Krk

Krk is a Croatian island in the Adriatic Sea.

Cities

• Omišalj
• Njivice
• Malinska
• Town Krk
• Punat
• Baška
• Vrbnik
• Dobrinj
• Šilo
• Klimno
• Čižići
• Soline
• Porat
• Vrh
• Glavotok
• Vantačići

Understand

The “golden island”, as the island of Krk has been called since ancient times, is the nearest island to western Europe. It's not considered an island so much anymore because it has been connected with mainland in 1980 with a 1400m long bridge made of reinforced concrete. Krk has approximately 16.500 year round inhabitants in seventy different settlements.

Krk is one of rare examples of successful integration of industry with tourism. On northern part of the island is petrochemical plant and natural gas storages, near city Omišalj while rest of the island is highly oriented on tourism. Despite industry, strict environment measures and hidden location made industry on the island almost invisible to visitors. And beside that, Krk has very clean sea and air.

The island Krk has many different landscapes. The north-east part of the island is almost bare because of the strong wind called bura, while the western parts abounds with greenness and gentle bays. Inland, rocky hills alternate with fertile fields. This sort of relief favorably provides for the cultivation of grapes and the production of the well-known wine Vrbnička Žlahtina.

If you can't visit the island Krk during the summer, come in spring or autumn. If the weather is nice, you can have a swim in the sea in June, September and October. There are some (brave ones) who swim from April to November. Beside swimming, spring and autumn attracts many visitors interested in outdoor activities, since island Krk has beautiful trekking and cycling paths all around the island, with some stunning views on surrounding islands and mountains.

Talk

Croatian. But many local people speak Italian, English and German.

Get in

You can reach Krk by land, sea and by air because there is also an airport (Rijeka airport) which can handle large and small planes. The island doesn't have a railway. The nearest railway station is in Rijeka, only 30 km from Krk. There are daily trains to and from Slovenia with connections to Austria, Germany and Hungary. Rijeka also has daily coach lines which connects all European points such as Munich, Zürich, Trieste, etc. Island Krk has well-indented coast which attracts many sailors, due to many safe bays of the island accessible in your own boat. You can leave your boat during the winter in Marina Punat or in other marinas offering dry storage. For the sake of orientation, here are some rough distances for those who prefer coming by car:

München ~ 600 km, Wien ~ 500 km, Budapest ~ 600 km, Praha ~ 800 km, Bratislava ~ 600 km, Trieste ~ 100 km, Milano ~ 550 km, Ljubljana ~ 150 km, Zagreb ~ 200 km

Get around

There is a bus public transport mostly operated by Autotrans. Connections are more frequent on western bound cities on the island: Omišalj, Malinska, Njivice and Town Krk. The best way to get around is by car. Krk is a diverse island and it is worth exploring. It is possible to hire a car, kayak, a scooter or a bicycle on the island.

See

• In the woods, lovers of nature and hunting can come across the fox, roe-buck, wild cat and marten while there are also some birds like the snipe, wild duck, griffon vulture and several other types.

• On the island Krk there are several dozen marked tourist paths which lead through the woods and by the sea shore. There are printed guides available at any tourist office. The underwater world around the island of Krk is very interesting, and there are several local and international diving clubs. You can get a diving licence at the local harbor master's office. You need to present your passport, your diving qualification and pay a fee. To fill bottles you need to contact one of the diving clubs.

Do

• Of all the summer recreation sports, the most interesting ones are watersports. Those particularly attractive are kite-surfing, paragliding, waterskiing and jet skis.

Eat

Cheese, domestic prosciutto (pršut), seafood, barbecued lamb

Drink

Domestic vine "Vrbnička žlahtina"

• [1] - great dining in Malinska

Stay safe

Krk is very safe place. Besides occasional pick-pocketing, crimes are almost non-existent on the island. If you go inland, be aware of potentially poisonous snakes like viper. Higher boots are advisable.