I am here to share with you the Kvarner Map below, to make it easier for you to navigate the Kvarner Bay in Croatia and plan your holiday – or trip to this region of the country.
Kvarner is the huge gulf in the northern part of Croatia’s Adriatic coast, nested between the Istria peninsula and the coastline of Northern Dalmatia. The unofficial capital of the region is Rijeka (Fiume in Italian) and also the biggest Croatian port.
As a fun fact, Rijeka has been the second city that I visited in Croatia back in 2015, when I irreversibly fell in love with the country. Strangely, by the time of publishing this article on the blog (and after almost 200 articles published), I still haven’t written about my experiences in this beautiful and often overlooked city.
But we’re here today to discuss something else, so let’s get back to business and start by checking out the Kvarner Bay Map below:
Exploring the above map, you can clearly notice all the islands that are part of this gulf better know as Kvarner Bay.
You can check the alternative map below, if you’re looking for a more familiar design:
This northern Adriatic region extends from Opatija, a trendy seaside destination, proudly called the Nice of the Adriatic, all the way to Starigrad Paklenica (South to the slightly better known city of Karlobag).
In this Kvarner Bay area, there are many secrets to explore and some of Croatia’s best kept secrets: hidden gems that are usually less traveled, but equally impressive as the country’s headliners.
For example, about 39 kilometers away from Rijeka, down the coast to the South-East, you’ll run up against two beautiful Rivieras. The first one is a series of small towns (Jadranovo, Dramalj Crikvenica and Selce), better known as the Crikvenica Riviera.
The second one is called the Novi Vinodolski Riviera and it consists of small, yet charming traditional Croat villages: Novi Vinodolski, Klenovica, Povile, Breze and Bribir.
Novi Vinodolski was a home town of the aristocratic Frankopan family that ruled these parts, so expect a lot of history in these areas, as well as fabulous sea views and beaches.
Several of the largest islands in the Adriatic Sea belong to the region of the Kvarner.
As a fun fact, the Krk island here has been considered the largest island on Croatia’s Adriatic coast, but recently it has been discovered that neighboring Cres island has the same surface.
However, the Krk island is the closest Mediterranean island to Western and Middle Europe, connected with the mainland by an impressive bridge.
It’s also home of a major international airport in the area which also manages domestic flights.
It’s only 30km away from Rijeka and it is also served by railway connections with Italy, Austria, Germany and Hungary on a daily basis.
So yes, we could say that Krk is the main attraction in the Kvarner Bay, but the other islands have a lot to offer, just like the cities and towns along the coast do.
Islands on the map of Kvarner Bay
Even though not as popular as Krk, the similarly sized Cres Island is also to be found in the region. Located very close to the Istria coast, it is connected with very frequent car ferries to the mainland, leaving usually from the village of Porozina in the North.
It is also connected to the Losinj island to the south by a small bridge. Actually, the two islands (Cres and Losinj) are so close that you can easily throw a stone from one island to the other.
But back to the Cres Island, if you visit this island, you’ll notice its two “faces”: the northern part is rather rocky and hilly, while the southern end has a flatter landscape, is greener and has more forests. This southern part is the one connected to Losinj.
From my personal experience, I would say that even though Cres is usually considered to be the more raw and wild part of the Kvarner gulf area, it’s actually the island of Losinj, with its main two villages, Mali Losinj and Veli Losinj, which is more attractive.
This island also has connections with Venice by fast catamaran boats, during the high season (May to September) – in case you ever get bored of the natural beauties around (which I don’t think you will).
Finally, Rab island is the third main island on the map of the Kvarner bay. Covered with evergreen forests, it is my favorite destination in the area – and you can consider it a hidden gem that still hasn’t attracted as many tourists as other places in Croatia. But I am sure things will soon change.
The capital of the island, Rab (the same name as the island), boasts a long history that dates back to the year 10 BC, when it is mentioned in an old Roman document from the period of the Roman emperor Octavian.
This romantic town has a lot to offer, and one interesting thing about it is that if you approach it by boat, from the distance it will look like a ship with four masts.
This very impressive detail comes from the town’s four bell towers that are also some of the things you must see in the area.
And this would be all that I have to share with you about the Kvarner Bay area today, including the maps that you were looking for.
If you have additional comments or questions, don’t hesitate to let me know by commenting below.