BOAT-COMPARATOR Guide

Boat Rental in the Kvarner Gulf, at Rijeka and Mali Lošinj

Protected dolphins and the mildest microclimate on the Adriatic: the guide to renting a boat in Croatia's Kvarner Gulf, north of Dalmatia.

By Clément Lacaille, editor of Boat-Comparator · updated 15 Jul 2026

North of Dalmatia, the Kvarner Gulf stays largely off the beaten path compared to Split or Dubrovnik, while still offering sheltered sailing between wooded islands and small historic harbours.

Rijeka, the Kvarner's main gateway

Rijeka is Croatia's main port, with an international airport and direct access to the Kvarner archipelago (Cres, Krk, Rab) without going through Split.

Mali Lošinj, the emperors' climate

Mali Lošinj, further south, owes its reputation to an unusually mild microclimate that made it a sought-after convalescence resort as early as Austro-Hungarian times. The island, covered in fragrant pines, borders waters home to one of the Adriatic's few resident populations of bottlenose dolphins, monitored by marine research institutes — a good moment to revisit our guide to behaving well around them.

Sailing between wooded islands

Unlike central Dalmatia, where the terrain is starker and rockier, the Kvarner is known for pine forests running down to the water — a green, sheltered stretch of sea, less exposed to wind than the open water off Split.

Budget and comparison

Sailboat €300-700/day (€1,500-4,000/week), catamaran €800-1,500/day. Our catamaran charter Croatia guide covers the Saturday-to-Saturday logistics that apply here too. Boat-Comparator compares Boataround, SamBoat, Click&Boat and GlobeSailor for Rijeka and Mali Lošinj in one search. Undecided between them? Our platform comparison guide walks through the deposit and cancellation terms of each.

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