Croatian island wins Guardian readers’ top tip for an unsung European escape

Cres

One of Croatia’s most distinctive Adriatic islands has received international recognition after being selected as the winning reader tip in The Guardian’s feature on Europe’s favourite unsung islands.

Cres, in the northern Adriatic’s Kvarner Gulf, was highlighted among a collection of recommendations from readers seeking quieter and less discovered alternatives to Europe’s better-known island destinations.

The feature, published by the British newspaper at the end of August, brought together suggestions ranging from the Kerry coast in Ireland and Greece to France’s Île de Sein, Italy’s Aeolian islands and Spain’s La Graciosa.

Cres, however, was singled out as the winning tip, under the headline “Winning tip: a bird’s-eye view of wild Croatia”.

The recommendation focused on the island’s combination of rugged landscapes, traditional settlements and relatively unspoilt character.

“Covered in scrubby heath, olive groves and lavender, with small towns and villages on its coastline, its wildness is its appeal.”

The reader described arriving at the highest point of Cres by bus and encountering griffon vultures gliding alongside the vehicle.

The island is home to one of Europe’s most important populations of the griffon vulture, a species that has become closely associated with Cres and neighbouring parts of the northern Adriatic.

The Guardian recommendation also highlighted the contrast between Cres’ natural landscape and its coastal settlements, noting that some areas have developed to accommodate visitors while others retain a quieter, traditional way of life.

Cres is the least populated of the four main islands in the Kvarner Gulf, according to the recommendation, and is characterised by scrubland, olive groves and lavender, together with a coastline of small towns and villages.

Cres

The island’s waters were also noted, with the recommendation pointing to the clear, turquoise sea for which the Croatian Adriatic is known.

The recognition comes as travellers increasingly seek destinations away from Europe’s busiest tourist hotspots, with smaller islands offering a combination of nature, local life and traditional landscapes.