Platak
Platak: the back story
The back story
About Platak: the back story
There are not many places in Europe where you can ski in the morning and walk by the sea in the afternoon. Platak is one. At about 1,100 metres in the wooded mountains of Gorski kotar, 20 km from Rijeka, it is, in its own words, a ski resort with a view of the sea: the Kvarner Gulf and its islands lie below the pistes.
Mountains above the sea
Gorski kotar is Croatia’s green, forested mountain country, rising steeply behind Rijeka and the Opatija riviera. Platak sits on its seaward edge at about 1,100 metres, close to Risnjak National Park, whose summit, Veliki Risnjak, reaches 1,528 metres, and to Snježnik, at 1,506 metres. So close to the Adriatic, the snow comes and goes with the weather off the sea, and a good day here is a memorable one.
The pistes
Goranski sportski centar, the county sports company, runs the area. Its eight pistes add up to about 6.6 km: the long blue Tourist slope of almost 3 km, the red Radeševo 1 and 2, Turn 19 and Pribeniš 1, and the gentle Baby slope with its moving carpet. Snow cannons cover the main runs, and on Tuesday and Friday evenings, weather permitting, the Radeševo slopes are lit for night skiing from 7pm to 10pm.
Ski in the morning, eat scampi on the Opatija riviera by evening.
Every budget
Platak is one of the best-value ski days in Europe: in 2025/26 an adult day pass cost €18 on weekdays and €22 at weekends, a night pass €14, and children under six and adults over 65 paid €5. Passes are sold at the ticket office, online and at Petrol filling stations. The Platak mountain lodge, 300 metres from the car park, sleeps up to 90, and the Sušak lodge offers rooms and meals at 1,127 metres.
Down to the coast
The real luxury is the coast below. Opatija, a short drive away, is the grand old resort of the Habsburg Adriatic, with Hotel Kvarner, built in 1884 as the first hotel on the eastern Adriatic coast, and the harbour of Volosko, home to Plavi Podrum, the oldest restaurant on the riviera.
Our advice: watch the forecast and come on the first clear weekday after a snowfall, ski until lunch, then drive down to Opatija for the evening. In summer Platak stays open for biking, hiking and disc golf.
Why it's on our list
- About 20 km from Rijeka
- A view of the sea
- Night skiing
- Low-cost lift passes
- Risnjak National Park next door
Platak in brief
From Goranski sportski centar (platak.hr) and the City of Rijeka, October 2026.
Pistes · 6
Tourist slope, blue, 2,943 m, Radeševo 1, red, 806 m, Radeševo 2, red, 1,065 m, Turn 19, red, 390 m, Pribeniš 1, red, 360 m, Baby slope, blue, 209 m
Hours, 2025/26 · 3
Day skiing 9am–4pm, Night skiing Tue and Fri, 7pm–10pm, Ticket office from 8am
Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with Platak: the back story before you go.