Suffice it to say that there are over 1,100 islands in Croatia with 4,058 km of coastline combined compared to 1,777 km of coastline on the mainland. And that's exactly why so many visitors to Croatia choose the islands as destination of their holidays – they offer an incredibly long coastline with numerous bays and coves.
To spend your holiday on an island does not mean to travel farther. The islands lie along the entire coast of Croatia, including Istria. Just 10 km from Pula, one of the most popular tourist resorts in Istria, there is a picturesque archipelago of Brijuni once chosen by Marshal Tito as his residence.
Croatian islands are interesting also because of their amazing diversity. In addition to pebble beaches, typical for the Croatian coast, you will find sandy beaches as well. One of the most popular ones is more than a kilometer long Rajska plaza (Paradise beach) on the island of Rab in Lopar area, especially sought-after by families with small children thanks to the gradual entry into the sea. You will find more than 20 sandy beaches on the island of Rab, other can be discovered for example on the island of Pag.
More than 50 islands are inhabited and developed for tourists and their resorts and beaches successfully compete with the most famous locations on the mainland. For instance, the largest ones are the islands of Krk
and Cres on the northern Croatian coast and Brac, Hvar and Korcula on the southern coast.
Other islands are suitable for unique trips - we recommend you to visit for example the fascinating Kornati national park which consists of 89 islands, islets and rock formations.
Accessibility by car
All islands sought-after by tourists have well-organised transport accessibility. To some you will get through bridges either free (island of Murter) or paid (island of Krk), sometimes you even have a choice – to the island of Pag, some travel by ferry from the north while others from the south through the bridge. To other islands, ferries of Jadrolinija company operate at regular and sufficiently short intervals. The main ports are: Rijeka, Zadar, Sibenik, Split and Dubrovnik.
Attractions
Zlatni rat beach on the island of Brac is considered by many to be the most beautiful one of the Adriatic. What makes it unique is also the fact that the part of coast where it's located changes its shape according to the wind and the sea currents. Moreover, it is also a paradise for lovers of windsurfing and increasingly popular kitesurfing.
History fans will appreciate that alongside beautiful beaches the islands offer some of the most valuable monuments of Croatia. We recommend you to visit towns like Korcula and Hvar – capitals of the islands of the same names.
Island of Mljet, dubbed the greenest island of the Adriatic, is considered by some to be one of the most beautiful islands of the Mediterranean. The attraction of its national park are two saltwater lakes. Moreover, the island is only a stone's throw from incomparable Dubrovnik!
Island hopping
Boat trips to nearby islands are really popular among the visitors to the Croatian islands. We recommend you the trip from the island of Brac to the neighboring Hvar or to the more remote and touristically very interesting island of Vis, not accessible until 1989 due to its function as Yugoslav army base. The boat trip from the southern Dalmatia to Montenegro, to the fabulous Bay of Kotor for example, is also particularly attractive.
