ISLAND OF CRES
An island that will win you over with its simplicity
Explore Cres
The island of Cres is one of the largest, longest and highest islands in the Croatian Adriatic. It is part of the Kvarner islands: Cres, Lošinj, Pag and Rab, Susak, Ilovik and many other smaller islands, but as an island it is special in itself, so interesting and unique to study and enjoy. Cres has everything: the beauty and peace it offers, the beautiful clear sea that surrounds it, the mournfully clean beaches, untouched nature, the green of pine forests and holm oaks, the island's stone, traditions and customs that live together.
Due to the extremely preserved natural environment, it feels as if the entire island is one big nature park. The specific landscape of the island is overgrown with aromatic, medicinal plants and wild colorful flowers, olive groves, pine, holm oak and spruce forests. Well-marked hiking trails make it possible to independently explore the island, where you can enjoy nature in peace and quiet, walk through mysterious forest labyrinths and meet sheep that graze freely all over the island or even the occasional turtle, hedgehog, rabbit or roe deer, which will further enrich the intense experience of its untouched nature. The island is special in that it has a source of drinking water on the island, in the central part of the island there is a freshwater Vrana lake.
Cres has a rich history since the 7th century BC when the Illyrians (Liburnians) lived there and it was mentioned as part of the Apsyrtides group of islands (together with the island of Lošinj) in Greek records about Medea. With the arrival of the Romans, the island of Cres prospered, after which various governments changed: the Venetians, the French, and the Austrians, who were followed by a period of peace until the present day. Even today, the island of Cres represents an island where the spirit of the Mediterranean that once existed on the Adriatic islands still lives.
When we talk about Cres, we usually think of its preservation from urbanization, it has remained preserved as it once was, it is direct, simple and authentic, removed even further from the hustle and bustle of the modern way. The whole island is surrounded by the so-called thunderbolts as an local form of environmental maintenance, which until recently served primarily for the purpose of sheep farming, a somewhat neglected activity today. It is also interesting that in terms of population density, it is among the least populated islands in Europe, so that the island is almost pure green nature on a rock immersed in the crystal clear Adriatic Sea.
It is widely known for its exceptional gastronomic products: honey, lamb, seafood, fish, olive oil, herbs such as immortelle, thyme, chamomile and sage, and rich gastronomy based on local Mediterranean ingredients and simplicity of preparation (similar to the Italian "cucina povera ").
The places that you can visit on the island seem as if they are nestled in all that natural beauty that makes the island of Cres so specific and different from other islands on the Adriatic. Some of them are Belej, Ustrine, Beli, Cres, Lubenice, Valun, Osor and many others.
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