Krk, the island you drive across
A bridge instead of a boat, an airport at the northern end, and a single ferry at the western edge. For most travellers Krk is not the destination but the approach to Cres.
Updated
Krk is the largest of the Kvarner islands and the easiest to reach, because you do not need a ferry to get onto it. That is exactly why the crossing to Cres is as busy as it is: everything arriving by road funnels through one quay.
The bridge
The Krk Bridge carries the D102 across the Tihi Kanal from the mainland. At 1,430 m it was the longest concrete arch in the world when it opened, and for most of its life it charged a toll.
That ended on 15 June 2020, when the government terminated the concession and folded the crossing into Croatian Motorways. Crossing is free in both directions. Any page still quoting a figure in kuna is describing a situation that ended years ago.
The airport is on the island
Rijeka Airport sits at Omišalj on Krk, a few kilometres past the bridge, reached by the D103. It is not in Rijeka.
For anyone flying in and continuing to Cres or Lošinj that is convenient, but it puts an unreservable ferry between the terminal and the destination. Build in the possibility of missing a sailing; the queue page covers the margins.
Getting to Valbiska
From the bridge the D102 runs the length of the island past Omišalj and Malinska. The D104 branches west to the ferry port. Allow roughly 40 min from the bridge, more in July and August when Malinska is busy.
There is no village at the port, so buy what you need on the way. The Valbiska port page describes what is and is not there.
Krk to Rab, by the way
Valbiska is not only the Cres port. The car ferry to Lopar on Rab leaves from the same quay, a crossing of about 80 min, twice daily in winter and up to four times in summer.
Unlike the Cres line, a ticket on the Rab line reserves a place and a departure time. Same quay, opposite rule, which is worth knowing if you plan to use both.
There is also a passenger catamaran on line 323 that calls at Baška in the south of Krk on its way to Lopar and Rab. It carries no vehicles, so it is an option for island hopping on foot rather than a way to move a car.
Where to break the journey
If you are aiming at an early sailing, Malinska is the closest town of any size to Valbiska and Krk town has more choice. Both are covered on the accommodation page.