Opatija Riviera

Opatija Riviera INFO

The Opatija Riviera is situated in the Kvarner bay on the eastern coast of the Istrian peninsula. It stretches for 25km along the coastal belt from Volosko to Moscenicka Draga, under the Ucka Mountain. There are eight tourist resorts with numerous restaurants, hotels, villas and parks in this area. In the past the Opatija Riviera was a tourist destination of the European high class, visited by many emperors, royalty and famous artists. During summer you can enjoy clean sea, beautiful beaches and quality entertainment, while during winter you can relax by taking walks along the 12km long promenade, forest paths or in health and wellness programs.

Highlights

Opatija is a tourist destination with the longest tourism tradition in Croatia. It is situated in the Kvarner bay. For 160 years Opatija has been welcoming guests from all over the world. Rich vegetation and pleasant climate are the main reasons why tourism developed in the first place, as well as why its growth was so sudden in this town also known as the “Pearl of the Adriatic”. Its parks, alight promenade, adapted bathing places, fountains and countless hundred-year-old villas are the reason why tourist come back over and over again.

Icici is a small coastal town situated on the most beautiful part of Kvarner, where the Ucka slopes go all the way down to the sea. Because of its position this little town quickly developed into an original tourist destination with a rich offer. The rich vegetation and mild climate have made it possible for the tourist season to last all year round. One of the most popular attractions of the town is the Icici beach, one of the most beautiful beaches in this area. It is located in the very center of the town and offers different entertainment possibilities. Lungomare, a well-known, 12km long promenade, passes through the town, from Volosko to Lovran.

Lovran is a town located on the eastern sharp slopes of the Ucka. This is a town with a long and rich history of a long tourism tradition. It is a typically Mediterranean town with narrow streets and houses built one next to another. In Lovran the tourism abruptly developed at the end of the 19th century because of the rich Mediterranean vegetation, favorable geographical position and mild climate.

Microclimate

RIJEKA

Number of sunny hours per year - 2151,8h

Average air temperatures 
- January  -   5,6 °C
- August - 22,9 °C

Maximum air temperatures
- January  - 20,0 °C 
- August  -  38,1 °C

Average sea temperatures 
- January  -  11,5 °C 
- August  -   24,5 °C
Number of hot days > 25 °C 
- May - 4
- June - 14
- July - 25
- August - 24
- September - 11

Culture

Opatija

  • - Angiolina Park – Villa Angiolina, the park came into existence sometime between 1845 and 1960. The park contains countless plants brought from different parts of the world. The Villa was built in 1844. It was once the central entertainment place of the elite and now presents a mouseum of tourism.
  • - Lungomare (coastal promenade) – was built in stages and stretches from Preluk to Lovran and is about 12km long.
  • - Church of Mary’s Annunciation - a neoromantic building with a green dome and a convent. It was built in 1906.
  • - Madonna – a statue by Rathauskog, an author from Graz, was placed at the point until the tempest knocked it over. Today the “Madonna” is set up so that it watches over the soul of count Arthur Kesselstadt, who went missing not far from the point in the waves in 1891.
  • - Hotels and villas – the beauty and unique features of the buildings are mesmerizing. The Kvarner hotel and Villa Amalia, where European kings and emperors used to reside, are the best-known.

Lovran

  • - Parish of St. Juraj – a romantic building from the 13th century which was dressed in new attire in the 15th century, the late gothic frescoes.
  • - Old town core – a typical medieval core that guards details from the past, frescoes, facades and walls that remind of the Mediterranean urban construction
  • - Town tower – remains of the fortification system of the medieval Lovran
  • - Villas in Lovran – villa Santa Maria, villa Frappart, villa San Nicolo – today knows as the villa Magnolia

Excursions

During your stay on the Opatija Riviera, be sure to explore the surroundings and get to know natural beauties of Croatia. Visit the islands of virginal beauty – the Brijuni. The usual brief tour of the Brijuni is by a tourist train; through a safari-park, near a byzantine castrum, roman residential villa in the Verige bay and other beauties and sights. Visit Pula where you will find an impressive amphitheater from the 1st century. It is 6th in length in the world and many summer concerts take place there. If you are a tradition enthusiast, visit some of numerous authentic places in Istria. Visit Italy and Venice, the most romantic town in the world. The largest and most spectacular cave in Europe – Postojna is located there. Trsat is an old medieval fort and village that holds many secrets and valuable monuments. It is located in Rijeka.

Adventure

The Opatija Riviera offers numerous recreational possibilities, as well as an active vacation. Sports lovers can relax playing tennis or diving (there are diving clubs of long tradition in Opatija, Icici and other places of the Opatija Riviera). Give in to the wind an enjoy sailing on the islands of the Adriatic as well as taking tours of the coast of the Opatija rivera. For the more courageous, paragliding off Mountain Ucka is also a possibility.

Gastronomy

Local gastronomy is founded on seafood, characteristic regional dishes and exquisite pastries. Here are some of specialties that characterize this area in a special way:

  • - Lovran maruni (chestnuts) – a festivity of maruni is organized in the Autumn, the so-called Marunada, where you can eat specialties made of chestnuts such as roasted chestnuts, chestnut creams and chestnut cakes
  • - Different seafood specialties
  • - Truffles, Istria – bulbs hidden underground without a plant above ground, which can be found only by trained dogs, considered by many the peak of gastronomy
  • - Different pastries made of maruni (chestnuts) according to homemade recipes
  • - Asparagus specialties (a manifestation called “Asparagus in Lovran” is organized in spring).

Fun & Nightlife

The Opatija Riviera has a wide spectrum of entertainment to offer. Those who prefer romantic atmosphere can take an attractive boat ride to the nearby islands and villages or take a walk down the romantic streets with a rich offer of seafood specialties by themselves. You can look for dancing, fun and nightlife in countless nightclubs and bars dispersed across the entire Riviera. Visit the Hemingway cocktail bar and La Habana Club to have fun until the early hours of the morning or casino clubs Opatija and Domino where you can test  your luck. 

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Keep exploring Opatija Riviera Region:

Opatija Riviera recommended accommodation

* prices for June 2025 based on the maximum capacity for a minimum stay of 7 days

  • Lovran,
  • Persons: 4-6
  • Guests rating: 4.7
Apartment - Lovran Apartment Delost From 92 €
  • Lovran,
  • Persons: 1-4
  • Guests rating: 5.0
Apartment - Lovran Apartments Viktoria From 100 €
  • Lovran,
  • Persons: 2-4
  • Guests rating: 5.0
  • Icici,
  • Persons: 2-3
  • Guests rating: 4.6

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