Stay: Heritage Hotel Forza (00 385 hotelforza.hr) in Baska has doubles from £210 per night in high season. Vrbnik is renowned for its light white summery wine, Zlahtina, and its narrow alleys conceal plenty of places where you can taste it – try Wine House Ivan Katunar ( ) or Nada ( nada-vrbnik.hr). Next, head to the tiny hilltown of Vrbnik, set amid lush vineyards, on Krk’s east coast. In fact, the island of Krk is a prime foodie destination – it hosts two annual food festivals celebrating seasonal specialities, one in spring and one in autumn. Try them as creamy shrimp soup, or with local surlice pasta, or cooked in olive oil, garlic, white wine, tomato and basil, as shrimp buzara. The owner is a fisherman who catches them himself, so they’re about as fresh as it gets. Have lunch at waterside Konoba Sime ( /KonobaSime), to taste the local delicacy, sweet pink succulent Kvarner shrimp. The following day, head to Krk Town ( tz-krk.hr), to see its 12th-century Romanesque Cathedral and the sturdy medieval Frankopan Castle. Afterwards, back in Baska, have a sunset swim before dinner. Along the trail, in the Romanesque Church of St Lucy in Jurandvor, you can see a replica of the Baska Tablet, a 12th-century stone carved with Glagolitic script (the original is now in Zagreb). From here you can walk the fascinating Baska Glagolitic Alphabet Trail ( ) through the Baska Valley, marked by 34 stone sculptures, each representing a letter in the Glagolitic alphabet – the oldest Slavic script, a predecessor of Cyrillic. With its long pebble beach curving round a deep bay, Baska ( visitbaska.hr) is the nicest place to stay. Somewhat confusingly, Rijeka airport ( rijeka-airport.hr) is, in fact, not in the mainland town but on the island of Krk itself ( krk.hr), from which you’ll take a bus or taxi to Baska on Krk’s south coast (if you’re already on the mainland, take the bus from Rijeka to Baska – which runs three times daily, takes 2hr 10min and costs £10, ). Four nights: Rijeka – Krk – Rab Day 1 (Krk)
Choose just one of the steps for a long-weekend break, or connect them and build your trip into a week-long holiday.Īs locals say, “pomalo” (take it easy) – island hopping is the superlative slow travel experience. Of course, you could spend months exploring and not do it all, but Croatia’s islands – well connected and punctuated by airports – are easy to break into manageable chunks. Add to that a growing number of rustic agrotourism centres, offering a glimpse of rural life, with wine tours, olive oil tasting and home cooking, and you have a recipe for success. On top of that, the islands are big on adventure sports – whether you are a beginner or a seasoned thrill seeker – making them great places to try sea-kayaking, wind-surfing, scuba diving, mountain biking and hiking. The best months to island-hop in Croatia are June and September, promising warm, sunny weather, ideal for hiking, cycling and swimming as well as fewer crowds and slightly lower prices – though the country is a fantastic destination year round. So rather than limiting yourself to one island, why not try hopping between them? Over the past decade, in addition to the inexpensive Jadrolinija ferries, the islands have seen the addition of fast summer catamaran connections, as well as some lovely boutique hotels and restaurants serving contemporary fare based on Adriatic seafood and local, seasonal produce.
Venice used the noble port towns of Hvar, Korcula and Rab to service its galleys sailing East, bringing wealth, craftsmanship and a wider world view to these apparently remote enclaves. Historically, most of the islands came under Venetian rule (1420-1797), which had a profound influence on their architecture and cuisine.
The islands offer an altogether slower pace of life, as well as translucent sea, laid-back (mainly pebble) beaches and wondrous sunsets. The Croatian islands are no exception and make for a truly blissful summer escape – each with its own identity, eccentricities and proud, hospitable locals keen to share their unique histories and traditions. Islands have long been considered places of mystery and romance, little worlds apart, floating in an endless blue of sea and sky, where things are done differently.
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