Kvarner Islands Cruise Opatija Round Trip via Zadar 7nts (Saturdays)

Check-in from 11:00 on the Opatija riviera, departing at 13:00 with lunch on board on the short crossing to Krk, the largest island in the Adriatic and the closest to the mainland. Krk town has been continuously inhabited since Roman times, with a 5th century basilica, a Frankopan castle on the waterfront and a walled old town small enough to cover in an hour. Swim stop in a quiet bay on the way. Overnight in Krk.

Breakfast on board and a morning swim stop on the way south to Rab. The old town runs along a narrow peninsula and is known for the four bell towers that stand along its spine, visible from the sea before anything else. A guided walking tour covers the towers, the cathedral and the medieval lanes, and the island is unusually green for the Kvarner, with pine woods and sandy beaches on the Lopar side. Overnight in Rab.

South with a swim stop and lunch on board to Zadar, three thousand years of layers in one walled town. The Roman forum is still there in the open, its stones reused in the round 9th century church of St Donatus beside it. On the waterfront the Sea Organ plays as the swell pushes air through pipes under the marble steps, next to the Greeting to the Sun. A guided walking tour is included. Overnight in Zadar.

Out into the Zadar archipelago, to Molat or Olib depending on conditions. These are quiet, low-lying islands with a few hundred residents between them, dry-stone walls, olive groves and coves with nobody in them. Swim stop and lunch on board, with the afternoon free ashore or on deck. Overnight at Molat or Olib.

North to Ilovik, the island of flowers, a small green island facing Sveti Petar across a narrow channel used as an anchorage for centuries. Swim stop, then on to Mali Losinj, which wraps around a deep sheltered bay and grew rich on shipbuilding and long-haul sail trade in the 19th century, which is why the waterfront is lined with captains' villas. The Captain's Dinner is served on board. Overnight in Mali Losinj.

A morning swim stop and lunch on board on the way to Cres, one of the longest islands in the Adriatic and one of the emptiest. Cres town sits around a small harbour with Venetian houses and a loggia, and the island is known for its griffon vultures, which nest on the cliffs above the eastern shore. Overnight in Cres.

The last full day, with a swim stop and lunch on board on the run back across the Kvarner gulf. A call at Moscenicka Draga, a pebble-beach village under the Ucka mountain, before the short leg north to Opatija, the grand old Habsburg resort with its 12 km seafront promenade and belle epoque villas. Evening at leisure. Overnight in Opatija.

Breakfast on board, then check-out and farewell to the crew. Rijeka Airport is about 40 minutes away and Pula and Zagreb are within easy reach.