A soft breeze blows through the woods that shade parts of Zlatni Rat beach, releasing the fragrance of warm pine. Here on Croatia’s most famous beach, on the island of Brač, fine pebbles form its slim V shape – giving the Golden Horn its famous moniker – the tip of which changes constantly with the tides. Seen from above, especially from Vidova Gora, the Adriatic islands’ highest point, the vivid shades of blue and green waters seem almost unreal.
Wander along the pine-shaded path to Zlatni Rat’s nearest village, Bol, and you’ll come across the centuries-old creamy stone houses with green shutters that were the legacy of hundreds of years of Venetian rule. Stone arcades frame restaurants lining the harbour, which, on Wednesday evenings in July and August, becomes the setting for a lively seafood festival. For a true taste of central Dalmatia, it’s hard to beat sitting by the sea eating freshly grilled fish that has just come off a boat.
Head farther west along Brač’s wildly indented coast to find laid-back pebbly coves of impossibly clear waters shaded by pines, with the beaches of Vela Planica, Slatina and Murvica among the loveliest. Rent a kayak and paddle to Blaca bay, from where you can hike through the valley towards the magnificent 16th-century Blaca hermitage so skilfully built into the limestone cliffs that it’s hard to tell where the cliffs end and the monastery begins.
Sailors have long sheltered in the deep inlets on Brač’s western coast, particularly in the little port of Milna. Indeed, the Romans used it as a safe harbour for their fleet at the end of the third century AD when the emperor Diocletian was building his famed palace in Split. Nowadays, Milna and its baroque Venetian harbour hum with the contented sound of cafe-goers relaxing in the Dalmatian sunshine over cups of coffee – an elemental part of any Croatian’s day. The landscape is gentler here, inviting you to rent a bike and cycle alongside olive groves and Aleppo pines towards intimate coves and the beaches of Makarac, Lučica and Adrian, passing yoga retreats and eco-lodges along the way.
When you fancy a change of scenery, take the ferry from Milna south to Hvar town, capital of Hvar, one of Dalmatia’s most popular islands. If you’re on the hunt for fabulous views, hike up to the 16th-century Venetian Fortica fortress above Hvar town and take in mesmerising vistas of the Pakleni islands scattered just beyond the harbour. They’ll tempt you to take a boat trip to this archipelago where only three of the 19 islands have any sort of habitation. Stop for a swim on the largest, Sveti Klement, at its secluded beaches in Taršče and Vinogradišće bays, or check out peaceful Mlini beach on neighbouring Marinkovac. If you prefer clothing to be optional, get a taxi boat to one of the closest islands, Jerolim, and its naturist beach.
Relatively close to Hvar town are two pebbly beaches in the hamlet of Milna, but carry on farther along the coast for tranquil dips at Paščuka and at the beaches of Zaraće. Dubovica is a beautiful spot surrounded by pines, and the beaches strung along the shores of the small village of Sveta Nedjelja are appealing places to stop and, once again, plunge into the irresistibly sparkling waters. They’re all the more inviting when you learn that Croatia’s coastal waters were rated among Europe’s cleanest in a 2024 report from the European Environment Agency.
When you’re back in Hvar town, succumb to the magnetic pull that leads you to elegant St Stephen’s Square – the largest in Dalmatia – where you can take in the beauty of the baroque St Stephen’s cathedral and pop into charming little Hvar Theatre to see the oldest public theatre in Europe.
Hvar’s northern coast is just as alluring. In spite of being a main ferry port, Stari Grad has an agreeably unhurried pace of life. Here in one of Europe’s oldest towns, a stroll around its warren of cobbled lanes reveals minute squares and 16th-century stone houses with distinctive green or brown shutters. Look out for the Renaissance summer home built by the Croatian poet Petar Hektorović, behind whose fortress-like exterior lies an enchanting garden of stone arcades, ponds and beds of fragrant herbs. For an even deeper dive into Hvar’s history, walk through Unesco-listed Stari Grad plain, whose preserved landscape includes vineyards and olive groves planted by the Greeks in the fourth century BC.
Central Dalmatia’s rich history is inescapable: it’s not often you’ll find yourself having a coffee surrounded by the well-preserved structure of an ancient Roman palace. Split’s old town is dominated by Diocletian’s palace, built by the emperor as a retirement home. After his death the palace became derelict and then colonised by residents needing somewhere to live and run their businesses – and you can still see that today, with shops, cafes, apartments and hotels all squeezed between marble columns, stone arches and vestibules. Come into the peristyle courtyard and watch buskers play and chamber orchestras perform on warm evenings, and lose yourself in these magical moments.
There’s more magic a short drive west of Split when you reach Trogir, surely one of the most delightful towns in Croatia. Set on its own tiny island wedged between the mainland and the larger island of Čiovo, it’s an exquisite Unesco-listed walled town of shiny marble lanes with medieval palaces and cafe-filled squares. Eventually, the labyrinthine lanes will lead you to the Romanesque-gothic-Renaissance-baroque St Lawrence cathedral, whose portal is a compelling collection of sculptures and whose belltower is worth the climb for wonderful views of the town.
Look in the jewellery shops of Trogir and you’ll spot the winged figure of Kairos, the son of Zeus and the god of happy moments – those fleeting seconds you have to grab with both hands before they slip through your fingers. In central Dalmatia, you don’t have to wait long for those happy moments to come along, your days will be filled with them.
Discover more about holidaying in central Dalmatia and exploring its natural and historic beauty
