Introduction
& History
Cres is not one of the most frequently visited
of the Croatian islands but is still a lovely place to visit.
It is easily reached from both the mainland and from other nearby
islands. You will often hear that the island is part of the Cres-Losinj
group of islands, which number 30 in total and cover an area of
193 square miles (513 square km), equating to 16% of the total
surface area of all the Adriatic islands
Cres thrived under Venetian Empire, whose rule it
was under for nearly 800 years until 1797. Since then, it has
been under Austro-Hungarian and Italian rule, before becoming
part of Yugoslavia in 1945.
The Island
Cres is the second largest island
in the Adriatic, covering 155 square miles, and is connected to
the island of Losinj by bridge. It is long and spindly in shape,
and the main resort is Cres Town. The town reminds many of an
Italian village due to previous Venetian rule, and much of the
town dates from the 15th and 16th centuries.
The main sights in Cres Town are the town walls
and the Church of St Mary, which dates from the 15th century.
Other places to visit on the island are Beli, Martinscica
and Valun.
Getting There
There are daily ferries from Rijeka to Cres
Town, journey time 1 hour 15 minutes. There are also very frequent
ferries from Brestova on the mainland (very near Rabac) to Porozina
- journey time 20 minutes - and between Valbiska on Krk to Merag
on Cres - journey time 30 minutes. All ferries run by Jadrolinija.
There are daily buses from Zagreb to Cres Town,
with a journey time of 4 and a half hours. See the Autotrans
website for timetables.
Accommodation
There is one hotel in Cres Town and also one
in Martinscica; private accommodation can also be found in various
locations on the island. See our Accommodation
on Cres section for more details.
Griffon Vultures on Cres
There are colonies of the Eurasian Griffon
vulture near Beli, to the north of the island. Conservation of
the birds lies with the Eco
Centar Caput Insulae - see their website for more details.
More information
 Accommodation
on Cres
Cres
Tourist Office
Island
Cres website
|
