The best beaches in Croatia

A quick reality check first: most Croatian beaches are pebble or rock, not sand — and that's exactly why the water is so famously clear. Bring water shoes and you'll have some of the cleanest swimming in Europe. Here are the ones worth planning a day around.

Zlatni Rat, Bol (Brač)

Croatia's most photographed beach — a long pebble spit that shifts shape with the wind, reaching out into bright turquoise water below the slopes of Vidova Gora. It's also a windsurfing hotspot. Base yourself in Bol to be on its doorstep.

Punta Rata, Brela

On the Makarska Riviera, Punta Rata is regularly named among Europe's finest — white pebbles, pines to the water's edge and a famous rock standing just offshore. The whole Makarska coast is one beach after another under the Biokovo wall.

Stiniva, Vis

A near-enclosed cove reached through a narrow gap in the cliffs, Stiniva is the kind of beach you arrive at by boat and never forget. The island of Vis rewards the extra effort it takes to reach — see our Vis from Split guide.

Sakarun, Dugi Otok

A rare sandy-bottomed bay with shallow, milky-blue water, Sakarun is the Adriatic at its most Caribbean. It pairs with a trip to the Kornati islands nearby.

Beaches in town

You don't have to go far. Hvar has the Pakleni islands a short taxi-boat away; Zadar has Kolovare and the beaches of the Zadar Riviera; and most island towns have a swimmable cove within a short walk of the old centre.

Want the sea right outside your room? Browse our beachfront stays.