Rab Travel Guide, Croatia

Rab travel guide- How to Get There

You can get on the island only by boat or by ferry from Jablanac or from the island of Krk. You do not have to wait long for the ferry, about half an hour it depends on how many people with a car want to get to the island. The island is 33 miles away from Rijeka and 50 miles from Zadar.

Rab travel guide-First Impressions

If you want a destination to fit every age and taste that Rab Island is one of those places that can offer you just that. The tourist’s first contact with Croatian seashore will leave him with the impression that it is all rocky as that is what you see, rocks all around with trees that rise from these rocks, most of which are pine trees. The terrain is difficult to walk on almost impossible for the ones used to walking on earth if they are in the forest. Some parts of the shore are pure rocky with no greenery, deserted areas, but that should not lead you astray as there are beautiful forested areas.

The sound of the crickets is striking, they are so loud and they sing day and night, tireless little creatures!

Rab travel guide- Beaches

The best thing about the island is that it combines forest, mountains and the seaside. It is the optimal combination for those who like both the seaside and the mountain air. Families and friends can come together as they won’t have to argue about whether to go to the sea or to the mountains. Also for those who like different types of beaches there is a wide range to choose from. Sandy beaches, rocky beaches, pebble beaches, deep water for swimmers and snorkelers, shallow water perfect for small kids, crowded or deserted beaches, wide or narrow, if you do not like one beach you can choose another and they are all within a short distance from one another. It takes you 10/ 15 min by car as the island is not very big. It is worth exploring it and stay at the beach you like best.

Most beaches have showers and toilets and bins everywhere so they are pretty clean. Anyway they are much cleaner than the ones in Italy, that’s why plenty of Italians and Germans choose Rab as their destination, there are also lots of Hungarians. The water is warm and crystal clear, you can see the bottom easily even in deep water, so snorkeling is one of the favorite activities, you can see the fish swimming right next to you.

As many Rab travel guides will point out, the most crowded one is the beach in Lopar as it is a wide, sandy beach with shallow water and families with kids usually choose it. But it is also the dirtiest, in comparison to the others on the island but it can be considered cleaner than most of the ones in Italy.

Another sandy beach is the one in Kampor which is half the size of the one in Lopar, it is very similar to it with shallow water that goes for 5o m and only then it gets deeper, but it is cleaner and even if there is less entertainment, people choose it.

There are other sandy beaches around that are smaller and more private. Then there are the beaches in Rab city, they are rocky but nice as they are along the city walls and you are close to all amenities. And you can also benefit from the shade of the trees.

Suha Punta is chosen by the ones who like a more private place. The water is extraordinarily clean and it is only 5 min away from the city of Rab by car. There is also a big 3 stars Hotel named Carolina and you can have something to eat in the restaurant.

Rab Island is a perfect combination of all types of beaches, pine forests, nice towns, the biggest being the town of Rab, some call it a city but it is pretty small to be called like that even the other towns are so small that have the size of a village.

Rab travel guide-Accommodation

People in Rab live only off tourism there is nothing else to do and they do it pretty well as they have a tradition of 120 years of tourism Tourist agencies are present in every town and offer accommodation from hotels to private houses. If you are a first comer than it is better to get on the island in the morning, look at the beaches and go to the tourist agency and ask for accommodation. The most crowded being Lopar it is possible not to find accommodation there but the further you are from it the better the chances to find accommodation and you can even find accommodation at around 15 Euros per person for a room or 20 for an apartment.

The best time to come to the island is June or July as in August it gets too crowded.

Rab travel guide- Activities

The island of Rab is the ninth largest island in the Adriatic and the whole island is full of walking and cycling trails all being indicated with signs. One of the nicest is the one leading to the highest point on the island, Kamenjak offering a panoramic view of the island and of the Velebit channel. You can take a tour of the Geopark and enjoy the geo-diversity.

Other activities include boating, waterskiing, rowing, cruising, playing tennis, mini golf, table tennis, snorkeling, diving and many other.

The sea life around the island is very rich offering wonderful underwater sights. There are 6 diving centers on the island that organized professionally supervised dives and diving lessons for all levels. But you need not dive to see the fish swimming right by you snorkeling is sometimes enough, but to see some shipwrecks you need to dive a bit further from the island.

Sailing is also an attractive activity because of the numerous islands around Rab and the favorable winds, so the waters are always dotted with boats. There are two marinas on the island which offer everything sailors need in terms of infrastructure and comfort.

Rab travel guide-Tips

Do not step on big stones in the water as they are very slippery; pay attention to sea hedgehogs they can sting you pretty badly, there are special shoes you can buy to go in the water with them. Do not stop at one beach and categorize the whole island after it, each beach is different, you can say you know the island only after you have also seen the beaches you can get to only on foot. You can get free maps of the island and of the towns at the information centers.