Opatija is one of the main resorts on what is called the Opatija Riviera a 25 km long coastal strip along the eastern coast of Istria, at the foot of Ucka (1396 m).

Tourism here started in 1844 when Hignio Scarpa, a patrician from Rijeka built a big villa amidst the bay-tree and oak-tree vegetation. Soon the royal families and men of distinction of 19-th Century Europe followed suit: Wilhelm II, Franz Joseph I, Gustav Mahler, Isadora Duncan, A.P.Chekhov among others came over to spend the winter here. By the end of the 19th century, Opatija was the winter and the health resort of the worldly Central Europe.

The main toruist attractions in the area are pittoresque Volosko, the old fishing villages Icici and Ika, Lovran with its old center and modern hotels, Meveja and Moscenicka Draga with large sandy beaches, Kraj and Brsec high above the sea, and last but not least the medieval towns on the nearby hills - Kastav, Veprinac and Moscenice.

Opatija and its Riviera have many good restaurants as well as some of the best nighlife in Croatia. Here you find many discos, clubs, nightclubs and you can even try your chance in the Casino.