Brac Island Holidays

Brac is the biggest island in central Dalmatia. It’s got a sleepy feel – even in the larger coastal towns like Bol. A mix of sand-and-shingle beaches and rocky coves collar the island and, in the interior, you’ll find a hilly countryside that’s a honeypot for hikers, bikers and mountaineers. Ferries putter between the surrounding islands and mainland Croatia, placing Split within easy reach.

Zlatni Rat, Croatia’s most photogenic beach, plays a starring role on Brac Island’s beach scene. Thanks to its distinctive fishtail shape, you’ve got two pebble-and-shingle arms choose from. Watersports aficionados take to the windier arm, where the waters teem with windsurfers and kite surfers. Families, meanwhile, make tracks for the other half. Rocky coves, shingle stretches, and the odd forest-fringed naturist beach decorate the rest of the coast.

The towns speckling Brac’s coastline are typically Croatian. Harbour towns like Bol serve up clusters of bright stone houses with rust-red roofs. And streets are cobbled together with polished stone – the same material that was exported from the island to build the White House in Washington, D.C. Further inland, things are even more hush-hush. Tiny villages dust a countryside that sets the scene for outdoor activities like forest hikes.

Plenty of ferries launch from Brac Island. Bol is a good starting point – within an hour you could be in Split, a city on the mainland that’s piled high with pavement cafés and historical monuments. And the neighbouring Hvar Island is only 20 minutes away by boat. Its namesake town is surrounded by a serpentine coastline that’s backed by lavender fields, olive groves and vineyards.