed house decorated with brown wooden shutters and two hydrangea flower pots next to a grey-coloured narrow two-storeyed house decorated with one blue shutter and a blue front door, and a white garden chair and a potted palm tree next to it.

Three-storeyed houses decorated with red shutters and flower pots on a narrow lane that runs towards a three-storeyed house with blue shutters and a blue front door.

A concrete pier under a blue sky runs into the clear green-blue sea framed by a mountainscape.

The brown wooden entrance door decorated with a red and white lifebuoy, of a house with a white facade overgrown by pink bougainvillaea.

A pebbled beach with boulders, rocks, and beach plants by the clear green-blue sea under a blue sky.
Six empty wooden tables and chairs decorated with candles on a pier over a pebbled beach and into the sea at twilight.

Info: St Lucy’s Church. Jurandvor 148/A, 51523, Baška, Croatia.

Krk Town in the southwest of Krk Island

The largest town on the island of Krk is Krk town. When I say large, with that I mean large for the island of Krk. The population of Krk town is about 6.200 locals strong. So indeed, it is of considerable size given the size of Krk island.

There is a harbour and a picturesque promenade. Walk through medieval city gates to enter the 2000-year-old centre with its narrow stone-paved streets, little shops, and cafés, a fortress, and churches. When you reach Kamplin Square, have a look at the Frankopan fortress and the bell tower of the cathedral. Vela Plaza, with its old town hall built during the Venetian rule, is the heart of town where you find more shops, boutiques, cafés, and restaurants.

Krk town, gorgeous day, and night has several swimming beaches. All beaches are easy to reach by foot within moments. The nearest to the centre is Drazica beach. From the pier, you have a stellar view of the city wall, the red rooftops, and the bell tower of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The bell tower has an onion-shaped baroque spire. An angel overlooks Krk town from the spire's top. Fun fact: It is a plastic angel modelled after the original one designed in Venice.

Visit in the morning or late afternoon for happy and busy Mediterranean small-town vibes. If you want to take photos in peace, it is a good idea to visit sometime after noon. The town is heavenly sleepy in the early afternoon. 

A blue sailing boat moored in front of a town with a bell tower that has an onion-shaped baroque spire.

A walled-in old town with colourful houses and red rooftops and a bell tower that has an onion-shaped baroque spire by the sea.

Three people walk down a narrow lane in an old town.

A narrow cobble-stoned lane lined by pastel-coloured houses in light yellow and pink, one with the washing in front of one window.

A three-storeyed house decorated with flower pots and blue shutters on a narrow cobble-stoned lane.

Pink bougainvillaea.

A turquoise Vespa with a brown leather seat parked in front of a three-storeyed house on a narrow lane.

A long cobble-stoned narrow lane lined by two-storeyed limestone houses under a blue sky.

Info: Frankopan Castle. TRG Kamplin 7, 51500, Krk, Croatia. There is no parking in town, leave the car well outside of the centre. There are parking signs that guide you to the right spot. Parking is metered.

Vrbnik on the east coast of Krk Island

The little village of Vrbnik sits on the east coast of the island of Krk. The town clings to a cliff 49 metres above the Adriatic Sea. Literally. When you walk through the centre you will have to climb up and down winding steep alleys. The whole time. The stones are at times a bit slippery from all the people who have been using them for hundreds of years. The alley's stones have this excellent well-worn and lived-in feel.

The village church, the church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, built in 1325 has this unique atmosphere due to its position. It sits right in the middle of a maze of stone-paved narrow lanes. There is no large plaza in front of the church. Vrbnik's houses are seemingly built almost on top of each other, there is no space for a plaza. You turn a corner, and there it is. Don't forget to look up when you step inside, the coffered ceiling is too pretty.

Not too far from the village's church is Klancic. A 40-centimetre-wide street. Hold on a moment while you are probably stuck somewhere along its four-metre lengths. You are (so locals say) on one of the narrowest streets in the world.

Walk the steep path down to the harbour of Vrbnik. Every path seems to be steep here. If you stroll towards its protective stone wall, check out the beach directly below Vrbnik's old town. You will probably need a moment to find Pod Kovac. The secret beach is, exactly, hidden from view. You have to walk through a natural cliff passage to reach the twenty metres long pebble beach. Hidden and as pretty as a picture: Pod Kovac.

