Thinking of reasons to visit Croatia this holiday season?

Croatia’s main tourist attraction has always been its beaches.  The Adriatic coast and islands are lined with amazing beaches, abounding in natural harbours with countless bays, ports and marinas.

Croatia offers 1.778 kilometres (1.103 miles) of seaside and should you run out of the mainland, there are still over 1.000 islands to choose from (66 inhabited) with additional 4.012 kilometres (2.487 miles) of seaside!

The Croatian coast doesn’t abound in sandy beaches, but lack of sand ensures the waters are some of the clearest and cleanest in the world. So, for all of you who simply do not feel right without sand between your toes on holiday, here’s a list of some of the most known sandy beaches in Croatia.

1. Ciovo, Saldun Bay

The Ciovo peninsula is located near Trogir. There are many different types of beach here from sandy to rocky and you can enjoy all kinds of activities around the main beach in Saldun There are beach bars, water sports, diving and many bars and restaurants.

There are also numerous peaceful coves and beaches dotted around the island if you want a more relaxed vacation away from the crowds.

2. Mavarscica, Okrug Gronji

Mavarscica is a magnificent cove with a pebbly beach and surrounded by pine woods. Between Okrug Gornji and smaller Okrug Donji villages one can find isolated houses to rent and secluded beaches suitable for naturism.

Hire a boat and take a tour to the small islands in front of Ciovo.

3. Drvenik Veli iDrvenik Mali

Here you’ll find some gorgeous sandy beaches. The most beautiful one is located in the cove of Vela Rina which is also a pier for small yachts. On Veli Drvenik there are two beautiful coves, Solinska and Krknjasi, also often visited by yachts.

4. Lapad beach, Dubrovnik

This is the largest beach in Dubrovnik and is very close to the Lapad walking Zone and four hotels, many restaurants, cafe bars, tennis courts and children playgrounds.

On the beach itself there is a restaurant and two café bars. The beach is equipped with showers and changing cabins, sun umbrellas and deck chairs. The swimming area is supervised by life guards and is protected from boats and water scooters.

This is one of the sandy beaches where you can spend a day enjoying natural tree shade.

5. Dugi Otok (Long Island), Saharun

Dugi Otok is the biggest island of Zadar’s archipelago, 50km long and about 5km wide.

It is quite far from the coast – one hour and a half by ferry from Zadar and its one of those few places where you can enjoy tranquillity even in high season

Island Dugi Otok beaches differ as you travel through. In the area of Sali, the largest village on the island, there are some sandy beaches accessible only with boats but the beautiful Saharun beach is reachable by car. Nearby is also the Pantera bay with sandy beaches.

Saharun or Sakarun sandy beach is situated on the wooden northwest coast of Dugi Otok, south of Solineand near Bozava and Veli Rat. It can be easily reached by car.

The Saharun beach is a long beach facing the open Adriatic sea. It is a beautiful cove of white sand giving the water a stunning turquoise colour and surrounded by pine woods.

The sea is shallow here only coming up to your waist (adults). Drinks and sandwiches are available from the small snack bar. Saharun is becoming known for its Summer beach parties which last 24 hours. One of the attractions is a 41-metre-tall lighthouse in the vicinity of Saharun, at Veli Rat.

The waters in this area teem with fish, while the well-indented coastline is perfect for boats and water sports enthusiasts.

6. Hvar Island, Mlaska Beach

Sucuraj is a small and peaceful town, a place on the east cape of the island Hvar. The town has a hotel, car-camp, private vacancy and about 10 tourist attractions (restaurants, cafe-bars, a taverna, ice-cream shop…).

It has numerous small caves, completely naturally preserved, where one can find peace and enjoy total privacy.

7. Mljet Island, Saplurna Bay

Mljet is the most rural of Croatia’s islands. It’s an island of forests and saltwater lakes, with one third of the island protected as a national-park. The southern coast has some excellent sandy beaches, and you can hire bikes and canoes for exploring.

Saplunara is a quiet seaside resort on the south eastern tip of the island situated in a bay about one kilometre long, enclosed by a thick forest of pine.

Saplunara is known for its sandy beaches, even its name comes from the Latin word sabalum meaning tiny sand. There are two sandy beaches, Big Saplunara and Small Saplunara.

8. Pag Island, Sveti Duh Beach

The island of Pag draws people with its unique topography. Certain parts of the island resemble the surface of the Moon. Sveti Duh sandy beach is one of the most beautiful on the Island located 10 kilometres east of Novalja town. It is about 5 kilometres long and is connected with the beach Eista, also sandy.

9. Rab Island, Paradise Beach

Lopar is a picturesque tourist place situated in a fertile valley approximately 14 km away from the old town of Rab.

Lopar’s 2km long sandy Paradise Beach (Rajska plaza) is one of the most famous beaches on the Adriatic. The finest sand, shallow, crystal clear warm sea water (up to 28°C in the Summer months), the greenest pine forest which offers protection and shade are just some of the reasons why visitors are attracted to this beach.

In the Summer this is quite a crowded beach as it boasts a large sports centre with tennis, football, basketball, volleyball, mini golf, table tennis, water slide and a variety of other water sports activities. The beach has restaurants, bars, life-guards, life-saving equipment, first-aid equipment, facilities for the disabled, rental facilities, recycling waste facilities, catering facilities, phones, etc. The life-guards are present from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

This beach also has Blue Flag status.