OPATIJA:
Population: 11 659 (part of Metro Rijeka)
Country: Croatia
Other names: Abbazia, Sankt Jakobi
District: Primorje-Gorski Kotar County
Area: 66 km² (city)
Year visited: September 2021
Opatija is a small seaside town and resort 18km West of Rijeka, with a dramatic setting on the Istrian Peninsula, facing the Kvarner Gulf and green mountains above is.
Along the Lungomare Coast there is a promenade, The Franz Joseph I Promenade, were you can walk the whole way along the coast, going from the village Volosko to Lovran, passing by Ičići, Ika and Opatija as the main town.
Opatija reminds of the French Riviera, especially Monaco with its hilly setting, seaside yachts and luxurious Victorian and Baroque palace looking buildings, housing hotels and casinos. It is part of the Austrian Riviera, that got its name since it was part of Austria, already a fashionable Austria-Hungarian resort in the 19th century.
There is a famous statue and symbol of Opatija, in the sea, Maiden with the Seagull (Madonna del Mare), made by Zvonko Car in 1956. Next to it is the Joraj Sporer art pavilion. Marsala Tita Road (Ulica Marsala Tita) is the main road that goes through the city, above sea level, where you find de luxe hotels, restaurants and fashionable brand stores.
Major de luxe hotels are Grand Hotel Palace (a grandiose old landmark building), Grand Hotel Adriatic (modern glass building and a white large building, has an infinity pool), Heritage Hotel Imperial (grandiose red palace) Hotel Opatija Hotel Ambasador, Continental, Palace Bellevue, Bevanda, Miramar, Amadria Park Hotel Royal, Amadria Park Sveit Jakov, Milenij Hotel, Kvarner Hotel and the nearby Hilton Rijeka Costabella. Hotel Admiral is a modern white building, while the Admiral Casinos is located in a beautiful old Victorian building. The largest church in Opatija is the white Church of Our Lady of Annunciation with its green dome, it cannot be seen from sea level unfortunately. Park Prirode Učka is a national park in the mountains just to the West of Opatija, with hiking trails, waterfalls and historical places.
We catched the bus from Zagreb in the morning, arrived in Rijeka at noon were we spent a few hours, took the bus to Opatija, which is about 20 minutes, and returned to Rijeka in the evening. Next day we took the bus to Venice, that is about 4.5 hours away from Rijeka/Opatija. There are lots of restaurants along the Lungomare Coast, though most of them were quite empty, probably due to covid. We tried a nice seafood restaurant near the coast, Restaurant Boutique. There are many beaches, were we bathed in the main one, at the Grand Hotel Palace. It is important to know that you can not expect sandy white beaches in Opatija though. The beaches are of concrete, asphalt or stone, that could be a disappointment for such an upscale resort town. I walked part of the Lungomare Promenade, that is highly recommended as well as visiting part of the town that have many stores, restaurants and bars.