Krk restaurant guide

If not the biggest island in the Croatian Adriatic, at least according to a recent survey, Krk is certainly on one of the busiest. Nearly 20,000 locals call this diverse island home, their forefathers subject to Roman, Avar, Frankopans, Venetian, Habsburg and Italian rule. The main town of Krk reflects much of this historic patchwork. Panoramic Vrbnik is a little jewel and Malinska brims with quality gastronomy. Make sure you try two of Croatia's best delicacies, which are produced on the island - Krk prosciutto and Krk olive oil. And if you're looking for a nice beach, try the popular one at Baška. RECOMMENDED: where to sleep, eat and drink in Krk. Done something on this list and loved it? Share it with the hashtag #TimeOutDoList and tag @TimeOutEverywhere. You can also find out more about how Time Out selects the very best things to do all over the world, or take a look at our list of the 50 best things to do in the world right now.

Incredible seafood from the morning's catch, eaten before a backdrop of the sun setting across the Adriatic near Dubrovnik. Indulgent slices of truffle shaved onto fresh pasta dishes in sight of a hilltop town in Istria. Smoke-flavoured barbequed meats served on a Split or Hvar terrace alongside smiling friends. There's a whole world of unforgettable gastronomic experiences in store for any visitor to Croatia. However, some of these are not uniquely Croatian. Similar can be found elsewhere on the Mediterranean. But, Croatia does have its own unique food produce and some of it is protected at both a national level and a European level. Three European Union schemes of geographical indications, PDO, PGI and TSG, exist to distinguish traditional and unique produce. They ensure integrity by dictating that only products genuinely originating from a certain region (often ones with unique geographical or climatic assets) are allowed to be identified as such. Croatia has several products protected in this way at European level. Here you can find out about each of them and we recommend you try as many as possible while in the country in order to gain a true insight into the great gastronomic delights of authentic Croatia.RECOMMENDED: Everything you need to know about Istrian olive oil

As you cross the high-altitude bridge connecting the Rijeka motorway to Krk island, the sea looks huge, but the tall rocky cliffs that swallow the road ahead are even more imposing. By the time you reach Croatia’s largest and most populous island, the mainland feels miles away. A widely varied group of attractive resort towns awaits. Heavily touristed Krk town has bustling bars, naff souvenir stands and fancy gift shops, arranged in and around ancient buildings. Near Krk island’s southern tip is another busy resort, Baška, with a famous Blue Flag sandy beach: at nearly two kilometres, it’s one of the longest of its kind on the coast. Malinska, with perhaps the island’s best concentration of good restaurants, is less hectic, though it does boast a destination late-night club. Vrbnik is a quieter place to go for gastronomic delights. Omišalj, one of the towns closest to the mainland bridge, is the home of Rijeka’s airport.   RECOMMENDED: More great travel destinations in Croatia.

Krk nightlife doesn't quite match up to Croatia's primo-party island Hvar, but Krk town has crowded bars along the harbour and around nearby Vela Placa, the entrance to the Old Town. Most bars close around 1am. If you want to keep the party going longer, there’s Jungle in Krk town or the Boa in Malinska.

Krk’s tradition of tourism goes back as far as almost anywhere on the coast – they were issuing picture postcards in 1866. After being inhabited by Liburnians, Illyrians, Romans and Croats, Krk was ruled by powerful medieval dukes, the Frankopans, who once held half of modern-day Croatia. Krk town’s walls date to pre-Roman times, and the oldest of the towers in that wall, the square one at Trg Kamplin, was built in 1191. The best-preserved historical site, the three-nave Cathedral of the Assumption, built on the site of an early Christian basilica, dates from the early 1200s, with a bell tower from the 16th to 18th centuries. The Kaštel, with a cylindrical tower, is Venetian, as are the three city gates and the rest of the wall. The Old Town’s squares and main thoroughfare of JJ Strossmayera, now lined with souvenir shops and fast-food outlets, throng with tourists all summer long. Nearby is Punat, where a beautiful bay shelters a large harbour. In the middle is the islet of Košljun, home to a 15th-century Franciscan monastery with a religious treasury. Tourists also pack Baška in the south, Krk island’s other main spot. Its sandy shore, beach towel to beach towel in high season, begins at the harbour edge. You walk to it via a café-lined promenade – in summer you’ll be walking three abreast.

The airport by Omišalj on Krk’s northern tip serves Rijeka. There is no public transport to Krk town, 20km (12 miles) away – a taxi (098 369 730 mobile) should cost something around 300kn. Regular buses run from Rijeka (1hr 20mins) to Krk town, via Malinska and then to Baška. Ferries hop between Valbiska and Merag on Cres (30mins), and Baška and Lopar on Rab (50mins). In high season, a service runs between mainland Crikvenica and Šilo on north-east Krk (30mins).

A doorway in the Old Town wall opens to the gorgeous garden terrace of this party hub, also a cavernous two-floor indoor club. It is often the liveliest bar in Krk, with drinkers packing in from early in the evening. The garden has a great bar, which serves cocktails until 2am but go inside for DJs from Italy and Croatia, live music and later drinking.

Editor's note: Disco Bar Jungle is closed with no immediate plans to reopen. A summer disco in the heart of Krk Old Town pumps out mainstream pop and disco hits for lighthearted holidaymakers. Guest DJs from around Europe break up the regular beat. The crowd is predominantly young but because there are few other places around, there is a little more age range than in most Croatian clubs. Open at sporadic weekends in winter.

Croatia has some of its food products protected at both a national and European level, their status designated by their unique place of origin. Krk olive oil (Krčko maslinovo ulje) is one of them.The Kvarner island of Krk is the northernmost to produce olive oil. The slightly cooler temperatures here help to preserve all of the qualities and flavours of the oils which are found naturally in the unprocessed olives. Extra care is taken to ensure temperatures remain low, even when the oil is being mechanically pressed and so anyone attempting to put this fragrant, bright green, extra virgin olive oil in a frying pan or, Heaven forbid, use it for deep fat frying, should be banished from the kitchen. Salad dressings or a delicious condiment in which to dip homemade bread would be our recommendations for its use. It's so tasty, you might find yourself forgoing the cheese and pršut (prosciutto) on any platter and sticking with just the oil and bread.Click here to find out what European recognition does for Croatian produce and see all of Croatia's best delicacies which are protected

Offering a heated outdoor pool and hot tub, the 4-star family-owned Hotel Vila Rova is set in Rova Bay on the north-western coast of Krk Island and was renovated in 2015. A wellness centre can be found on site and the sea is just a few metres away. Rooms here come with free WiFi access, air conditioning and satellite TV. The property's wellness centre offers a hot tub, a Kneipp bath, a Turkish and Finnish sauna, massage and beauty treatments, a relax area and fitness facilities. Guests can relax in the hotel's lobby, bar or private lawn under the warm sunshine or in the shade of olive trees at the beach. Sun loungers are provided free of charge at the pool area and on the property's private lawn right next to the sea. Delicious Mediterranean and local cuisine including various fish specialities is served in the property's à la carte restaurant and the bar next to the beach offers cold drinks and tasty food during the day. A grill restaurant can be found on the beach front. Cycling and walking paths can be found in the surroundings. Malinska centre is 2 km away from the property. Free private parking is provided on site.