NaxosTravels

Hello,

We are planning a 4 week trip through Croatia...coming from Slovenia. After visiting Istria we are considering heading over to Cres/Losinj for 4-5 days. For those who have been - how did you think Cres/Losinj compared to other Croatian destinations and island - where would it rank on your list of places to go.

Is 4-5 days enough? Too much?

Any advice would be appreciated.

THanks!

Naxos

linawood

We spent 4 nights in Veli Losinj in 2004 and LOVED it! We had been to Dubrovnik, Korcula, and Hvar on a previous trip and also to Rovinj.We were there in very early October and it really was out of season so extremely quiet even though the weather was beautiful. I also really liked Mali Losinj which is a much larger town. The walking and hiking was splendid! There is an easy walk between Mali and Veli Losinj which couldn't have been more beautiful. We were traveling by bus and even though it looked like it might be difficult when we were planning, it worked out very well.

There is information online if you go into Google and use " footpaths Losinj " (I don't have my info with me)

I understand it is crowded and lively in summer. In the off season you would need to enjoy a lovely quiet town and surroundings.

NaxosTravels

Thanks linawood! We are happy to hear you enjoyed your time on Cres and Losinj and happy to hear you got around ok by bus - which is how we are going to be doing it too. If I may ask...how many days did you spend and was it enough?

Best Regards,

Naxos

linawood

We stayed 4 nights which was just right for us. One day we took a tour by boat to the island of Susak which we really enjoyed. Another day we walked to Mali Losinj and back,and another day we walked along the coast in the other direction. We enjoyed sitting in the various harbor squares for drinks and meals. The little town of Veli Losinj was like a stage set. We stayed at the Vila San which had a fabulous location and view, but I couldn't recommend it unless it has changed management. I think a lot of the accomodation is in private appartments and the tourist office was extremely helpful.

We used this website for bus schedules: http://www.autotrans.hr/
You can choose English in the upper right corner. We took a bus from Trieste to Rijeka, then a bus to Omisalj on the island of Krk which connected (more or less) with the Zagreb bus to Losinj. This saved a long wait for the direct Rijeka to Losinj bus, but we had to convince the bus office in Rijeka it would work.

The tourist office was very helpful in figuring out the best way to get to Rovinj by bus. This did involve being left at a little hut by the side of the road near Brsec for awhile, but all in all we loved our bus travels - slow and fabulous scenery, and I would love to do it all over again. Needless to say we were there for rest and relaxation and were happy to entertain ourselves. We have been to many seaside towns especially in Italy and a few in Croatia and this was one of our favorites.

GeoffHamer

There are several buses a day from Rijeka to Cres, Mali Losinj and Veli Losinj. Most go via Opatija and the Brestova-Porozina ferry, but some go via Krk and the Valbiska-Merag ferry. The bus goes on the ferry, and the passengers can get some fresh air and a drink. The scenery on the bus journeys really is amazing. Jadrolinija also runs a fast catamaran from Rijeka to Cres and Mali Losinj.
The town of Cres was very quiet when I've been there. Mali Losinj is much livelier, with more bars and restaurants.
Istria and the islands were part of Italy between the two world wars, and many people speak Italian as a second language. During the course of the 20th century, they were in Austria, Italy, Yugoslavia then Croatia.