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The grey ridges of the Velebit range above scrub-covered slopes, Croatia

Sample journey · 8–10 days

From the Velebit ridges to the vulture cliffs of Cres

Zagreb, the Plitvice Lakes, Paklenica, Northern Velebit, Cres & Opatija

Photo: Kristina Kutleša / Unsplash

Illustrative journey ideas — not bookable packages. No prices, dates or accommodation are implied.

Most Croatian journeys follow the Dalmatian coast from island to island. This route turns the other way, towards the mountains. Velebit, the country's longest range, runs beside the sea for almost 150 kilometres: on one side the forests of Lika and the Plitvice Lakes, on the other bare limestone falling straight into the Kvarner Gulf. The journey begins in Zagreb, reaches Plitvice early in the morning while the boardwalks are still empty, then drops into the Paklenica canyon and climbs into Northern Velebit, where from Zavižan the whole chain of northern islands lies below.

The second half belongs to Cres, a long, stony, thinly settled island where griffon vultures still nest on the sea cliffs, and to Opatija, with its nineteenth-century villas and seaside promenade. It suits active families and anyone who would rather walk than lie on a beach: walks can be shortened or stretched, most drives take two or three hours at most, and the stays, from family-run guesthouses and mountain farmhouses to a stone house on the island, are simple but chosen for their setting and their hosts.

The route

The journey

  1. Zagreb
  2. Plitvice Lakes
  3. Paklenica & Starigrad
  4. Northern Velebit & Zavižan
  5. Cres & Beli
  6. Opatija
  7. Rijeka
  1. Waterfalls among green trees in Plitvice Lakes National Park

    01Days 1–3 · Zagreb & the Plitvice Lakes

    The lakes before the crowds

    The first evening is in Zagreb: one of the world's shortest funiculars up to the Upper Town, the tiled roof of St Mark's Church and dinner on Tkalčićeva Street. On day two it's about two hours south to the Plitvice Lakes and a night close to the park, in a guesthouse in one of the nearby villages. That is the trick of the whole journey: the next morning you're at the gate as it opens, when hardly anyone is yet on the boardwalks above the turquoise water. Sixteen lakes, linked by waterfalls and travertine barriers, step down through beech and fir forest; a shorter loop of the lower lakes takes a few hours, a longer one with the boat across Lake Kozjak most of the day. In the afternoon, the road across Lika to the coast.

  2. The mountains of Paklenica National Park rising beyond the water, seen from a distance

    02Days 3–5 · Paklenica

    A canyon at the foot of Velebit

    From Plitvice it's about an hour and a half to two hours across Lika and through the tunnel beneath Velebit, and suddenly there is the sea. Two nights in Starigrad, a small town at the gate of Paklenica National Park. The Velika Paklenica canyon begins just a few kilometres away: the path winds between rock walls hundreds of metres high, often dotted with climbers, while higher trails lead up to a cave and a mountain hut in the beech woods. For families, a few hours in the canyon and back to the sea for a swim is plenty; stronger walkers can spend a whole day climbing to Velebit's high meadows. In the evenings, fish on the Starigrad waterfront and the Paklenica peaks turning pink. In summer the canyon is hot, so we set off early.

  3. A grassy slope on Velebit near Zavižan, with the sea and islands in the distance

    03Days 5–7 · Northern Velebit

    Summits above the islands

    About two and a half hours north along the coast, past Jablanac and Senj, then up into the mountains for two nights on the Northern Velebit side, in a mountain farmhouse or guesthouse around Krasno. The first day is for Zavižan: a narrow road climbs to a mountain weather station, beside it the Velebit Botanical Garden, and from here runs the Premužić Trail, built in stone along the ridges in the 1930s. A few hours on it make an easy, almost level walk, with Rab, Krk and Cres spread out below. On the second day, the refuge at Kuterevo for orphaned brown bear cubs, often the place children love most. For those who want more, the path down to Zavratnica cove near Jablanac.

  4. Green shoreline and blue sea below Lubenice on Cres, seen from above

    04Days 7–9 · Cres

    The island of the vultures

    Over the bridge to Krk, the ferry from Valbiska to Merag, and you're on Cres, about two hours from the mountains. Two nights on the island: dry-stone walls with sheep grazing between them, olive groves and an almost empty road running the length of the island's spine. In the north, in the hilltop village of Beli, a centre cares for griffon vultures that have been injured or have fallen into the sea, and it's a good place to learn about these huge birds, whose wingspan reaches nearly three metres. Wild vultures are usually seen gliding above the cliffs of the west coast. The next day, Lubenice, an old village on a rock, and the path down to a cove of startlingly clear water, or a quiet evening in the harbour of Cres town.

  5. Opatija's buildings and shoreline on the Kvarner Gulf in summer

    05Days 9–10 · Opatija & Rijeka

    A slow finish among the villas

    The ferry from Porozina to Brestova and about forty minutes to Opatija for a last night in the former Austro-Hungarian resort. Everything is slower here: the seaside path winding past villas and gardens to the fishing village of Volosko, coffee in the park and dinner by the water. If your legs still want mountains, the Učka massif is close by; for children, the rocky swimming spots along the path are enough. On the last day, a short drive to Rijeka, a port city with Trsat Castle above the river and a market worth a stop before the flight. Rijeka's airport is on the island of Krk and its flights are mostly seasonal, so at other times we head back to Zagreb, about two hours away.

Experience highlights

  1. 01

    Plitvice at opening time

    A night right beside the park, so that you walk the boardwalks almost alone in the early morning.

  2. 02

    The Paklenica canyon

    A path between towering rock walls, climbers overhead and a swim in the sea the same afternoon.

  3. 03

    The Premužić Trail

    A stone-built path along the ridges of Northern Velebit, with all the Kvarner islands in view.

  4. 04

    The vultures of Cres

    Griffon vultures, often gliding above the western cliffs, and the centre in Beli where injured birds are cared for.

First, we listen. Then, we explore what's possible.

Make it your own

  • With younger children

    At Plitvice, the shorter lower-lakes loop; in Paklenica, just the start of the canyon; and in Northern Velebit, more time at the bear refuge and on short paths around Zavižan.

  • More walking

    Experienced walkers can give a day to Paklenica's summits and, in Northern Velebit, cover a longer stretch of the Premužić Trail with a night in a mountain hut.

  • Rab instead of Cres

    From Northern Velebit, the ferry from Stinica crosses to Rab, an island with an old town of four bell towers and sandy bays at Lopar, easy for small children.

  • Season and Istria

    May, June and September are the best months for walking, and quieter at Plitvice. The journey extends naturally with a few days in Istria: Rovinj is only an hour and a half from Opatija.

Practical considerations

  • The best time is late spring and early autumn (roughly May–June and September–October). July and August are hot on the coast and busiest at Plitvice; high on Velebit the weather changes quickly, and in winter some mountain roads and trails are closed.
  • In season, Plitvice tickets are sold for timed entry and in limited numbers, so we book them in advance. We check the arrangements of the other parks and the state of the trails before you travel.
  • The journey is planned as a self-drive. Mountain roads up to Zavižan are narrow and partly gravel, and ferry timetables depend on the season and the wind: the bura in Kvarner sometimes halts the ferries.
  • Even in summer, a warm layer and a waterproof are worth carrying in the mountains; there is little water or shade in the Paklenica canyon.

General guidance only. Seasons, weather and wildlife are never guaranteed, and travel requirements are always worth checking before you go.

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