Krk: Croatia's golden island, a bridge from Rijeka

Krk is the island you can drive to. Linked to the mainland by a bridge since 1980 and home to Rijeka Airport, it's the easiest island in Croatia to reach — and far more than just a gateway. The "golden island" has Roman walls, clifftop wine villages, and one of the founding texts of Croatian literacy.

Getting to Krk

No ferry needed: the Krk Bridge connects the island to the mainland just south of Rijeka, about a 30-minute drive from the city. Rijeka Airport is on Krk itself, near Omišalj — so if you fly into "Rijeka", you actually land here. See our Rijeka airport guide for onward transport.

Krk Town

The island capital wraps a walled medieval core around a Romanesque cathedral, with a Frankopan castle on the harbour and narrow lanes that fill with cafés in summer. The best base for a first visit.

Baška and the Glagolitic tablet

At the island's southern tip, Baška has one of the Adriatic's longest pebble beaches, Vela Plaža, framed by bare mountains. Nearby was found the Baška Tablet (Bašćanska ploča) — an ~1100 AD stone in the Glagolitic script, one of the oldest monuments of the Croatian language.

Vrbnik and its wine

On a cliff over the sea, Vrbnik is a knot of stone lanes — including one of the narrowest streets in the world — and the home of Žlahtina, a crisp local white grown only here. Sip it on a terrace above the water; it's reason enough to come.

Punat and Košljun

From the sheltered bay of Punat, a short boat reaches the islet of Košljun, with its Franciscan monastery and museum set in dense woodland — a peaceful half-day.

Krk is big and the towns are spread out, so a car (or scooter) makes the most of it — though with the airport, bridge and bus links it's also the easiest Croatian island to do without one.

Basing yourself in the Kvarner region — or working remotely from it? See our boutique hotels in Rijeka and the remote-work guide.