Boats moored in a small harbour with clear green-blue water in front of an old town, with a bell tower of a church at its centre, up on a hill.

People swim in the clear green-blue sea framed by a rocky mountainscape.

A white and brown boat moored on a concrete pier in front of an old town, with a bell tower of a church at its centre, up on a hill.

Three-storeyed houses decorated with flower pots and blue shutters on a narrow cobble-stoned lane.

A church and houses on a narrow cobble-stoned lane.

Paintings on a brown wooden coffered ceiling in a church.

A black and white cat asleep on the staircase of a house on a narrow cobble-stoned lane.

Info: 51516, Vrbnik, Croatia. 

Info Travel Croatia – Pretty places to visit on Krk Island

 

Travel Croatia – Pretty places to visit on Krk Island
 

Visa requirements for Croatia

Croatia is a member state of the Schengen Area. Visit this website of the Republic of Croatia to see whether you need a visa to visit Croatia. And you need to hold a passport valid for at least six months.

How to get to Krk Island in Croatia

Getting to Krk Island by car/rental car

There is no need to take a ferry from mainland Croatia to Krk Island. Krk Island is to be reached by bridge, Krcki Most, and the drive over the bridge takes a few minutes only. The drive is toll free.

To give you a better idea about travel times, here come a few suggestions. When you jump into a car to make your way to Croatia, please keep in mind, that you must pay toll for using the road in for example Italy and Austria. Please check costs before you leave for a road trip to avoid any surprises.

Travel time from Split in Croatia: about 4 hours.

Travel time from Rovinj in Croatia: about 2 hours.

Travel time from Budapest in Hungary: about 5 hours.

Travel time from Mostar in Bosnia and Herzegovina: about 6 hours.

Travel time from Innsbruck in Austria: about 7 hours.

Travel time from Elba in Italy: about 10 hours.

Travel time from Kraków in Poland: about 11 hours.

Travel time from Berlin in Germany: about 13 hours.

Travel time from Paris in France: about 14 hours.

Travel time from Amsterdam in the Netherlands: about 15 hours.

Getting to Krk Island by plane

Krk Island's airport is in Rijeka. Many European airports offer direct flights to Zagreb the capital, to Ljubljana in Slovenia, to Trieste in Italy or to Vienna in Austria. Krk Island can be reached by car in about two to six hours from all mentioned towns.

Top Tip: Please avoid flying short distances to avoid greenhouse gas emissions.

How long should I visit Krk Island?

Good news, there are enough highlights that are easy to reach and that you can visit. Plan one to two weeks on Krk Island to take it all in. Krk Island is busy in summer, in the summer months most Europeans are on vacation. With busy I mean busy.

Best time to visit Krk Island – The weather in Croatia

The weather in Croatia is warm to hot from May to late September and not too cold for the rest of the year. For a beach vacation visit in late spring and during the whole of summer until early October.

Croatia – Currency and how to pay

The official currency in Croatia is the Croatian Kuna. In general, contactless payment is accepted whereas many expect you to pay cash and only accept cash payments.

The Council of the European Union formally approved the accession of Croatia to the euro area on 1 January 2023. Croatia started using the EUR in January 2023.

What to read? Books that Transport you to Croatia – Go on a Verbatim Journey with these titles

Can I ask you something? Make sure you are not responsible for the death of your local bookshop. Please buy all books from local bookshops. No one wants to live in a town centre without independent shops. It is in our hands; we can vote with our purse. There is no need to support online giants when every one of us can support their own community. You will not find any links in this article to online shops. I recommend these books purely out of love for reading and travelling and understanding different cultures. Make sure you are not responsible for the death of your local bookshop. It sounds drastic, but let us face it, it is true.

-Girl At War by Sara Nović

- We Trade our Night for Someone Else’s Day by Ivana Bodrožić

- The Hotel Tito by Ivana Bodrožić

- The Secret Cave in Croatia by Julie Caplin

- The People We Were Before by Annabelle Thorpe

- Chasing a Croation Girl by Cody McClain Brown

- On the Edge of Reason by Miroslav Krleža.

From Berlin with love