About the coast
Croatia's coast is 1,777 km long on paper and roughly four times that once you count the 1,000-plus islands. The beaches are almost all pebble or rock rather than sand, the water is famously clear, and the closer you get to Dubrovnik, the steeper the entries get. We split our coverage between Dalmatia (Zadar south to Dubrovnik) and the Kvarner Gulf — two coastlines that look similar on a map but feel very different in person.
Best months are mid-May to late September. July and August are hot, busy and expensive; the shoulder months are calmer and the water still hits 22°C+. A pair of swim shoes is more useful than flip-flops on most Croatian beaches — the pebbles are smooth but the rock entries aren't.
Regions covered
Beach reviews
2 reviewed in Croatia.
Beaches in other countries