Heading south in our citrus coloured Citroen, we got off the mainland as we travelled through the Kvarner region of Croatia to take the scenic route through 3 islands, all with 3 letter names: Krk, Rab and Pag. They were all packed with people and the car ferries were doing hot laps back and forth getting people on and off the islands.
On Krk we stayed right in the middle of the town of Krk, which means no cars and pedestrian laneways and promenades. We have been using the car as one large suitcase for the last two weeks and packing overnight bags, much easier than navigating cobbled paths and multiple flights of stairs! Of course lots of stairs means better views, and we have truly been spoilt with the views from our rooms on each island.
The nightlife in Krk was great fun, with bars and restaurants lining the water and street performers out until all hours. The beach in town is in a protected bay and even has a little bit of sand, and for a change of scenery the nearby Baska beach is definitely worth checking out.
From Krk it was a ferry ride to the island of Rab where once again we were in the centre of town, looking out over the entertainment provided by the main square of Rab. Rooms in these locations don’t allow for an early night but with everyone eating dinner from 9.30pm onwards there is little chance of an early night anyway! After a night in town in amongst the action we stayed in the tiny village of Barbat just 5km down the road for a few nights and from our balcony were entertained by spectacular sunsets.
One of the things we are loving about Croatia is that no matter if you stay in the busy centre of town or a sleepy village nearby, there are amazing places to eat with views to match. It does pay to do a bit of research first to avoid the tourist traps found in every city, but we have generally been pretty impressed.
Next up was the island of Pag which was a mixed bag – known as a party island we chose to stay out of Novalja (party HQ) and chose the quiet village of Mandre which is about 15 minutes from the action. And action there was!!
The beach in Novalja was pumping with tunes and party-people recovering from the night before in the sun, but it couldn’t compare to Zrce Beach where we spent hours traipsing from beach club to beach club soaking up the summer vibe. Quite rightly Zrce is out of town and serviced by buses as the music starts at around 2pm and carries through until after dawn. It was awesome fun and a great intro to what we can expect as we get further down the coast to the party towns and islands in the south!
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