Omišalj Old Town

The first settlement you meet after crossing the Krk Bridge, Omišalj perches on a limestone bluff 85 metres above the sea — a natural fortress that made it the medieval capital of the island. Its old core is a compact stone knot barely 300 metres across, dominated by the parish church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, a rare Romanesque three-nave basilica finished in 1252 whose rose window still bears its original Byzantine-influenced stone tracery. Look inside for the Glagolitic inscriptions carved into pillars near the entrance — Omišalj was one of the great historic centres of the Glagolitic script, and the 11th-century Baška Tablet was later discovered on the same island. Walk out onto the small terrace beside the church (locally called Placa) for the classic Krk photograph: sea 85 metres below, Rijeka's industrial silhouette in the distance, and the runway of Krk airport just off to one side. The village is small enough to explore in an hour but rewards a longer stay: the lower harbour of Pesja, reached by a stepped lane, has excellent swimming, and the ruins of the Roman city of Fulfinum lie a fifteen-minute walk to the south — foundations, mosaics and a fifth-century basilica scattered among low pine woods. Free public parking at the top of the town.