Julie Croatia 22 Comments

Island hopping is one of the most popular things to do in Croatia. So, how do you decide which islands you should visit? Go to Hvar for luxury and nightlife, Mljet for nature and tranquility, and Vis for its beauty and food scene. We chose Brac for its hiking and its amazing beach, Zlatni Rat.

Brac (pronounced brach) is somewhat of an off-the-beaten-path destination in Croatia. The islands of Hvar, Korcula, and Mljet are more popular choices for most people. When we learned that Brac is home to the highest peak on the Adriatic islands, Vidova Gora, we couldn’t resist visiting Brac to go hiking.

Even so, we did question our decision. With limited time in Croatia, would Brac be worth it? Would our time be better spent at a more popular destination such as Hvar or Mljet? I’m happy to say that Brac not only lived up to our expectations, but the 24 hours we spent on this island was one of our highlights of Croatia.

Our Experience on Brac

We visited Croatia in early April, one week before Easter. Croatia was really just really coming back to life after a sleepy winter. Some restaurants and hotels just re-opened their doors for the season and most ferries still were not running. But crowds were low and the weather was perfect, with sunny skies and daytime temps just touching 70°F (21°C).

From Split, we took the car ferry over to Supetar. Coincidentally, we met up with Julio, our host at the Suncana Villa located in Bol. We talked to Julio during the 50 minute ferry ride, learning about his life in Europe and his love of Brac.

Supetar

Supetar

From Supetar, it was a winding 40 minute ride across the island to Bol. For one night we stayed in Bol, since this town has convenient access to the Vidova Gora hiking trail as well as Zlatni Rat beach.We were Julio’s first customers of the year. In fact, he was still getting the Wi-Fi and space heaters set up in our apartment on the day of our arrival. Yes, daytime temperatures were near 70°F, but the nights still get very chilly, down to 45°F in April. We needed those heaters!

For dinner, Julio recommended a local restaurant, Konoba Dalmatino. This is a place that is a favorite of locals. It sounded perfect.

From our apartment, it was just a 5 minute walk down to the center of Bol. This town is a beauty!

Bol Brac

Konoba Dalmatino

 

Dinner at Konoba Dalmatino was fantastic! Like many places in the smaller towns of Croatia, this restaurant just opened the day before our arrival. We dined on octopus and veal and seafood risotto, drank Croatian wine, and ate crème brulee for dessert. We loved talking with the restaurant owner, who was born and raised in this lovely town of Bol.

Konoba Dalmatino Bol

After dinner, we spent several hours in our hotel room, just vegging out. We were warm and cozy, with space heaters running, relaxing in front of the TV, watching the Discovery Channel. Plopped in front of the TV is not a normal thing for us…but we were enjoying one of the rare moments when we could just sit back and do nothing.

Until the power went out. For a few seconds, we all sat there in stunned silence. The space heaters/TV combo overloaded the circuit breakers. Without power, we had no Wi-Fi, and without Wi-Fi, we had no way to email or contact Julio. Tim and I searched for the circuit breakers and found some in the foyer of the apartment building, tucked away behind lock and key.

So, at 10:30 at night, Tim and I ran back down to the waterfront. Bol was a ghost town. Almost everything was closed and we had the entire waterfront to ourselves. Fortunately, Konoba Dalmatino was still open. The staff called Julio, who immediately arrived at our apartment to fix our power situation. And, ha ha, the circuit panel was located inside of our apartment, a 2 second fix, only we never found it since it was pitch black when the power went out. Still, it was fun running through the streets of Bol!

The following morning the four of us hiked up Vidova Gora. The highlight of the hike is the amazing view over Bol, Zlatni Rat, and Hvar island. Read more about the hike in our guide to Vidova Gora.

Our view of Bol

The view from our apartment

 

Vidova Gora

Hiking up Vidova Gora

 

Zlatni Rat Brac

 

After our hike, we visited Zlatni Rat, one of the most spectacular beaches in the Mediterranean. This thin sliver of beach is one of the symbols of Croatia.

Zlatni Rat Croatia

We wanted to photograph Zlatni Rat with our drone but Croatia has some of the most prohibitive drone laws in the world, so our drone stayed at home on this trip. What a shame, an aerial photo of Zlatni Rat sure would have been nice!!

In April, very few people are here. It looks much different in the summer months, when the beach is carpeted with colorful umbrellas and sunbathers.

Zlatni Rat

Zlatni Rat in April

Tim, Tyler, and Kara on the tip of Zlatni Rat.

 

Adriatic Sea

Zlatni Rat Panorama

Tim’s panorama from the tip of Zlatni Rat.

In the early afternoon, we drove to Sumartin to catch the 3:30 ferry back to Makarska on the mainland. Again, it was a beautiful drive.

Driving in Brac

 

Sumartin, a fishing village, is yet another beautiful town on Brac. I can see why Julio fell in love with this island and why he decided to make this his home.

Sumartin

Sumartin Croatia

Sumartin Ferry

We fell in love with Brac, also. With its quiet coastal towns, hiking trails, fresh seafood, and the stunning Zlatni Rat beach, Brac was the perfect pick for our family. I am hoping we get to return to Brac someday in the future, but we’d also like to explore some new islands as well.

Croatia Travel Guide

How to Visit Brac

Four Reasons to Visit Brac

Zlatni Rat (Golden Horn) beach.

Vidova Gora, the highest point on the Adriatic Islands. You can hike or drive to the viewpoint.

