Cruising Croatia
Boasting some of the world’s cleanest waters, charming islands and a
coast lined with World Heritage sites, the Adriatic Sea is one of the world’s premier cruising grounds. Most of the vessels plying these waters are not large cruise ships, but rather large yachts, ranging from rustic traditional sail boats to luxury yachts, providing an unspoiled, uncrowded cruise vacation option for your clients.
Croatia has the most stunning coastline in Europe; a mix of limpid bays, craggy bluffs, hidden coves and beaches, vineyards, olive groves, and forests of cypress and pine.
Remarkably well-preserved ancient towns hold vivid examples of Greek, Roman, Venetian, and Slavic architecture. The sailing and yachting scene here rivals any other, with hundreds of ports and dozens of marinas and countless natural inlets scattered across a thousand islands.
With 1,244 islands, options for port visits and day stops abound. With a spectacular coastline extending 300 miles from Istria to Dubrovnik, the Croatian Adriatic is an ideal place for your clients’ cruising adventure. Kompas Holidays International has just released their new 2023 Adriatic Cruise brochure which is full of different itineraries, ships and land options.(www.kompas.net/brochures-video)
Kvarner Gulf
The Kvarner Gulf is the area in Northern part of Croatian Adriatic, bordered by Croatian mainland and Istrian Peninsula. Kvarner is one of the closest points of Adriatic Sea to Central and Western Europe, therefore, because of it’s vicinity and mild climate, Kvarner has been a very popular tourist destination for Western Europeans since the times of the Austro-Hungarian empire in 19th century. Kvarner Gulf includes some of Croatian islands as well as coastline cities and towns. These include: Opatija, a coastal town, famous for it’s long seaside promenade, and considered to be the Nice of the Adriatic.
Cres is an island with mild microclimatic conditions, untouched nature and the sea, with almost the entire coast being a beach.
Losinj is a popular tourist destination with a long tradition of wellness tourism that dates back to the 1880s.
Krk is another island, easily accessible from the mainland by bridge that connects it with Croatian mainland as well as by ferry.
The island of Pag is famous for Pag Cheese made of sheep’s milk, as well as for day and night parties at popular Zrce beach.
Rab is one of the most beautiful Adriatic islands with marvelous scenic diversity, a variety of beautiful sandy beaches and culture dating back to pre-Roman times.
The island of Ilovik is covered with vegetation and is nicknamed “The Island of Flowers.”
North Dalmatia
Cruising between Zadar and Split is the most popular and busy part of the Croatian coast, especially for charter yachts. In addition to remarkable inland cruising grounds such as the river Krka up to Sibenik and Skradin and the historic World Heritage-listed town of Trogir, there are the extraordinary and protected Kornati Islands to explore, with a dazzling white lunar landscape that gleams in the sun.
There are more mainland harbors along this stretch but fewer on the islands, where overnight is more likely to be at anchor or on a mooring buoy.
South Dalmatia
From Split to Dubrovnik, the coast and the offshore islands become progressively greener, until the vegetation on islands such as Mljet and the small islands off Dubrovnik is almost sub-tropical in appearance.
Marinas are more scarce along this coast, although it is amply supplied with small harbors, especially on the mainland and the Peljesac Peninsula, where a yacht can tie up on a stone quay or anchor away from the bustle of the charter yacht ‘hot spots.’ https://croatia.hr