In 1153 El Idrisi, an Arabian geographer and cartographer, mentions Lovran as an important maritime and mercantile town. According to him, Lovran was at the time greater importance than the small neighboring towns of Plomin and Labin that were significant urban centres in Roman times.

Although the Lovranians were skilled seamen and merchants, were is not for Opatija and its tourism, Lovran would have lived to see the destiny many other forgotten seacoast townships. Namely, neither could the Lovranians with their sailing ships compete seriously with steamships, and so the town declined. But just farther off from it northwards a new appeared Opatija. Luckily for Lovran and its townsfolk, Opatija expanded rapidly and soon became too tight for all those who wanted to build a villa. a restaurant or a hotel. But south of Opatija was this old little town, with a fairly well developed infrastructure and with just as much woods on the slopes of Učka. The adroit Lovranians were quick to realize that the future lie in tourism. They opened their doors to foreign investors, whom they themselves will join later. And so by the end of the l9th century Lovran became a part of tourist Opatija, but with a specific urban appearance. It was a mini repetition of Opatija hotels and boarding houses flourished, and the visiting guests became more and more reputable. The rich Mediterranean vegetation, beaches, numerous villas an hotels make Lovran one of the most attractive tourist centers on the Opatija Riviera. There is a 12 kilometers long walking path along the sea from Lovran to Opatija and further to Volosko.