Brac stone. Brac is famous for its stone, which has been used in the construction of the White House, Diocletian’s Palace in Split, and the Parliament building in Budapest.

Go “off-the-beaten-path.” Brac has a “local feel” to it. If you want to leave the crowds behind, plan on spending at least one day on Brac, visiting the coastal towns of Milna, Bol, Supetar, and Pucisca.

Getting to Brac on the Car Ferry

Car ferries link Split (on the mainland) to Supetar (on Brac) and Sumartin (on Brac) to Makarska (on the mainland).

Here is how you can use the ferries on a road trip through Croatia. Visit the town of Split. From Split, take the ferry to Supetar. Tour the island of Brac. Then take the car ferry from Sumartin back to Makarska on the mainland. Have lunch or dinner in Makarska before driving south towards Dubrovnik.

Makarska

Makarska

The car ferry is run by Jadrolinija. The ferry from Split to Supetar is very large with room for many cars. The ferry from Sumartin to Makarska is much, much smaller. Even in April, the Sumartin car ferry reached its full capacity.

You should arrive at the port at least an hour and thirty minutes before scheduled departure. Park your car in the ferry line and while waiting, you can explore the town. You do not have to wait in line with your car. The ferry will start boarding as early as 30 minutes before departure.

We purchased our tickets in advance on the Jadrolinija website. Purchasing a ticket for a specific time slot does not guarantee that you will get that time. Even with a ticket, it is first-come first-serve to board the ferry. If you arrive late, you may not get a spot, and you will have to wait until the next ferry (which could be tomorrow!).

For a full listing of ferries to and from Brac, click here.

Where to Stay on Brac Island

We stayed at the Suncana Villa apartments. Our two-bedroom apartment was spotlessly clean, quiet, and the Wi-Fi worked perfectly. From our balcony we could look out over the Adriatic Sea. In just five minutes we could walk down to the center of town for dinner. Our host, Julio, went out of his way to make sure we had the perfect stay. When we contacted him about the power outage, Julio responded immediately. With a flip of a switch he turned our power back on, something we probably could have figured out on our own had we looked through the apartment a little more thoroughly. We loved this place and would stay here again on a return trip to Croatia.

In Bol, we also recommend Bol Summer Residence (a variety of room types plus an outdoor pool), The Father’s House (gets near perfect reviews and has rooms with a terrace with a great view of Bol), and Lifestyle Hotel Vitar (an adults only property with a rooftop pool and more amazing views).


If you have any questions about how to visit Brac, let us know in the comment section below.

More Information about Croatia

VIDOVA GORA: Vidova Gora, which is located on the island of Brac, is the highest point on the Adriatic Islands. Learn how to hike to the top of Vidova Gora for a spectacular view over the Adriatic Sea and Zlatni Rat.

PLACES TO GO IN CROATIA: Along the Dalmatian Coast, the towns of Split, Trogir, and Dubrovnik are wonderful coastal towns to add to your Croatia itinerary. We also have information about how to explore the amazing Plitvice Lakes and visit the Istrian Peninsula.

BALKAN PENINSULA ITINERARY: Learn how to combine Croatia, Montenegro, and Bosnia & Herzegovina into one epic road trip in our 11 Day Balkan Peninsula Itinerary.

EUROPE TRAVEL INSPIRATION: Get more travel ideas in our article 10 Days in Europe itinerary, which has 10 itineraries for your next trip to Europe. If you have less time, we also have an article that lists 25 different ways to spend one week in Europe.

 

Planning a trip to Croatia? Read all of our articles in our Croatia Travel Guide.

 

Note: This post contains affiliate links. When you make a purchase using one of these affiliate links, we get paid a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Brac Island Croatia Zlatni Rat

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Comments 22

  1. Avatar for therese cullen
    therese cullen

    wow your information is amazing. I have been feeling complpetely overwhelmed by booking a holiday and you have actually got me a little bit excited. Truthfully still overwhelmed!

    I want to do the drive from North to South and Stay at the lakes, should we do 1 or 2 nights there? I want to get a villa for a week in the Split region. We are 2 adutls and 4 children, but my kids are aged 13-24, Brac sounds like it will get dull for them.

    I will keep reading around your site but I would love a guide for how to drive North to south and what villages to stay along the way.

    Grateful for any help.

    1. Avatar for Julie Post
      Author
      Julie

      Hello Therese. I’m glad you like our site! We have not been to Zagreb yet, or that general area around it, but we have visited a lot of the coastline of Croatia. Most likely you will fly into Zagreb. You could spend a day here, but with limited time, might want to focus on the coast. 3 days in the Istrian Peninsula is very nice and we have an Istria itinerary you could use to plan this part of your trip. The afternoon of your last day in Istria, drive to Plitvice and spend the night. Spend the next day at the lakes, spending a second night at the lakes. The following day, drive to Split, visit Krka National Park for a few hours. Spend 2 full days in Split, one day to see Split and one day to visit Trogir. I agree, Brac will get boring after about 2 to 3 days. The same could hold true for Hvar but that island is well connected to other islands by ferry so it could be a good place to get the villa. Assuming you spend a week in Hvar, or a nearby island, you’ll be able to visit Hvar, Korcula, and other islands. Then, make your way to Dubrovnik. It’s good to spend 2 days in Dubrovnik. Add a third day to day trip to Mostar. I hope this helps and let me know if you have any questions! Cheers, Julie

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