A little weekend trip to Mošćenička Draga

If you're looking for a short, restful trip at the sea that doesn't lack history and adventure, you'll find your destination in the municipality of Mošćenička Draga in Croatia, located on the Istrian peninsula. Mošćenička Draga, a beautiful seaside resort south of Opatija Riviera in the Kvarner Bay, is the perfect destination for a short weekend trip. It captivates with its beautiful light pebble beaches and the colours of the sea that change from turquoise to dark blue. What I loved about Mošćenička Draga were the beautiful old villas that seemed to come from another time, almost like they fell into oblivion.

Table of content

♡ History of the fishing port

♡ Diving in Mošćenička Draga

♡ The small hilltop town of Mošćenice

♡ The best food in Mošćenička Draga

♡ Accommodation: The Linda Apartments

♡ Small recommendation

In Mošćenička Draga, you can read a lot about its history on information boards. Mošćenička Draga is mainly known for fishing, as it used to be a fishing port that supplied the hillside town of Mošćenice with fish. The harbour lies sheltered in Draga Bay. Behind it are the green slopes of the Učka Mountains, where today there are many settlements and holiday homes. 

Beautiful old villa in Mošćenička Draga

Before the construction of the harbour, Sipar Beach extended to a freshwater spring - later used as a washing place. The fish market was built above the washing place between 1912 and 1914. However, so much fish got caught that the people also sold it at other fish markets, such as those in Lovran, Opatija and Rijeka. Fishermen often met at the fish market before going to sea and told each other their stories.

Slipways (boat ramps) were used to launch boats, pull them out, or even repair them. Smaller boats used to be pulled out of the water by hand. Special winches or vehicles served to pull out larger ones of the water. You can still see the wooden hand winches and some boat ramps today.

Harbour

The small municipality of Mošćenička Draga has two dive centres. We chose the friendly little diving base "I LOVE DIVE", run very personally by Emir. There you explore the house reef with its many colourful fish and beautiful rock formations and meet the nicest people. You can find further information about the dive site in my detailed report, which I link here.

When you visit Mošćenička Draga, you must see the small medieval town of Mošćenice. The small town is part of the Croatian cultural heritage and is connected to the beach by about 753 steps. To reach the steps, you walk along the small beach promenade. You will find the stairs behind the pizzeria at the end of the Sveti Ivan beach. If you walk up the many steps, you can always catch a beautiful view of the sea. What I particularly liked about the path was that the forest there can grow so wildly and is not as tidy as the forests in my home country. We were even lucky enough to meet a lizard on the way. After a while, the steps are interrupted by coastal road 66. It's better to be careful when crossing the road, as you only see approaching cars late because of a curve.

Dalmatian Algyroides (Algyroides nigropunctatus)

If you walk up the remaining stone steps, after about 30 minutes, you will finally reach the houses on the 173-metre-high mountain. On the left, a path leads up to the alleys of Mošćenice, and you come to the square between the entrance to the town and the cemetery.

The beautiful old town, its narrow streets, the ethnographic museum where you can find tools, folk costumes and various objects, and the small baroque church of St. Andrew are worth seeing. The symbol of this medieval town is the approximately 300-year-old olive mill, Mošćenički Toš, which is still in use today. Walking up here is worth it, not to mention the breathtaking view of the Kvarner Bay you have from up here.

In Mošćenička Draga, you can find super delicious food. After we returned from Mošćenice, we tried the Bistro Pizzeria Rubin - near the stairs on Sveti Ivan beach - which Emir from the diving base recommended. They have the best pizza in town.

You can also get excellent pizza and many other delicious dishes at the Kavana Marina Pizzeria, which you find close to the harbour. Opposite the pizzeria, there is the Konzum, in case you want to do some shopping.

Bistro Pizzeria Rubin

The Gimi Restaurant has a beautiful sea view, which you can enjoy on the terrace, as it is located directly on the pebble beach. I can especially recommend the delicious ravioli here.

One thing we wanted to try, after passing it several times, is the fruit salad from the Fruit & Food Bar La Vita. Trying this paid off, although I have to criticise that they served the fruit salads in unreusable plastic cups. On the other hand, you could take the fruit salads with you because of these plastic cups.

Terrace of the Gimi Restaurant

You find the very best ice cream at Café Bar Magnolija. I highly recommend the fruity flavours, such as lemon or banana. You can take an ice cream with you as you stroll along the promenade or simply choose one of the many park benches and enjoy the view of the Adriatic Sea.

Café Bar Magnolija

For accommodation, we chose the Linda Apartments. You find them near Sipar and Sveti Ivan beaches, and there is free Wi-Fi & parking. To get to the flats, you have to climb some stairs because the apartments are in the middle of the old town above the harbour of Mošćenička Draga.

Because of this, the location is very quiet.

The bedroom was in a beautiful shade of blue and white, the bed was very comfortable, and we had a very restful sleep there after a busy day. There were enough sockets to charge our cameras and mobile phones, and there was also a safe. My boyfriend Philip especially liked the beautiful picture of the harbour of Mošćenička Draga above the bed.

The small kitchen had everything we needed, on the one hand, basic things like a fridge, an induction cooker and a sink, on the other hand, a kettle, an aluminium coffee pot and a small toaster. It was top-equipped to cook delicious meals and breakfasts.

There is an easy-to-use air conditioner, which is also for heating on colder nights.

In addition to the kitchen, the living area also has a soft sofa and a small table. I really liked the decoration as well as the wall colour.

The tiled bathroom is small, but you will find everything you need. There are towels and hand soap, as well as a small hairdryer.

If something doesn't work, like the Wi-Fi on our first night, you can contact the landlady of the apartments. She is helpful and friendly and solved our problem in no time.

What I liked most about the flat was the lovely little terrace. There were folding chairs and a table so two people could sit comfortably. You can see the beach and the sea from here and enjoy a peaceful breakfast. There was also a tiny stone garden with a few flowers in front of the terrace. We liked the accommodation so much that we would love to come back once. I can highly recommend the Linda Apartments.

As a small recommendation, I can only advise you to walk along the beach promenade in the evening. When the sun goes down, the sky takes on a beautiful pink colour, and when the blue hour begins, you can take breathtaking pictures of the lights of the town and the harbour. In the darkness of night, Mošćenička Draga offers a different kind of beauty.

In summary, we had a wonderful time in Mošćenička Draga. Although the municipality is small, it has a lot to offer. You can do fantastic dives, unwind on the beach or take a trip into the history of Mošćenička Draga, not to forget the tasty food. It is the perfect place for a short but beautiful holiday. I highly recommend you to come here one day to have a wonderful time, as we did.

Life is either a daring adventure or nothing. - Helen Keller

♡