Did you know that Croatia has one of the craggiest coastlines in the world?
In fact, Croatia has over 1000 islands (1244 islands, islets and crags, to be exact), of which 48 of are inhabited.
The five biggest islands are Cres, Krk, Brač, Hvar and Pag:
Cres
Croatia’s biggest island
The island of Cres is famous for its countless city walls, churches and palaces from the Renaissance. Cres also boast a natural phenomenon, Lake Vrana, a freshwater lake which contains both algae and carp.
Just like all the other islands and towns on the Croatian coast, Cres is full of beaches. St. Ivan’s beach was even voted number 15 on a list of the 40 most beautiful beaches in the world by the German newspaper “Bild”.
Krk
The golden island
The city of Krk is one of the oldest settlements in Croatia. This island was a historically significant center for Croatian culture and the Frankopans (the regional aristocratic family) were particularly important for its cultural development.
The community of Baška was a center of Glagolitic literature – it was there in the 19th century that the Baška tablet from the year 1100 was found.
Krk is the perfect place to do a wine tasting – Žlahtina from the community of Vrbnik is a particularly tasty autochthonous wine variety.
Brač
The island of culture and adventure
The Zlatni rat beach in Bol on Brač is on the list of the 10 most beautiful beaches in the world.
The high grade rocks from the island of Brač are among the most famous of our country and are also well known worldwide. They were used to build the United Nations Headquarters and reportedly for the White House in Washington as well.
Brač is also known for the building technique of the Renaissance and its artists.
Hvar
The island with the most hours of sun in Europe
The island of Hvar has more than 2,700 years of sun per year and is the longest island in Croatia. It’s not only the beautiful beaches which tourists find particularly attractive, but also the old city of Hvar, the ancient city core from the 4th century BC. The name of the island originates from the Greek word Pharos, which means lighthouse.
For those who are looking for exciting nights, the fact that Hvar has the best nightlife on the coast could be very interesting. The island of Hvar has countless night clubs – one of these was even visited by Prince Harry and his friends.
Pag
The “moon“ island
Pag is the island of cheese, salt, lamb and Pag lace, and is often referred to as the “island of the moon” or the “island of rock”, because rock makes up more than 80 percent of the island landscape. However, these rocks cover a rich tradition and culture.
Sheep from the island of Pag eat saline grass thanks to the Bora winds. The cheese from Pag is made exclusively from the milk of these sheep. Due to this special diet (saline grass and various medicinal herbs), Pag lamb has a special flavor which makes it an international specialty.
The majority of Croatian salt originates on this island and the salt production there has a tradition stretching back over more than 1000 years.
Pag lace is protected by UNESCO. It has been well known and highly valued for a very long time – it was even embroidered for Empress Maria Theresia.
Zrće beach is also located on Pag; often called “Croatian Ibiza”, it is one of Europe’s best party beaches.
Did you know?
Three of the eight Croatian national parks are located on islands:
Mljet National Park (makes up the western section of the island of Mljet)
Kornati National Park (consists of 89 islands, islets and crags)
Brijuni National Park (an archipelago of islands consisting of 14 islands)