In 2019 my summer trip took me to Croatia! After having been in Croatia for 8 days, I left Dubrovnik and was back on my own again. My friends Dan and Irina had left the previous day to fly back to Vienna so I hopping in my rental car and headed north. At that point, I had accomplished everything that I had previously planned for my trip. My original plan had been to leave Dubrovnik, drive to Montenegro and spend a few days there before driving back to Vienna via Bosnia, where I also wanted to spend a few days. But when I got my rental car I found out that I wasn’t allowed to drive outside of the EU, so that threw off my plans. So there I was, in Croatia, by myself, with no idea of what to do next. I had gotten some suggestions from Dan, and I asked my mom if she would do some research for me, and she suggested checking out Krk. So that is where I decided to head. Continue reading to find out all about visiting Krk island, Croatia.
Getting to Krk
Because I wasn’t supposed to drive outside of the EU, even getting from Dubrovnik to the rest of Croatia means taking a ferry, because the southern tip of Croatia is blocked by Bosnia, and though I wanted to risk it and drive to the customs border and see what happened, the ferry that we had taken TO Dubrovnik was quite pleasant and easy, so I decided to do that again. After the ferry I drove about 4 hours to get to the city of Zadar, which I explored for about 4 hours. Very cute city- check out the tower and the sea organ There, I decided that I needed to book an Airbnb for the evening, and I sat on a park bench, quickly finding a place that looked great for the evening for under $60. I messaged the owner, apologizing for my late booking and later arrival (it was 6 and I’d arrive by 9) but he quickly wrote me back and told me it was all good, so off I went.
The drive was beautiful, and very winding, but I was blasting my music, singing at the top of my lungs with the windows down and I didn’t mind at all. Once I got near Krk, which is an island accessible by a bridge, I could tell that I was going to love it. I went to the Airbnb where I was met by my host Damir. The place was great- it was the best Airbnb I stayed at in Croatia- so if you find yourself in Krk, you must stay here! Here’s the link to his listing, just so you have no excuse not to do it! He even stocked the fridge with beer and fruit! Damir recommended a place for me to eat, and though it was already after 9:30pm I walked there and had a great meal. After just a short time there, the island looked so cute, and I loved my place so much that I decided that I would stay an extra night (and Damir gave me a great discount for staying an extra night). And after all my traveling around, I thought a day of relaxing sounded really great too.
The next morning I got up and decided that I wanted to do several things with the day: 1) explore some of the little towns that are on the island, 2) find a great spot for hiking, 3) check out the beaches, 4) find some wine that the island is known for. And I’m happy to say that I accomplished all those goals! But to hear more about them you must keep reading!
Krk City
Krk is the largest island in Croatia- for that matter, it’s the largest in the Adriatic Sea. Therefore, visiting all the parts of Krk is definitely easiest by car, but there were a lot of people riding bikes along the roads that led from one small town to another. One of the most popular towns is Krk City, and that’s where I went first.
Krk is a fortified city, so after I parked my car I passed into the walls and started wandering around, not sure what I was going to see, and immediately loved all the narrow winding streets.
I came to the main town square, and saw Frankopan Castle. I went into the ticket office to get some information about the castle, and found out that for less than $3 I could climb and walk around the castle’s ramparts. I love a good climb for a panoramic view so I couldn’t pass it up.
The Frankopan Castle
The Frankopan Castle is a 12th-century medieval fortress built by the influential Frankopan family. Strategically positioned on the coast, it served as a defense against invaders and pirates. The castle features a mix of Romanesque and Gothic architecture, with thick stone walls, a prominent square tower, and later Venetian modifications. Today, it stands as a well-preserved historical site, offering visitors stunning sea views and hosting cultural events in its courtyard..
I loved walking to the top of the towers and exploring, and the views were gorgeous!
Inside visitors can see exhibits with information about the Frankopan family. The Frankopans were one of Croatia’s most powerful and influential noble families, with origins in the 12th century as rulers of the island of Krk. They expanded their influence across the Adriatic coast and inland Croatia, rivaling royal authority. Their prominence peaked in the late Middle Ages, but tensions with the Habsburg monarchy led to their downfall after the Zrinski-Frankopan Conspiracy of 1671, when Fran Krsto Frankopan and Petar Zrinski were executed. Today, their legacy lives on in castles, churches, and cultural memory throughout Croatia.
After I left the castle I just wandered around the coast. The waters surrounding Krk City is the Adriatic Sea. It’s known for the crystal-clear, turquoise color and exceptional cleanliness. Krk Island is often called the “Golden Island” (Insula Aurea), partly due to its stunning coastline and pristine waters. While I don’t love getting into the water, I could just stare at beautiful views like this for hours, and that’s basically what I did.
Roman Ruins in Krk City
I learned while in Krk City that there are several Roman ruins in this town. However, here it is ruins in the truest sense- as in there is nothing really left of them. There are signs all over pointing you towards different landmarks, such as the Venus Temple, built in the 1st century, but I was having difficulty finding some of them. It’s a relatively small town, so it shouldn’t be so hard. But then I DID find the Venus Temple- right here in this clothing store. And then there was also this stone with inscriptions from the 4th century. So a little disappointing on the Roman ruins fronts, but still a cute town, worthy of a few hours of exploring.
