Lovran looks like the eccentric little sibling of Opatija, the sprawling resort just 5km northeast up the coast - and in many ways this is exactly what it is. An unassuming fishing village set beneath the green slopes of Mt Učka, Lovran attracted the eyes of Viennese developers towards the end of the nineteenth century, its coastline soon filling up with Italianate villas and Art-Nouveau hotels. It was never as intensively developed as Opatija however, and retains a small-town charm that its swaggering neighbour lacks.

A compact fishing harbour stands at the centre of town, above which rises a pedestrianised Old Town riven by narrow alleys. Standing opposite the parish Church of St George are two doorways topped by attention grabbing reliefs; one depicts St George laying into a dragon, while the other shows the so-called Mustaćon (“Beardy Bloke”), a wild-haired man that has become a trademark of the town.