What do you want to see?
Day trip · The Krk Map
Lošinj (Mali and Veli Lošinj): a verdict
Too far for a day from Krk. Worth one night for the dolphins and a starred dinner.
Open this guide on The Krk Map
Lošinj is lovely, but it sits at the far end of Cres, and the day you would spend there is mostly spent in the car and in a ferry lane. The honest advice is to make Cres the day trip and Lošinj a night: drive down via Beli or Lubenice, dolphins in the morning, and back to Krk the next day.
When to come: Shoulder season (May–June, September) for an overnight
What to do
Verdict: skip Lošinj as a day trip; go for one night or not at all
Mali Lošinj is about 69 km beyond the Merag ferry, the whole length of Cres, on one road that crosses the Osor swing bridge.
- Where
- Valbiska - Merag - Osor - Mali Lošinj
- When
- Shoulder season if at all
- Time
- About 2 h 20 min each way from Vrbnik, 2 h 30 min from Stara Baška, before any ferry queue or bridge wait
- How
- Vrbnik to Valbiska 31 min, the ferry 25 min, Merag to Mali Lošinj 83 min. The ferry is first come, first served.
Tip: A 5-hour round trip with queue risk at both ends leaves too little time for the dolphins, the main reason to go. Stay one night and do Beli or Lubenice on the way.
Time the Osor swing bridge (09:00 and 17:00)
The bridge between Cres and Lošinj swings open for boats at 09:00 and 17:00, for about 15 minutes each time, and road traffic waits while it is open.
- Where
- Osor
- When
- Avoid arriving at the bridge just before 09:00 or 17:00
- Time
- A short stop in Osor: 30–45 min
- How
- On the D100, about 55 min by car from Merag.
Tip: Use the wait: walk Osor's tiny centre, with its 15th-century cathedral and bronze sculptures by Ivan Meštrović and others.
Veli Lošinj: a Blue World dolphin tour and the free marine centre
Research-led dolphin watching from Veli Lošinj, run under a code of conduct, plus the free Lošinj Marine Education Centre.
- Where
- Veli Lošinj harbour
- When
- Morning tour; book ahead in summer
- Time
- Half a day
- How
- Veli Lošinj is about 87 min by car from Merag.
Tip: This is the reason to go to Lošinj at all; book it before you book the night.
Dinner at Alfred Keller on Čikat bay
Michelin one-star, seafood-led tasting menu in a 1912 hotel.
- Where
- Čikat 16, Mali Lošinj
- When
- Evening of the overnight
- Time
- 3 h
- How
- Book direct.
Tip: Only makes sense with a bed on Lošinj.
A half day here
- Not possible.
Where to eat and drink
- Alfred Keller: Michelin one-star (2026) on Čikat bay; the dinner that justifies the overnight
Practical
Booking order
Book the Blue World tour and the dinner, then the room; both need booking in summer.
Watch out
- The ferry to Cres cannot be reserved.
- The Osor swing bridge can hold traffic around 09:00 and 17:00.
- Five hours of driving for a day trip.
Curated by Benjamin Haller and our guests · Facts checked 31 Oct 2026 · How this map is made
The Krk Map is made by Marim Luxury Villas, a family company that hosts guests in Stara Baška and Vrbnik. No place pays to be on it; partners and our curators’ own offers are marked. Our villas