Visiting St. John
The next thing I wanted to do was get some hiking in. I did a little research and found out a called referred to as ‘The Path to the Moon’. There were two options, hike up a narrow asphalt road in town, but since there was a road I just thought I would drive it. Man, that was one scary experience! While I do always drive a manual, that road was so narrow and curvy I had trouble making the curve, and kept moving backwards as I couldn’t get my rental car in gear as quickly as needed. I really thought I was going over the road at one point. But, with lots of prayers and some tears, I made it to the top of the road. Not an experience I will ever forgot. If you don’t want to drive it, I would recommend navigating to the ruins of former Baška castle and starting there.
At the top of the drive / hill is the Church of St. John the Baptist. A viewpoint near the church and cemetery offers breathtaking panoramas of the Baška Valley, the island of Prvić, the Adriatic Sea, and Vela Plaža Beach, making it a perfect stop for photos.
Along the way, hikers can explore the 13th-century ruins of the Church of the Holy Spirit before continuing through a peaceful pine forest on an old stone-walled path, once called the Road of the Holy Spirit, where benches provide a place to rest and admire the scenery.
The hike was about 6 miles with an elevation of about 860 feet (at least according to my iPhone health app); it wasn’t too difficult for me, but it was beautiful! I didn’t pass too many people on the trail at all, but along the way there were these blue and white markings that let me know I was on the right path.
After about an hour and a half I came out of the trees and came across this vast clearing. This is what I had read as being called the “lunar landscape”. Maybe too many shrubs and greenery to be confused with being on the moon, but I did love how different the terrain was from the other places I passed during my hike.
I read on a sign before I entered the “lunar landscape” that this area has been used for centuries by shepherds with their sheep, hence the stone walls. I also read that this was the nesting site for some rare birds- including vultures. It also mentioned to be mindful of where you step because this was the home of the horned viper, you know, the most venomous snake in Europe. And those of you who know me may know that I’m afraid of 4 things in this world including a) birds & b) snakes. At least there were no signs of my other two fears (mice and bananas).
As I was hiking this part of my trail I started to think to myself “You know, it does almost feel like you’re on the moon because it’s so secluded. Besides the signs that say to not disturb the sheep. Especially the dead ones. Because they’ve been bitten by the most poisonous snake in Europe. And now are being eaten by vultures. So it’s probably safe because vultures only like dead things right? But also maybe girls hiking solo. Especially girls walking solo named Katie…” No, this was silly, I was perfectly fine. But I did heed my friend Dan’s advice and didn’t step in the tall grass. But just as I’m telling myself that everything was fine, that’s when I saw it…
No it was fine, it was just a stick! Were you scared? No, me neither, not at all, not once. It just so happened to be time for me to head back, the snake scare had nothing to do with it.
After my 3.5 hour hike I got back to my car and headed for my next destination, a beach! I also read that the Baška area had the best beaches, so I headed to one I had read about.
Oprna Beach (Stara Baška)
As I approached the area that Google Maps told me was the beach I noticed a lot of cars parked on the side of the road, so I assumed I was in the right area. I found a spot to park my car, and then climbed over the guardrail and descended the hill that led to the beach (I like an unconventional way to get to a beach, it makes it more worth it).
I had to climb over a lot of large rocks to get to an available spot on the beach, however after having seen that it a stone beach I decided I was not going to be lounging and swimming, but I did find a large stone to sit on, people watch and read my book, enjoying hearing the sound of the water lapping against the shore.
Vrbnik
After cleaning up I headed to my last town of the evening, Vrbnik. My first stop was a winery I read about, the Katunar winery.
When I arrived I was the only person in the place, and the girl who was working asked me what kind of wine I liked. I told her red, but that I wanted to try the wine they were known for, žlahtina, a delicious yellow wine. The girl was very friendly, but this is also where my friendliness paid off too, because my tasting started with two types of wine, which then turned into 4, and ended with 6 total. And guess how much this tasting was? Zero dollars! And they were very good!
But here is the best thing about this winery (or perhaps every winery in Croatia): while I was sitting there sipping my wines a couple came in, bearing empty plastic bottles, and they were able to fill them up with wine! And I mean these were empty water bottles, Man, that had me wishing I had plastic bottles on me, what an awesome concept.
But fear not dear readers- I got my own plastic bottle of wine! In the form of this 3 liter jug! And guess how much it cost me? 8 dollars!!! So that concludes my blog post about Krk because the rest of the evening was spent drinking this wine and I can’t remember anything else. Just joking, I took it back to Vienna with me to give to Dan and Irina for hosting me while I was there, but man I just couldn’t resist the good deal.
After leaving the winery I continued on to Vrbnik, and after finding parking a bit outside of town I started my little tour of the city. It was ADORABLE, definitely my favorite town on Krk.
It had those little narrow winding streets that I love, so I was not surprised when I came across what was proclaimed to be “the most narrow street in the world”; I squeezed through it and believed it to be true.
I decided to splurge on dinner because I hadn’t in the last few days, and I realized I hadn’t had a proper meal all day. Dinner was at what I read was the best restaurant in all of Krk, a place called ‘Nada’. I was shown to a table on the rooftop patio with beautiful views, and told the waiter to bring me the best fish on the menu. I was presented with a plate of monkfish, polenta and greens . That was my first time having monkfish, and it was delicious!
I forgot to mention my meal from the night before, when I first arrived in Krk and walked to a restaurant at 10. There I also requested the most popular meal on the menu (plus a small salad) and I was given a plate of squid and fries, and let me tell you- it was delicious!
There you have Krk Island. It was a great way to relax after having been traveling for so many days. I loved that it was less busy than many of the places I had been to already in Croatia, prices were also cheaper, and it was just quieter and calm. I definitely recommend it, and I hope I gave you some good ideas for your trip to Krk.
Catch you soon!
