Sightsee
North Coast Croatia Travel Agency specializes in the regions of Kvarner, Istria, Gorski Kotar and the islands of Krk, Cres, Lošinj and Rab. There are several sightseeing opportunities in each of the areas depending on your preference. Whether you like swimming or cycling, the beach or the mountains, shopping or historical sights, there are choices to please every visitor. The area has a rich history dating back to the Roman Empire. There are a host of festivals to experience even during the off season including Carnival, a Fish Festival, Truffle Festival, Chestnut Festival, the Blessing of the Wine and many more. Award winning beaches, wineries, national parks, five star cuisine and much more make up the northern coastal region of Croatia.
Visit a part of this wonderful country that only most Europeans have seen.
Check out our BLOG for FREE Croatia travel guides, tips and tricks, events, traditions and more!
Sightseeing Along the North Coast of Croatia:
*Click on the red links for more information about each sight.
Kvarner
The Kvarner region gets its name from it's location surrounding the Kvarner Bay.
Frankopan castles and fortresses are sprinkled throughout the area and there is an abundance of beaches and marinas.
Crikvenica is full of pristine sand, pebble and rock beaches, where our vacation rental apartments are located and Thalassotherapia Medical Rehabilitation Hospital, a century old medical center using natural methods and specializing in sports therapy.
The fort was built in the 15th Century, tours and special events are held throughout the year.
Rijeka is the third largest city in Croatia after Zagreb and Split, located only a 20 minutes drive away from Crikvenica with high end shopping and large fresh market, century old churches and architecture, medieval town of Trsat, Trsat Castle and Our Lady of Trsat Shrine, medieval town of Kastav and Kastav Castle.
Opatija was the first resort town of Croatia, a favorite vacation spot for the Habsburg monarchy and other high society during the Austro-Hungarian Empire, five star hotels and restaurants, grand villas cover the hills and it still maintains all it's luxury and charm to this day.
Istria
Take a day tour around the Istrian peninsula and tour wineries and sip award winning wine, go truffle hunting, try award winning Istrian prosciutto, go camping at multiple sites along the coast, tour olive orchards and taste award winning olive oil, visit the picturesque cities, towns and beaches hosting several kinds of festivals throughout the year.
Pula is an ancient Roman city on the Adriatic with a Colosseum, a Forum, Temple of Augustus, Triumphal Arch of the Sergi/Golden Gate, and Fortress, several other historical signs and museums, just outside the city is Brijuni National Park & Archipelago.
Rovinj was originally an old fishing port with the center of town being located on a hill with narrow cobblestone streets and homes and businesses situated right up against the sea.
Poreč is similar to Rovinj but on a slightly smaller scale and sits a little further up the coast.
Umag is another small sea port even further north that has grown in popularity since it began hosting the ATP Croatia Open bringing tennis players and fans from all over the world.
Motovun is a well preserved medieval town located on a little hill in central Istria surrounded by wineries and nearby forests where truffles can be found.
The park offers hiking, camping, lookout points (great photo opportunity) and more on this high mountain top.
Gorski Kotar
Although this region is not technically coastal Gorski Kotar is reachable from the north coast in under an hour drive. The climate and atmosphere drastically change to quaint, evergreen mountain towns and lakes
where you can swim, paddle board, kayak, fish and more.
Fužine has Lake Bajer and Lake Lepenica, holds a popular daytime fireworks celebration each New Year's Eve.
Town of Lokve
Lokve has Lake Lokve, where they hold summer concerts on the water.
The park offers hiking, camping, wild fruit and vegetable picking, lookout points (great photo opportunity) and more from this high mountain top.
Islands of Krk, Cres, Lošinj and Rab
Drive from the mainland or take a ferry to reach the island of Krk, the other islands must be reached by boat, there are regularly scheduled ferries or take a boat tour, taste wine at wineries and
olive oil at olive groves and enjoy beautiful beaches.
Visit the city of Krk, the largest city on the island with a medieval castle, the town of Vrbnik, a medieval town situated on a cliff with infamously narrow streets and where Žlahtina wine is made and can be tasted, the town of Baška, where the oldest document in Glagoljica (old Croatian) was written, and the town of Punat to tour the Košljun Monastery Museum.
This island's motto is "No Stress in Cres," tour olive groves and taste the fresh olive oil and visit the Rescue Center for Griffon Vultures in the town of Beli.
Visit the towns of Veli Lošinj and Mali Lošinj, high end hotels and award winning beaches.
Known as "the happy island," with a skyline of four churches and largest medieval festival held in the summer called, Fjera.
Popular Activities Along the North Coast of Croatia:
Boat Tours - take a guided day trip to the islands on a boat, yacht or catamaran, experience local cuisine, historical sights and stunning beaches.
Boat & Jet Ski Rentals - discover hidden beaches, coves and bays.
Water Sports - parasailing, water skiing, windsurfing, kayaking, rafting and paddle boarding/stand up paddle (SUP). I highly suggest Metta Float in Pula for SUP and sea kayaking or Gorski Tok in Brod Na Kupi for river rafting and kayaking.
Scuba Diving & Snorkeling - dive with professional instructors in crystal clear waters and see shipwrecks and marine life. I highly recommend our friends Boris and Rikard at Dive City Crikvenica.
Hiking Routes, Cycling Trails & Rock Climbing - climb mountains reaching heights of 4,000 feet, see castle ruins and lookout points (great photo opportunities) and more.
Paragliding & Parachuting - fly like a bird as you jump off Croatia's largest mountain, Velebit, and land in the Vinodol Valley.
Camping - choose from many different camp site locations throughout Croatia, whether you want to be by the sea or in the mountains and which style of camping you prefer, whether that's "roughing it" or more luxury "glam-ping."
Golf - you may be surprised that Croatia has actually had a small golf scene for a very long time. Check out the Old Golf Course Brioni or Golf Course Adriatic in Istria.
Skiing - Ski Resort Platak - open in the winter for alpine and cross country skiing, tubing and sledding.
Cooking class - learn how to prepare traditional Croatian cuisine by a local chef.
National Parks - Plitvice Lakes, Risnjak, Brijuni, Paklenica and Krka are some of our favorites.
Popular Day Trip Ideas From North Coast Croatia:
Zagreb - classic Central European city and the capitol of Croatia and largest city in the country located 1.5 hours drive away from the north coast.
Postojna Cave & Predjama Castle - one of the deepest caves open to the public and a medieval castle built into the side of a cliff, located 1.5 hours drive away from the north coast in the country of Slovenia.
Plitvička Jezera (Plitvice Lakes) National Park - walk along 16 lakes joined by waterfalls and a limestone canyon located 2 hours drive away from the north coast.
Ljubljana - classic Central European city and the capitol of Slovenia and largest city in the country located 2.5 hours drive away from the north coast.
Venice - visit this popular Italian city located 3.5 hours drive away from the north coast.
Get one of our PRE-MADE, SELF-GUIDED, SELF-DRIVE ITINERARIES
to top-rated locations in Croatia or for a themed vacation!
Have questions about travel to Croatia?
Interested in a custom travel itinerary to Croatia?