Enjoy the Holiday Magic in Opatija With a 360° Virtual Walk
Take a virtual walk around Opatija in its holiday gear, from enchanting parks and iconic hotels to the famous seaside promenade lungomare
Although Christmas has passed, cities all over Croatia continue to don their holiday gear for another week or so. While most Advent programmes typically last through the first week of the year, come January 1st, they somehow just don’t feel the same anymore.
That being said, the next few days leading up to New Year’s Eve are a perfect opportunity to enjoy the festive atmosphere in town while the lights and decorations are still up.
Don’t fancy mingling with crowds (or getting off the couch) these days? We get you - thankfully, there’s a way to stroll around town without having to leave the comfort of your own home.
Screenshot of Opatija Advent page, photo © Rajko Mrvos
Today, we present to you a lovely virtual tour of Opatija, the historic town on the coast of Kvarner Bay. Created by Rajko Mrvos in collaboration with Opatija Tourist Board, the 360° tour is composed of 30 panoramic photos showcasing the town in all its glamorous holiday glory.
Set to a festive musical backdrop, the tour will take you from Opatija’s enchanting parks and iconic hotels to the famous seaside promenade lungomare. You can toggle between daytime and nighttime panoramas, or take a walk with 360 VR video footage:
Head to the Opatija Advent page to enjoy the splendid landscapes, and check out Rajko Mrvos's ZooM Studio Youtube Channel for more virtual tours of Croatia.
Want to learn more about Opatija? Look no further than our Total Croatia guide Opatija in a page.
Opatija Celebrates Advent Again This Year With a Fully Decorated City
November 16, 2021 - Many cities on the Croatian coast seek to position themselves as attractive winter destinations, and the jewel of Kvarner Bay is not far behind, as Opatija celebrates Advent again this year with hundreds of thousands of special decorations in every corner of the city.
Winter will once again dress Opatija in lavish Advent attire, reports Turističke Priče. The most romantic and solemn part of the year is the best opportunity to get to know this famous European destination in a unique atmosphere. It is a time when holiday magic is felt in every corner of the city and makes every experience unforgettable.
Opatija celebrates Advent with hundreds of thousands of lamps and decorations, turning it into a winter fairy tale, which is why the staff of the landscaped city toured the world last year. In addition to the virtual walk, which aroused great interest last year, this year's Advent will offer a real touch with the city and the opportunity to enjoy a rich gastronomic and entertainment offer.
From November 26 to January 9, the Christmas atmosphere will expand to already known locations such as the Juraj Šporer Art Pavilion and Sv. Jakov, then, Angiolina Park, the Summer Stage and the city gloom (market), but also some new spaces - along the promenades in the area from the Savoy Hotel to Villa Madonna, on the terraces of the Continental, Milenij and Imperial hotels, in the Strauss cafe, all with a special offer food and drink.
''Opatija celebrates Advent by constantly raising the bar of quality and we always make new efforts to not only meet but also exceed the expectations of our guests. After our Advent fairytale shone like never before last year and conquered the whole world with its staff, we want to further enhance this holiday atmosphere and lavish landscaping of the city this winter in order to provide everyone with unforgettable memories. We are glad that the Most Beautiful Advent by the Sea, as one of the largest winter events in Croatia, has reunited many tourist entities in our city, which will be presented with a special arrangement and special program'', said the director of the Opatija Tourist Board Suzi Petričić.
An additional atmosphere during a walk through the city will be provided by the traditionally decorated shop windows along the main road as well as the smells of hot chocolate and various desserts from the famous Opatija cafes and pastry shops. This year, as in the past six years, the Tourist Board of the City of Opatija will award cash prizes to the most beautifully decorated shop windows, inviting business owners to get involved in arranging their shop windows and be part of the Advent atmosphere in the city.
To learn more about one of Kvarner's most impressive jewels, be sure to read our complete Total Croatia guide, Opatija in a page. Now in your language!
For more on travel in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.
Opatija Advent Magic Next to New York, Paris, London in Light Magazine
February 15, 2021 – Opatija Advent magic received world quality certification as one of the world's leading manufacturers of light decorations, Blachere Illumination, included Opatija's photo in its Light Magazine catalog for 2021.
As reported from the City of Opatija, the French Blachere Illumination has thus ranked Opatija alongside the world's largest cities such as New York, Amsterdam, Paris, London, Budapest, and others, whose photos are also presented in this year's edition.
