The nearest big island, and home to Zlatni Rat — the shifting pebble spit at Bol that appears on every Croatian poster. Fifty minutes by ferry to Supetar, then an hour across the island, or straight to Bol by catamaran.
By Marin Perić
The spit really does change shape with the current, and it really is beautiful from above. On the ground in August it is a crowded pebble beach with rented loungers, a beach bar at each end and a windsurf school in the middle. Come before ten or after five, walk to the far side of the point past the last of the sunbeds, and it is worth every minute. The water is clear and deepens fast, and the pebbles are hot — bring water shoes or you will be doing the hot-coals dance across the foreshore.
Brač is the source of the white limestone in Diocletian's Palace and — the local claim — the White House. Vidova Gora above Bol is the highest point on any Adriatic island at 778 metres, and you can drive most of the way up to a viewpoint that looks straight down on Zlatni Rat. If you have a car, the drive up takes twenty minutes from Bol and the view is the one you have seen on every Croatian poster, but from the other side.
You can see that white stone in Split, in the walls of Diocletian's Palace.
Morning catamaran or ferry from Split — the direct catamaran to Bol is the one to take if it is running, because it saves the Supetar-to-Bol bus.
Walk west from Bol harbour to Zlatni Rat — twenty minutes along the coast path, or fifteen through the pines.
Swim, eat at the beach, swim again. The beach bar at the western end does better food than the one at the entrance.
If you have energy, walk up to Vidova Gora in the late afternoon when the heat breaks. Otherwise stay on the beach until the catamaran back.
To arrive under sail instead, a skippered day sail crosses to Brač or Šolta and back.
The other big island day is Hvar, an hour away by catamaran.
Car ferry Split–Supetar takes 50 minutes and runs very frequently; from Supetar a bus crosses to Bol in about an hour. The Jadrolinija or Krilo catamaran goes direct to Bol in roughly an hour but runs only a few times a day.
Right now · Autumn
Swimmable into October with the spit almost to yourself, and Vidova Gora above Bol is far better walked now than in July.
Get out there
Guided trips that include this stop, with live availability.
Boat trips
A full day on a fast twelve-seat boat: the Blue Cave on Biševo, the Monk Seal cave, Stiniva's famous cove, lunch on Vis and a swim off Budikovac's turquoise lagoon, finishing with a stop at Hvar town. Ten and a half hours, small group, no coach transfer.
History
Ninety minutes through the palace with a guide who lives inside it: the Golden Gate, the cellars, the Peristyle, the cathedral and the streets in between. Small group, no flag, and a proper explanation of why a Roman emperor retired to a cabbage patch in Dalmatia.
Boat trips
Five hours to Šolta and back on a ten-person boat: three swim stops in coves you cannot reach by road, an hour in Maslinica for dinner or a drink, and the run home across the channel as the sun goes down behind the island.