Fragrant Island Garden (Miomirisni otočki vrt)

Miomirisni otočki vrt, the Fragrant Island Garden, is a garden of aromatic and medicinal plants on the edge of Mali Lošinj, at Bukovica. It grows more than 250 species of aromatic plants native to the Lošinj and Cres archipelago, together with over 100 species from elsewhere, and it presents them in the setting where island plants have always been grown: small plots framed by dry-stone walls, known locally as gromače.

Scented plants have long been part of Lošinj's identity. The island's mild climate and its pine and macchia vegetation made it a health resort from the late 19th century, when doctors sent patients here for the clean, fragrant air. The garden builds on that reputation, and on the island tradition of gathering wild herbs such as sage, rosemary, lavender, myrtle and immortelle for cooking, medicine and the home. The non-native plants recall the many species that Lošinj's sailors and captains brought back from their voyages and planted around their houses and villas.

A visit is mainly a walk among the beds and stone walls, smelling and touching plants and learning which of them are used for what. Guided tours with a specialist guide explain the island's flora and the traditional uses of individual herbs, and there are workshops and tastings of local products, including evening tastings in the season. The garden also keeps a "fragrant calendar" showing which plants are at their best in each month, so the experience changes from the spring flowering to the herb harvest of summer. From the garden there are views over the bays of the island towards the Velebit range on the mainland.

The garden includes a small shop with scented products and other island souvenirs. It is open seasonally, from March to December; check current hours and tour times directly with the garden before visiting.