This is a new success of the Most Beautiful Advent by the Sea, this time globally. After Opatija's holiday story virtually traveled Croatia and the world, it will now remain inscribed as an example of quality and attractive city planning and inspiration for similar projects worldwide.
Source: Visit Opatija
Opatija thus received valuable confirmation of the great effort invested in the city's arrangement over the past holidays. Also, Opatija has become a model and inspiration for organizers of similar events around the world.
"We are pleased with Opatija Advent's success and promotion as the 'Most Beautiful Advent by the Sea,' received worldwide. This year, we received numerous compliments from visitors to Opatija who were enchanted by its holiday atmosphere. Now the profession, those responsible for the fairytale appearance of the world's largest Advent destinations, confirmed its success. Opatija is now among them, and it is a great success to be a part of a catalog that will tour the whole world," said the Opatija Tourist Board director Suzi Petričić.
Source: Visit Opatija
Blachere Illumination is a French company with a tradition of producing Christmas, New Year, and other occasional light decorations for more than 45 years. Today, it is an international family of companies whose primary goal is to bring light around the world. In production, they pay exceptional attention to preserving the environment and reducing the carbon footprint. They use 80 percent less aluminum in the production of light decorations, and they also recycle all parts of the decorations.
They have 30 branches worldwide, and they are also present in Croatia, where there is a branch in charge of eight countries in the region – Croatia, Slovenia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania, Kosovo, Macedonia, and Montenegro.
Source: Visit Opatija
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Advent Made Opatija One of the Top Croatian Destinations in December 2020
January 15, 2021 – Kvarner beauty Opatija was one of the top Croatian destinations in December 2020, taking second place in overnight hotel stays. The most beautiful Advent made Opatija a desirable winter destination.
Despite the dark cloud that reigned this winter, Opatija, with its attractive Advent program, still managed to shine as a beacon of hope. This December, the city was brighter than ever before, lit with more than 20 kilometers of lamps, over 10,000 decorations, and dozens of large decorations.
The story of the "Christmas miracle" in the cradle of Croatian tourism attracted many Opatija residents and visitors. As Opatija Tourist Board reports, in December 2020, Opatija was the best destination in Kvarner and the fourth in Croatia in terms of the overall number of overnight stays. Opatija is in second place in Croatia, right after the Croatian capital when it comes to overnight hotel stays.
Source: Visit Opatija
The magic of the most beautiful and breathtaking Advent by the sea was recorded in thousands of photos and videos, with shots of romantic evening walks, friendly gatherings, and family happiness, which passed all over Croatia and the world.
However, in addition to the city guests, Opatija Advent's magical beauty was experienced by many "virtual" visitors. Namely, many digital attractions such as virtual walks, music cards, videos, and photos, made Opatija's Advent even more attractive, measuring hundreds of thousands of reviews.
Such a campaign attracted the interest of both Croatian and foreign media. It resulted in numerous publications, especially on the Italian, Austrian, Hungarian and Slovenian markets, with a total reach of several million people. Croatian media also accompanied Opatija's "Christmas fairy tale" with hymns, declaring it the most beautiful Advent in Croatia.
Source: Visit Opatija
"This year, we confirmed that Advent in Opatija is one of the most important winter events in Croatia. The most beautiful Advent by the sea is the foundation on which we build the future of Opatija as a popular winter destination, which is in line with its tourist tradition. The city is becoming one of the most important Advent destinations in this part of Europe," said Suzi Petričić, director of the Opatija Tourist Board, the creator of Opatija's Advent attire.
Advent in Opatija is slowly coming to an end, and those who want to take the last opportunity to feel the magic of the most beautiful Advent by the sea can visit it until Sunday, January 17th. This year's edition of Advent in Opatija was recognized as a thread of optimism in these difficult circumstances and won countless hearts.
The most beautiful Advent by the sea / Source: Visit Opatija
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The Biggest Hit Of Advent 2020? Kvarner Christmas Online
January 5, 2020 – Thanks to the imaginative coverage of local portal Fiuman.hr, more than half a million people visited Kvarner Christmas online over the 2020 holidays. From the spectacular lights of Opatija and Rijeka, to toy bears in Rijeka cafe bars, this is what they saw...
Everyone will remember the Advent of 2020 as unusual. Many were separated from friends and family. Others weren't able to travel nor visit the places or people we wanted to. The difference was noted significantly in Croatia, where family means everything, especially at Christmas.
Over recent years, Croatia has become one of the best-known places in Europe to visit for the Advent season. Zagreb's award-winning Advent celebrations have spurred on efforts elsewhere in the country and many towns and cities in Croatia now pull out all the stops during Advent, gloriously decorating their streets and holding events that draw thrilled visitors.
