Note: This article pertaining to 24 Hours in Opatija in Croatia was originally published on Saturday, August 30, 2014 at 8:51 in the evening and has been updated.
After having just met with several dozen fellow members of FlyerTalk in Ljubljana for a few days and figuring that this part of Croatia was not far from Slovenia, four of us — having never been to Croatia — decided to drive on down to Opatija and stay overnight before heading back to Munich and other areas of Europe.
24 Hours in Opatija in Croatia
Not expecting much, I was rather pleasantly surprised at the scenery once I checked in to the Hotel Opatija, which is located not far from the seaside promenade known as the Lungo Mare.
Photograph ©2006 by Brian Cohen.Both photographs above and below show parts of the view to which I was treated from the balcony of my room at the Hotel Opatija.
Photograph ©2006 by Brian Cohen.After admiring the views from the hotel property, we decided to head on down to the sea.
Photograph ©2006 by Brian Cohen.Perhaps it was because we were there during the month of October that the area was not crowded — but the weather was as close to perfect as possible.
Photograph ©2006 by Brian Cohen.I decided to walk along the seaside promenade — but not the entire distance, as it is approximately 12 kilometers in length.
Hotel Opatija. Photograph ©2006 by Brian Cohen.Hotel Opatija was a good hotel at which to rest for the night. While its exterior looks nice, the rooms themselves were nothing special — except for the balcony with the view and the breezes from the sea. The bed was comfortable; and there was a flat-screen television and a small air conditioning unit high up in the wall. I do have photographs of the room — including of the toilet in the bathroom — but I decided to “take the high road” and spare you of those photographs.
Besides, many other options for lodging are now available since I was there.
Photographs ©2006 by Brian Cohen.The photographs above show two different views of the statue known as the Maiden With the Seagull.
Photograph ©2006 by Brian Cohen.The Maiden With the Seagull was erected in 1956.
Photograph ©2006 by Brian Cohen.Zvonko Car sculpted the statue, which is located along the Lungo Mare promenade that overlooks Kvarner Bay in Opatija.
Photograph ©2006 by Brian Cohen.The statue replaced a statue called Madonna del Mare, which was restored and now resides at the Villa Angiolina in the Croatian Museum of Tourism.
Photograph ©2006 by Brian Cohen.There are plenty of places to stop, sit and relax along the seaside promenade known as the Lungo Mare.
Photographs ©2006 by Brian Cohen.After spending most of the afternoon by the seaside, we ventured into town in the central part of Opatija. I apologize for not remembering where we ate for dinner; but plenty of restaurants are available from which to choose.
Photograph ©2006 by Brian Cohen.We finally retired for the evening at the Hotel Opatija, where I was once again treated to some nice views from the balcony of the room.
Photograph ©2006 by Brian Cohen.The lights that are seen in the distance is from the city of Rijeka off to the east.
Final Boarding Call
All in all, the day in Opatija was nice and relaxing. I do not know about during the summer season; but I found it to be a nice place to go if you want to just clear your mind, partake in an unplanned stroll for an unspecified period of time, soak in the sun, and simply enjoy the views.
Opatija is a town in western Croatia located on the Gulf of Kvarner, which is a bay in the northern Adriatic Sea.
Once a part of Italy for a brief period of time and then a part of Yugoslavia, Opatija is only slightly greater than 70 kilometers from Trieste in Italy — a drive of approximately one hour and ten minutes — which is the way we headed next when we left Opatija. Other cities located within a drive of two hours from Opatija are Ljubljana and Zagreb — approximately 109 and 175 kilometers away respectively. If you find yourself near this area of Europe, take a day or so to stop off in Opatija; or perhaps stay there overnight on your way to wherever you may be heading. Visiting Opatija is worth the time and effort, in my opinion.
I have visited Croatia twice; and I have found that the country is a viable alternative to Italy in terms of a destination — and, depending on where you go in Croatia — less crowded as well; although movies and television programs such as Game of Thrones has somewhat changed that.
To celebrate greater than 180 years of tourism in Opatija, I published this trip report.
All photographs ©2006 by Brian Cohen.
