General information on the beaches in Croatia

The Croatian Adriatic coast is among the cleanest and most beautiful holiday regions in Europe. We know, of course, that a successful holiday requires not only a great holiday flat, warm-hearted hosts and sunny weather but also a suitable beach for the most varied of needs. That is why in the following we present the stretches of beach with their particular features and characteristics.

Fundamentally the beaches in Croatia are very varied and clean. The house owners look after the beaches in front of their houses and see to cleanliness and comfort for their guests. All the same, the beaches are always publicly accessible and not in private hands. So you can visit and use any beach in Croatia.
The beaches in Croatia can look very different. From fine gravel beach through stony and rocky beaches to bathing platforms of concrete, one finds everything - and preferably colourfully mixed. Sandy beaches are rather rare in Croatia. The locals say that is a good thing too, for that is why the sea is so clear and clean.
Even though snorkelling in Croatia is great fun, one rarely finds jellyfish or sea urchins in shallow water. Nevertheless we always recommend wearing bathing shoes. For smaller children we recommend water that shelves gently, and we point this out in our descriptive texts as well. Bigger children and adults who have stayed young at heart are likewise pleased about a bathing platform from which one can also risk a jump into the cool water now and then. With the beach conditions we distinguish between the following:

As already mentioned in the introduction, natural sandy beach is very rarely found in Croatia. Where appropriate we point out these beaches, which are distinguished by a pleasant and mostly gentle entry into the sea and a soft surface to lie on.

Rocky beach is distinguished above all by natural rock formations projecting from the beach into the water. Caution is called for here especially when walking into the sea, for as beautiful and natural as these rocks can be, they can also be sharp-edged and barely visible, hidden in the gravel. Mostly, however, the rocky beaches are broken up by a small to large gravel area, so that holidaymakers with the most varied of needs can find themselves a spot.

Bathing platforms are decidedly popular in Croatia, for they hold quite a few advantages for the holidaymaker. For one thing they offer a wonderful and, above all, hardly dangerous base for air mattresses and thus a fine surface for sun worshippers to lie on. Well-thought-out bathing platforms moreover have fittings for sunshades and can thus be used with shade-givers as well. For another, most platforms offer very easy entry into deeper water, usually by means of a ladder or steps. Bathing without water shoes is therefore possible here too. A great fun factor, however, is the chance to jump from the platforms into the somewhat deeper sea, and thus a big plus point for every family holiday. Not least, many of these bathing platforms also fulfil a useful function for boat crews, since they are used for getting in and out while staying dry.

The stone beach is a frequent beach form in Croatia. It is distinguished by a gentle entry into the sea and is often used with deckchairs and beach tents. Mostly these beach forms are very broad, or occur in a mixed form with gravel beach and rocky beach.

Gravel beach is the beach among beaches. It occurs most frequently in Croatia and is very popular with locals and tourists alike. It combines the advantages of a fine beach, such as gentle entry and child-friendliness: children can play with it without getting muddy, becoming sticky or damaging air mattresses.

The fine-gravel beach is a sandier form of the gravel beach and is thus a mixture of sandy and gravel beach. It too is gladly used by families with small children, but this beach form is also very well suited to a longer walk along the shore.

As already described, sandy beach is very rarely found in Croatia. This beach form too, however, has advantages. For children and adults alike, the entry into the sea is soft and kind to the feet. You can walk barefoot both on the beach and in the water and play water polo or other water sports. Since sand is very soft, lying on nothing but a beach towel is possible and very pleasant. The children can build sandcastles or play in the shallow water.