Cres is a Croatian island in the Adriatic Sea.

Towns

From north to south:

• 1 Beli
• 2 Cres
• 3 Lubenice
• 4 Osor

Understand

The island of Cres is the biggest island in the Adriatic and is located in the northern part of the Gulf of Kvarner. Its southern part is connected to the island of Lošinj by a trestle bridge.

Cres is a hilly island, 66 km long and ranging in width from 2 to 12 km. The island's coastline, 248 km long, is indented; its western and southern parts have a plenty of bays and pebbly beaches while the northern and eastern parts are characterized by steep and rough rocks.

The fresh water lake of Vrana deserves attention as an unusual natural phenomenon. It is one of the deepest fresh water lakes in Eastern Europe, going down 76 meters at its deepest point (below sea-level!). It supplies drinking water for the populations of Cres and Lošinj islands. Therefore, it is closely guarded and illegal to swim and fish in.

Talk

Croatian and, at a lesser extent, Italian.

Get in

Cres can be reached by Jadrolinija's car ferry from the island of Krk (Valbiska-Merag route) or from the Istrian peninsula (Brestova-Porozina route).

For the sake of orientation, here are some rough distances for those who prefer coming by car:

Braislava - 520 km, Budapest - 530 km, Ljubljana - 165 km, Milano - 520 km, Munich - 560 km, Prague - 860 km, Vienna - 555 km, Zagreb - 185 km

Losinj island, which is road-connected to Cres island at Osor town, has an airport.

Island is also connected with Rijeka by fast boat line operated by Jadrolinija once a day. Same route connects island with Losinj, Unije, Ilovik and Susak islands.

Get around

The island is really hilly which means the roads are curvy and sometimes as narrow as one path. If driving, be prepared for slow traffic and careful maneuvers on the serpentines.

A massive work effort is taking place on the main road, it is being widened and is being brought further away from the cliffs, the road is also cutting out dangerous turns and other threats to drivers. It is also keeping trucks and cars away from Lake Vrana, to keep it clean.

See

• Lambs, griffon vulture.
• Beli

Do

• Watersports.
• Scuba diving.
• Hiking - there are designated hiking routes starting from Eko-centar in Beli.
• Cycling - Cres is renowned for the demanding ups-and-downs.

Eat

Seafood, lamb, olive oil, cherries.

Sleep

• Apartments Erdelja, Melin II 31, Cres, HR 51557, ☏ +385-51-571328. The apartment house Apartmani Erdelja is located next to a pine grove on the beach and is a ten-minute walk from the old centre of Cres. You can enjoy the relaxed atmosphere of the cosy house, spend time on the beautiful terraces or have a barbecue in the garden. €14-27 per person per night, depending on the season.