Country
Croatia
735 beaches surveyed and measured. Ten chosen by fame. All ten rated.
10 judged · 735 surveyed · See on the Atlas →
The 10 best beaches in Croatia
Ordered by fame: how often Condé Nast Traveler, Lonely Planet, Vogue and CNN Travel name them, plus measured size. The order is theirs. The rating is ours. Every number is measured or sourced.
- 1
Zlatni Rat
WORTH A DETOURThe beach that redraws itself in a storm. The postcards keep up.
The factDuring extreme weather with stormy winds and waves, the top can shift from one side to the other in a matter of hours.
423 m long · 47.6 m wide · Photo: Miran Hojnik, CC BY 2.0
- 2
Punta Rata
WORTH A DETOURProtected since 1964, popular ever since.
The factThis part of Brela has been a protected area since 1964.
306 m long · 24 m wide · Photo: Berthold Werner, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 3
Šunj
WORTH A DETOURNo cars on the island, so the golf carts do the commuting.
The factThe island is car free, so accessibility relies on golf carts running to and from the main town.
259 m long · 12.2 m wide · Photo: dronepicr, CC BY 2.0
- 4
Sveti Jakov
ONLY IF YOU'RE ALREADY THEREDubrovnik's escape hatch: a bus, a church and 160 steps.
The factIt’s a 30-minute walk from the Old Town and a hike down – and back up – 160 stone steps, but Sveti Jakov gives you some breathing space from the busyness of Dubrovnik’s main beach.
97 m long · 26.9 m wide · Photo: dronepicr, CC BY 2.0
- 5
Sveti Ivan
ONLY IF YOU'RE ALREADY THEREThe hour down is lovely. Nobody mentions the hour up.
The factIt can only be reached via a steep and demanding one-hour descent along a rocky path.
107 m long · 19.2 m wide
- 6
Nugal
ONLY IF YOU'RE ALREADY THEREA cove that came with its own waterfall and very few clothes.
The factNugal comes with its own 30-foot waterfall, fed by a stream coming down from Mount Biokovo.
112 m long · 13.1 m wide
- 7
Pasjača
ONLY IF YOU'RE ALREADY THEREA beach that started life as construction waste. Check the path before you go.
The factWhen building a tunnel, the excavated stone material was thrown into the sea from the edge of the 200-meter-high cliff.
91 m long · 14.9 m wide · Photo: MEETCROATIA_NET, CC BY 3.0
- 8
Oprna
ONLY IF YOU'RE ALREADY THEREA Krk bay with a bar, a slope and €30 loungers.
The factProvides a few seaside comforts like sun‑lounger rentals (around 30 euros for the day) and a simple beach bar in the summer.
134 m long · 19.9 m wide · Photo: Armin Gruber, CC BY 2.0
- 9
Murvica
ONLY IF YOU'RE ALREADY THERENext door to Croatia's most famous beach, and grateful for it.
The factIt’s far less busy than nearby Zlatni Rat and surrounded by nature’s finest: cliffs, vineyards, and pines.
135 m long · 10.9 m wide
- 10
Stiniva
ONLY IF YOU'RE ALREADY THEREA secret cove with a front door, and a queue of boats outside it.
The factSheer tufted walls of rock all but encircle the smooth, sunken, white pebble floor, with the only break at the 16-foot wide “cliff gate,” which opens the beach to the sea.
45 m long · 15.1 m wide · Photo: dronepicr, CC BY 2.0
How we rate: we have not stood on these beaches, so the sources decide. A beach starts in the middle. It moves up for something no other beach has, or for a top-three place on the fame list. It moves down when someone has been hurt there, when it is closed or banned, or when a source calls the water dangerous. Ordinary cautions are printed on each beach’s page and leave the rating alone.
Asked about beaches in Croatia
- What is the best beach in Croatia?
- Zlatni Rat on Brač and Punta Rata in Brela are the two beaches all four lists we read name; we rate both Worth a detour, with Šunj on Lopud.
- Are Croatian beaches sandy?
- Many are pebble. Of our ten, Zlatni Rat is fine, soft pebbles, Stiniva has a white pebble floor and Nugal is a pebble cove. Most of the beaches on Croatia's map are small coves.
- When is the sea warmest in Croatia?
- July and August. In 2025 the warmest monthly averages of the ten ran from 24.5 °C at Oprna, on Krk, to 26.2 °C at Punta Rata. In February the north fell to 11.7 °C.
- Which Croatian beaches can you only reach on foot or by boat?
- Sveti Ivan on Cres (a 40 to 60 minute descent from Lubenice), Nugal near Makarska (a coastal path or boat), Pasjača near Dubrovnik (a steep path and rock tunnel, buried by a rockfall in April 2025; check before you go) and Stiniva on Vis (mostly by boat).
From the blog, on Croatia
The Big Board · The World
The Most Beautiful Beaches in the World, and What the Lists Leave Out
The internet's favourite list has a top ten. One is closed, one was rebuilt for a film and now bans swimming, and one charges you to cross a vanilla farm. All ten, checked for 2026.
October 2026 · 6 min
One Beach, One Story · Pasjača, Croatia
Pasjača Beach, Croatia: The Award-Winning Beach Made From Building Rubble
Nobody planned it. Stone from a drainage tunnel went off a 200-metre cliff, the sea ground it into a beach, and Europe gave it prizes. Then the cliff gave some back.
October 2026 · 4 min
The Rankings · Split and Central Dalmatia
Split Croatia Beaches: Bačvice, Zlatni Rat, Punta Rata and Stiniva
A city beach with a game every day of the year, a spit that moves in a storm, and a cove you enter through a gate in the rock. Six of them, around Split.
October 2026 · 4 min
The Rankings · Dubrovnik
Dubrovnik Beaches: Banje, Sveti Jakov, Šunj and Pasjača
One under the city walls, one down 160 steps, one on a car-free island and one made from tunnel rubble. Three of Croatia's ten are within reach of Dubrovnik.
October 2026 · 3 min
The Big Board
Which Country Has the Most Beaches?
We counted eleven countries the same way, in the same month. Spain names the most beaches. Australia has the most sand. Croatia's, all of it together, covers 4.6 km².
Updated October 2026 · 4 min
Surveyed, awaiting judgment
first 100 of 725, widest firstEvery one is real: taken from OpenStreetMap, pinned where it actually is and measured. We have not rated these yet.