Zlatni Rat

Ideal stay

3–4 nights

The vibe

Pine-shaded, breezy, endlessly photographed

From our guides

1. 01

   The shifting spit

   Walk to the very tip, where the shingle narrows and the sea meets from both sides. The shape after a strong wind can be noticeably different.

2. 02

   Windsurfing in the maestral

   A dependable afternoon breeze funnels through the channel, making the water off the point one of the Adriatic's better learning grounds.

3. 03

   Vidova Gora

   At 778 metres, the highest point on any Adriatic island, with the spit directly below and Hvar beyond. Drive up or walk from Bol.

4. 04

   Bol's waterfront

   A short stroll from the beach, with a stone harbour, a Dominican monastery on the headland and enough shade for a long lunch.

5. 05

   Blaca hermitage

   A monastery built into a cliff on the island's south side, reached by boat and a walk. Left largely as its last inhabitants had it.

6. 06

   Pučišća stonemasons

   On the north coast, a bay of white stone houses and a working masonry school where students still cut Brač limestone by hand.

1. Fly to

   Gornji Humac (BWK)

   The airport is on the doorstep.

2. Then

   To Bol

   Brač (BWK) is about twenty minutes by taxi down to Bol but has only a handful of seasonal flights. Most visitors come from Split, either by catamaran straight to Bol in about an hour or by car ferry to Supetar and forty minutes across the island.

3. On the ground

   Getting around

   The beach is a flat twenty-minute walk or short cycle west of Bol along a shaded seafront path, with a small tourist train in season.

Public transport: Adequate: catamarans and ferries from Split, island buses between Supetar and Bol, and the beach within walking distance of town.

Private apartments and rooms in family houses, a cluster of large seafront hotels in Bol, and a few boutique conversions. Camping exists but real luxury is limited.

• Best base overall

  Bol

  The harbour town behind the beach, with restaurants, boat trips and the windsurfing schools, and a flat twenty-minute walk or shuttle along the shore. It fills completely in August.

  Find stays in Bol →
• Closest to the sights

  Bol's western promenade

  The pine-shaded strip between town and the spit, where the larger hotels sit almost on the sand. Prices are the highest on the island and there is little local life.

  Find stays in Bol's western promenade →
• Best with children

  Supetar

  The ferry port on the north coast, with shallow town beaches, more shops and cheaper rooms. It is forty minutes over the island to Zlatni Rat.

  Find stays in Supetar →
• Quietest

  Murvica

  A hamlet a few kilometres west, with apartments above empty pebble coves and hermitages in the cliffs behind. A car is necessary and dinner options are two or three.

  Find stays in Murvica →

Worth knowing before you book: Apartments often require a week's stay with Saturday changeovers in high season and sell out by spring. Bol's beach car parks are small, so arrive early or walk.

Getting there

Car ferries run from Split to Supetar, then it is around an hour's drive across the island. Fast passenger catamarans go directly to Bol in summer.

Shoes

The beach is fine shingle, kinder than most but still awkward to walk on and hot at midday. Water shoes make a real difference.

Timing

June and September have warm sea and space; July and August are crowded from mid-morning. Much of Bol shuts down between November and April.

Shade

The pine belt behind the beach is the only free shade and it goes early. Arrive before ten if you want a spot under the trees.

Wind

The afternoon breeze is welcome but strengthens quickly, and the bura can arrive with little notice. Inflatables are a bad idea on the exposed side.

Hvar

Croatia · 18km away →

Vis

Croatia · 50km away →

Swimming the Kravica waterfalls

Bosnia and Herzegovina · 79km away →

Sea kayaking the Elaphiti Islands

Croatia · 120km away →

Dubrovnik

Croatia · 139km away →

Zrće Beach

Pag, Croatia · 189km away →

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