Volosko Beaches

Volosko is a small fishing village on the Kvarner Gulf at the northern edge of Opatija, of which it is administratively a part. Its old houses climb steeply from a small harbour, and the village is reached from Opatija along the coastal promenade or by the main coast road. Swimming here is not on long sandy beaches; as along the rest of the Opatija Riviera, the shore is rocky, and bathing areas are a mix of pebbles, natural rock and paved or concrete sunbathing surfaces.

The main beach is Črnikovica, at the entrance to Volosko on the Opatija side. It is mostly pebble, with a paved section, and has a gentle, partly sandy entry into the sea that suits children. Trees give some shade, there is a café nearby, and the shallow water is used for picigin, the Croatian ball game played standing in the sea, and for beach volleyball. The water along this coast is generally clear.

Volosko is the starting point of the Lungomare, officially the Franz Joseph I Coastal Promenade, which follows the shoreline south for about 12 km through Opatija, Ičići and Ika to Lovran. The first section, from Volosko to Opatija, opened in 1889, and the southern stretch to Lovran was completed in 1911. The walk from Volosko to central Opatija is about 3.5 km, and many visitors combine a swim with part of the promenade, stopping at the other bathing areas along the way, such as Lipovica and Tomaševac between Volosko and Opatija.

The village itself is worth a wander after swimming: the narrow lanes above the harbour and the waterfront are lined with restaurants known for seafood. In July and August the beaches fill up early, and parking in and around Volosko is limited, so arriving on foot along the Lungomare or by bus from Opatija is usually easier than driving.

Opatija, the resort that surrounds Volosko, became one of the most fashionable seaside towns of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in the late nineteenth century, after the Villa Angiolina was built in the 1840s and the railway arrived nearby. Grand hotels and villas, such as the Hotel Kvarner, still line the shore, and the famous statue of the Maiden with the Seagull stands on a rock just off the promenade.

Above the coast rises Mount Učka, part of a nature park with hiking trails and a summit tower looking across the Kvarner Gulf and the Istrian peninsula. In autumn, the Opatija Riviera celebrates its sweet chestnuts with festivals in the villages above the coast, and in spring, Lovran and Opatija hold events around wild asparagus and cherries.