Novalja offers several clear starting points for a trip: Roman heritage, early Christian traces, a walking trail through the field, the town beach and events held at particular times of year. When choosing accommodation, you can decide whether culture, landscape, the beach or a specific event should shape your stay. For your journey, the destinations and timetables of the catamaran and ferry services are also important.
Aqueduct and Early Christian Traces
The Roman aqueduct is an underground tunnel about 1,050 metres long, hewn out of solid rock. At Talijanova buĹľa, visitors can go up to 70 metres into the structure; the Novalja Town Museum provides the necessary safety equipment. Visitor access therefore extends into only part of the much longer tunnel. The comparison of dimensions helps convey the scale of the structure while also clarifying the limits of the accessible section.
Early Christian evidence can be encountered in different forms. The Stomorica Archaeological Collection is near the Parish Church of St Catherine in Novalja and contains finds from the town’s early Christian basilicas. Mala crikva contains the remains of a mosaic from a 4th-century early Christian basilica. The collection and the mosaic remnant offer different perspectives on this heritage: finds from the basilicas on the one hand, and a specific mosaic discovery with a historical connection to the 4th century on the other.
Walking through Novalja Field
The Novalja Field Walking Trail is a circular route from the Church of St Anthony through Novalja Field and back to the church. The route is 4.9 kilometres long and is rated easy in terms of terrain and fitness. Novalja Field is considered a green oasis with diverse vegetation, Mediterranean scenery and abundant wildlife. If you would like to include landscape and nature in your trip alongside historical sites, the circular route, distance and difficulty rating offer practical points of reference when choosing this trail.
Town Beach and Events
The town beach lies at the southern edge of Novalja Bay. It is pebbly and shallow, with warm water; a wide green belt runs alongside it. This gives Novalja a distinct coastal focus as well as its walking trail through the field. The information about the beach and the route helps you decide whether a stay by the water or a set walking distance is more important for your trip.
Antonja is a children’s music festival held since 1998 before the feast day of St Anthony on 13 June. Fešta od maja is a gastronomic and ecological event held around the May holidays. Restaurateurs from Novalja offer local specialities to visitors. The two events take place at different times; if an event date matters for your trip, check the specific dates in advance.
Getting There by Catamaran or Ferry
A passenger catamaran connects Novalja with Rab and Rijeka. The journey is listed as taking 2 hours and 30 minutes. Check the timetable and the season in which the catamaran operates before travelling. The Prizna–Žigljen ferry connects Novalja with the Croatian mainland; the crossing takes 15 minutes. You should also check the timetable before setting out. The destination is the main consideration when choosing: Rab and Rijeka are catamaran destinations, while the ferry route provides a connection to the Croatian mainland.
Discover more destinations: Stara Novalja, Kustići, Potocnica, Caska, Lun.
Back to the main travel overview: Općina Novalja.
