The city of Cres is the biggest town on the island and its administrative centre.
It is located in the north-eastern part of a wide snug bay which from ancient times served as a good shelter from storms. Thanks to its good position a modern marina with numerous berths was built to the south of the town. The bay is filled with nice bathing areas – the first beaches are only a few minutes away by walk from the city centre. Such a position lends itself to de-veloping fishery, seafaring and shipbuilding through the centuries. The city is surrounded with fertile land which allows olive growing from which famous olive oil from Cres is made.
The best way to meet the city is to take a walk through numerous small streets in the old city centre. Narrow and high small houses attaching to each other and streets winding in a maze through the old city centre are a typical example of medieval architecture. Emblems on the house fronts and doorsteps speak volumes about the former ways of life – those of fishermen, farmers, blacksmiths and others. In the past the old city centre was walled and one entered the city through one out of three gates i.e. entrances to the town. Only a defence tower in the north-western part and a city gate, which could be seen if you take a walk through the town park, have been preserved. In the city centre there is a town square that has been a centre of all happenings in the city both in the past and today.
In the square there is a Municipal Loggia where in the past declarations were read, agreements were made, where people made business and had fun. If you happen to find yourself in the square in the morning, you may see women and men from Cres selling their products such as fruits and vegetables, olive oil, honey and other island products under the Loggia.
Today Cres is aimed at developing tourism the beginnings of which reach the far 1845 which; thus, Cres takes the second place with the longest tourism tradition in the Adriatic. Kvarner is a destination to which guests come back over and over again. In the far 1845 Villa Angiolina and shortly after the first hotel – Kvarner Hotel were built and this year is considered the dawn of Croatian tourism. Along with the affirmation of Opatija Riviera, the rest of the regi-on and primarily the islands followed this tourist development. Already in June 1845 some two hundred tourists arrived from Rijeka to Cres by steamship. The first hotel in Cres “Mira-mar” was opened in Cres at the end of the nineteenth century which is considered to be the very beginning of modern tourism on Cres after which Cres continued to develop and boost tourism step by step.
Thanks to its nuanced tourist offer of gastronomy, events and both cultural and historic land-marks Cres can surely be included in the very top of Croatian tourism.