"Be introduced in Opatija", that has always been a matter of prestige and an enduring mantra. Opatija has always been a centre of the most important business, art and entertainment events.
Charming your guests is easier in Opatija, because Opatija has plenty of charm. This is an unwritten rule which has been valid for more than a century and a half. Major business events, spectacular concerts have always been at home in Opatija and on its famous stages - Open Air Theatre and the mythical Crystal Ballroom of Hotel Kvarner.
Opatija's favourable geographic position, as well as the area’s pleasant climate, were the main reasons for the rapid development of tourism at the end of the 19th century. Today Opatija is an elegant holiday resort and the heart of the Riviera boasting the longest tradition of welcoming visitors in Croatia. The town is renowned for its fine, well-tended parks and gardens, the 12 km-long Lungomare coastal promenade, numerous bathing spots and splendid fountains, which all make a perfect setting for villas and hotels that can accommodate up to 6,000 visitors.
Opatija's long tradition as a convention destination and holiday resort is best illustrated by the fact that it was the venue for the Fourth Congress of Austrian Balneologists in 1904, and that in 1906 a book entitled Abbazia als Kurort (Opatija as a health resort) was published to mark the 60th birthday of Opatija's eminent doctor, Julius Glax. With more than 20 hotels, most of them rated with four or five stars, numerous restaurants and recreational facilities, entertainment programmes and events of various kinds, Opatija can today satisfy the needs of even the most demanding of congress organisers and delegates.
To the organisers of business meetings, Opatija offers all the advantages of a major convention destination combined with the enticing charm of a more intimate holiday resort. The area’s extensive experience and tradition in organising conventions, combined with modern quality accommodation, provide excellent foundation for organising various meetings and events.
Today, more than 125 years after the first congress, Opatija hosts more than 500 congresses, seminars, various meetings and events each year. Many of these are traditional and of national importance, but each time Opatija also hosts an increasing number of internationally relevant congresses. One of the reasons for this is undoubtedly Opatija’s favourable central position in the Alpe-Adria region, which includes the countries of Croatia, Slovenia, Italy, Austria and Hungary). Thanks to the modern motorway network, Opatija can today be easily reached by car in only several hours’ drive from all major centres of the region. More precisely, Opatija is within the radius of 5-hour-drive from some of the most important cities in South and Central Europe (Zagreb, Varaždin, Osijek, Split, Ljubljana, Maribor, Venice, Milan, Vienna, Budapest, Salzburg, Munich, Belgrade etc.).
Opatija can also be reached by air via five international airports (Rijeka-island of Krk, Pula, Zagreb, Ljubljana and Trieste) that are all within two-hour drive. By train, Opatija can be reached from the railway station in Rijeka (15 km away; for trains coming from the direction of Zagreb), and the railway station Opatija-Matulji (6 km; for trains coming from the direction of Ljubljana).
