Travel guide to... Coastal Croatia

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In the 25 years since Croatia declared independence from Yugoslavia, it has gone from war-torn region to one of Europe’s most desirable destinations. Its glittering Adriatic coast meanders for nearly 1,800km – but its size almost trebles once you include Croatia’s 1,244 islands, reefs and islets.

What’s striking is its sheer diversity: the ancient Roman ruins of Pula, Split and Zadar; the Venetian splendour of Rovinj, Hvar and Korcula; the mix of medieval and baroque in Dubrovnik; the old-world elegance of the Opatija Riviera; the stark barren beauty of the Kornati archipelago, the lushness of the green island of Mljet.

Add to that the countless beaches – most of which are pebbly, although the small island of Rab in the Kvarner Gulf manages to squeeze 22 sandy beaches into its 90sq km area. The most distant island in the gulf also has one of the loveliest sandy beaches, Spiaza Beach in Susak. Head down Lopud, one of the Elaphite islands north of Dubrovnik, where the sandy curve of Sunj Beach awaits after a walk through pine-scented woods. Although it’s one of the most developed parts of the coast, the Makarska Riviera south of Split has some of Croatia’s best pebble beaches, notably the pine-backed Punta Rata Beach at Brela and the Blue Flag beach at Baska Voda.

The beaches make a dreamy backdrop for the growing number of dance festivals that pitch up every summer. Zrce Beach on the sprawling island of Pag springs to life from June to September with events including Hideout (26-30 June; hideoutfestival.com) and Fresh Island Festival (12-14 July; fresh-island.org). While the pioneering Garden Festival ended last summer, its successors in the village of Tisno near Sibenik include SunceBeat (20-27 July; suncebeat.com) and Soundwave (4-8 August; soundwavecroatia.com). London-based Croatia Wave (croatia-wave.com) organises packages to most festivals that include accommodation, tickets and parties but not flights.

Joining the festival calendar this year is Wave Week (13-20 August; waveweek.com), a seven-night boat party that goes in convoy from Split to Vis via Brac and Hvar, stopping for fort raves and supper clubs along the way. Yacht accommodation starts at £510, with festival tickets from £75.

For something a little less frenetic, the private island of Obonjan (otokobonjan.com) near Sibenik is offering a programme that includes yoga, workshops, open-air film screenings, sports as well as live music. Its first season runs from 28 July to 6 September, and accommodation is in air-conditioned tents and lodges. Prices start at €70 per night and include yoga, workshops and screenings.

Currently, £1 is worth 9.64 Croatian kuna, while $1 is worth 6.62 kuna.

Island hopping

With a bit of planning, you could visit groups of islands using public ferries, although services between islands aren’t frequent as those departing from coastal cities. You could save yourself the trouble and take an island cruise on an intimate motor sailor. Boats operated by Back-Roads Touring (backroadstouring.com) take no more than 16 people and start in the attractive island town of Trogir near Split. A leisurely eight-day tour takes in Korcula and the tranquil island of Lastovo before exploring Vis and Solta islands. Prices start at £1,465pp for departures from August to October and include most meals but not flights.

Inntravel (inntravel.co.uk) has a new 10-night island-hopping tour starting in Istria and taking in the islands of the Kvarner Gulf including Cres, Losinj and Rab before ending in Zadar. Prices for departures until 31 October start at £865pp and include car hire, breakfast and some dinners. Flights extra.

Active breaks

With Croatia’s sparkling waters, national parks and hiking and biking trails, there’s enormous scope for activity holidays. Scuba divers head to Premuda off the coast of Pag to explore the underwater caves, as well as Vis’s Blue Grotto, whose vivid shade of blue is quite extraordinary.

Wear Active (wearactive.com) runs kayaking, cycling and yoga holidays for all ages on Vis, a military naval base which until 1989 had been off limits to tourists. Holidays run until October, and prices start at £820pp, with B&B, activities and some meals. Flights extra.

Children aged four to eight are catered for in a family adventure holiday by Activities Abroad (activitiesabroad.com). Based mainly on the island of Dugi Otok, this nine-night package features sea kayaking, a boat trip around the Kornati islands and swimming in Telascica Nature Park. Prices for departures in July and August start at £1,365pp (children from £695) with flights, B&B, transfers and most meals.

Fed and watered

Fish and seafood – freshly caught and simply grilled with olive oil – dominate the menus along the coast and on the islands. Head to the Peljesac peninsula north of Dubrovnik for a delicious double bill of superb Ston oysters and one of Croatia’s finest wines, Dingac.

Just beyond is the island of Korcula, home of dry white Grk wine and the setting for a cookery holiday with Vivados (vivados.com). The British-Croatian couple who run the Artisan Bakery School offer seven nights in their villa near sandy Lumbarda beach, with daily cooking classes and most meals. Prices start at £950pp, excluding flights, with departures in September.

Where to stay

With its beaches, medieval lanes and Unesco-listed cathedral, Sibenik has a lot going for it, but the accommodation had been lagging behind. That’s changing with the new D-Resort (dresortsibenik.com), an ultra-modern luxury resort on the Mandalina peninsula overlooking Croatia’s only superyacht marina. Doubles from €260, B&B.

British couple Chris and Amanda have set up a new boutique B&B in Hvar’s Stari Grad (Old Town) – well away from the buzzing nightlife of Hvar Town. Hidden House (hidden-house.com) is in a 300-year-old stone home, with four exquisitely decorated rooms. Doubles from €60, B&B.

In Korcula, new Tara’s Lodge (taraslodge.com) is a modern boutique hotel set into the hillside overlooking the beach at Zrnovska Banja. There’s also an outdoor pool and an Asian-Med fusion restaurant. Doubles start at €150, B&B.

Getting there

Croatia Airlines (croatiaairlines.com) flies to Dubrovnik, Split and Rijeka. British Airways (ba.com) flies to Dubrovnik, as does easyJet (easyjet.com), which also flies to Split and Pula. Ryanair (ryanair.com) has flights to Zadar and Rijeka, and Wizzair (wizzair.com) serves Split.

European Coastal Airlines (ec-air.eu) is a scheduled seaplane service that connects major coastal resorts, as well as Ancona and Pescara in Italy. Jadrolinija (jadrolinija.hr) is the national ferry company that serves the coast and the islands.

Travel companies offering packages include Prestige Holidays (prestigeholidays.co.uk), Completely Croatia (completelycroatia.co.uk) and Balkan Holidays (balkanholidays.co.uk) for beach breaks and Intrepid (intrepid.co.uk), Activities Abroad (activitiesabroad.com), Wear Active (wearactive.com), Inntravel (inntravel.co.uk) and G Adventures (gadventures.com) for active and specialist holidays.

More information

croatia.hr