Under the unusual constraints of 2020, one Advent season in Croatia imaginatively continued to draw the crowds. Although, it wasn't so much the streets that were jammed as it was the internet servers. With the considerable help of local news portal Fiuman.hr, Kvarner Christmas Online welcomed tens of thousands of visitors.
Thanks to the imaginative coverage of Fiuman.hr, Kvarner Christmas Online was visited by well over half a million people in 2020. While many bars in Europe remained closed to human customers, Rijeka cake and ice cream cafe Cacao took the opportunity to fill its empty chairs with toy bears during Kvarner Christmas Online. Fiuman.hr's video of the scene was viewed almost 245,000 times.
Their video of the Advent lights in the Gradina part of the city fared even better. Always a spectacular highlight of Kvarner Christmas online, Fiuman.hr's video of Gradina got more than 300,000 views.
With its beautiful city centre parks, peaceful walks and promenade, the Advent season of nearby Opatija has become an increasingly popular choice for visitors over the winter holidays. And, in 2020, that was still the case during Kvarner Christmas online. Fiuman.hr 's video from the Opatija park near Šporer generated over 190 thousand views.
It just goes to show that while the Advent of 2020 may have been curtailed in unexpected ways, there's no dampening of the love of Christmas and the festive spirit. Fiuman.hr's video viewers will surely be lining up to visit Kvarner Christmas in person as soon as they can.
Advent Opatija: Virtual Walk Through the Most Beautiful Advent By the Sea
December 13, 2020 – The magical atmosphere of Advent Opatija has been transferred to the virtual world! A walk through the most beautiful Advent by the sea is now within reach of anyone who needs a little Christmas magic and warmth.
As Turističke priče reports, on the Opatija Tourist Board website, a virtual walk through the city has been set up which brings visitors directly into the scenes of the winter idyll on the seashore. From the Advent wreath in Slatina to Advent in Volosko, a walk in virtual reality provides a full experience of Advent locations, presented through 30 scenes with a 360-degree view.
Advent Opatija / Photo: Facebook Visit Opatija
With the virtual walkthrough Advent Opatija 2020, visitors can experience each of Opatija's Advent locations day and night, see the city from heavenly heights, and "enter" Opatija's churches.
Thus, visitors worldwide, who cannot feel Opatija's Advent magic live, can enjoy it via their computers or mobile phones. All those interested can walk through the festively arranged Angiolina Park, guarded by uniquely painted Nutcrackers. Then, move on to the crinoline exhibition made of greenery and flowers, and "knock on the door" of the Candy House and allow themselves to be captivated by the irresistible holiday atmosphere of each of Opatija's carefully designed Advent locations.
In addition to the romantic night atmosphere, visitors can see the Advent Opatija in this virtual walk even during the day, when its natural beauty and architecture, which has been captivating guests for almost two centuries, come to the fore.
The virtual tour also provides a bird's eye view of the port, Hotel Kvarner, and American Gardens. Visitors can even "walk" in two Opatija churches, the one of Sv. Jakov located in the park of the same name and the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which is situated on an elevated position above Slatina and below the American Gardens.
Angiolina Park during the day / Photo: Studio Saršon, Facebook Visit Opatija
In just 15 days, this campaign called "Opatija in Christmas attire" has reached more than 1.5 million internet users worldwide.
"In a year like this, we have a great desire to touch the hearts of those who want magic all over the world," says Suzi Petričić, the director of the Opatija Tourist Board.
Fairytale parks, lavishly decorated squares, streets illuminated by hundreds of thousands of lamps, romantic promenades filled with a holiday atmosphere, and numerous attractions have made Advent in Opatija the most beautiful story of this year's holidays.
Angiolina Park at night / Photo: Studio Saršon, Facebook Visit Opatija
For the latest travel info, bookmark our main travel info article, which is updated daily.
Read the Croatian Travel Update in your language - now available in 24 languages
Kvarner Gourmet: Opatija's Thirteenth Chocolate Festival
Christmas in Opatija: 22 Open Hotels, 4,000 Expected Guests
It’s always nice to look at how the different regions and towns throughout Croatia celebrate Christmas, and while a lot of eyes have been focused on the holiday blowout that is Advent in Zagreb and other Advent celebrations along the coast including Dubrovnik, Split, and Zadar, how are we celebrating the holidays a bit further up north by the sea?
