Opatija is a good base for the northern Adriatic. Rijeka is fifteen minutes away by bus and worth an afternoon for its Art Nouveau architecture and excellent fish market. The island of Krk is connected to the mainland by bridge and reachable in under an hour; its old stone towns and quiet coves make a worthwhile contrast to Opatija's resort character. Pula in Istria is about 90 km south — its Roman amphitheatre is one of the best-preserved in the world.
Closer to home, the medieval hill towns above the Riviera — Kastav, Veprinac, and Mošćenice — are each worth a half-day. Kastav sits on a ridge above Rijeka with commanding views in both directions; Veprinac is a tiny fortified village above Opatija that most visitors completely overlook.
