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CROATIA: DALMATIA
NORTH DALMATIA [ ↑ ]
Dalmatia is a historical region that occupies most of southern Croatia. The name "Dalmatia" usually connotes coastal locations, while the hinterland is known as Zagora (or sometimes Dalmatian Zagora). The hinterland area of Dalmatia becomes narrower the farther south you go. For purposes of tourism, Dalmatia is often divided into north, central and south. North Dalmatia has the most land area and the biggest hinterland, but it is the coastal locations that matter for this guide. In the north of North Dalmatia, there is Pag Island, which is the fifth largest island in Croatia. Pag is bridged to the mainland at its south end. South of Pag, the town on Zadar on the mainland is the larger of the two principal towns of North Dalmatia. Zadar is also the name of one of the two counties that comprise North Dalmatia, so the name Zadar is often applied to nearby mainland towns as well as to several very long and narrow islands—specifically Iž, Ugljan, Pašman and Dugi (and a few others not included in this guide). Continuing south, Murter is an island just barely offshore that is connected to the mainland by a short bridge. Farther south, Šibenik on the mainland is the smaller of the two principal towns of North Dalmatia. While North Dalmatia has no shortage of places to be naked, the nude beaches that are independent of naturist resorts tend to be rather minor locations. Of these, our choice for the best is the one we've labelled Pakoštane North, which is about halfway between Zadar and Šibenik.
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| Zadar: Mainland
MAP [ ↑ ]
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NUDE BEACHES
Sabunike
44.2677N, 15.1567E 
Punta Skala - Zaton
44.2022N, 15.1586E
Sveta Katarina Island
43.9328N, 15.4314E
Biograd South
43.9166N,15.4705E
Pakoštane North
43.9144N, 15.4860E
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| Zadar: Iž Island
MAP [ ↑ ]
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NUDE BEACHES
Rutnjak Islet
44.0529N, 15.1222E
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| Zadar: Ugljan & Pašman Islands
MAP [ ↑ ]
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NUDE BEACHES & NATURIST RETREATS
Jelenica Cove
44.0314N, 15.2325E
Sovinje Camping & Beach
43.9091N, 15.4363E
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| Zadar: Dugi Island
MAP [ ↑ ]
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NUDE BEACHES
Veli Zal
44.1026N, 14.9235E
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| Murter Island
MAP [ ↑ ]
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NUDE BEACHES & NATURIST RETREATS
Kosirina Camping & Beach
43.7945N, 15.6054E
Tisno - Jezera
43.7889N, 15.6494E
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| Šibenik
MAP [ ↑ ]
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NUDE BEACHES
Smokvica Island
43.5933N, 15.9119E
Marina Lucića - Marina Kremik
43.5830N, 15.9309E
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CENTRAL DALMATIA [ ↑ ]
Central Dalmatia is the location of Split, which is the largest coastal city in Croatia and the second largest city in the country (after the capital city of Zagreb). South of Split, a notable tourist region of the mainland is a stretch of coastline known as the Makarska Riviera. Central Dalmatia also includes four major islands, three of which are listed below.
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| Split
MAP [ ↑ ]
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NUDE BEACHES
Medena
43.5113N, 16.2020E
Kasuni Beach
43.5079N, 16.3952E
Duilovo Beach
43.5011N, 16.5069E
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| Makarska
MAP [ ↑ ]
The Makarska Riviera is a rugged and beautiful tourist area that spans about 60 kilometers of the mainland Central Dalmatian coastline, and the town of Makarska is the centrally located heart of the region. The Makarska Riviera has a number of rugged stretches that are popular with nudists. Toward the northern end of the riviera, the Brela to Vrulja part of the coastline is a stretch of about 2 kilometers that is arguably the most scenic of the nudist possibilities in an extremely scenic region. Nugal Beach is another exceptionally scenic and popular nude beach. Tucked away beneath dramatic cliffs, Nugal is perhaps the most renowned of the Makarska nude beaches, and it requires a hike of about half an hour to reach even though it is quite close to Makarska town. About 5 kilometers south of Nugal, there is a popular nude area along part of Dračevac Beach that is much easier to access. There are also ample other places along the Makarska Riviera that are frequented by bare bathers. The sites below are listed from north to south.
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NUDE BEACHES
Brela to Vrulja
43.3935N, 16.8915E
Baško Polje North
43.3475N, 16.9543E
Baško Polje South
43.3389N, 16.9631E
Krvavica - Makarska
43.3187N, 16.9900E
Sveti Petar Peninsula
43.2944N, 17.0090E
Nugal Beach
43.2793N, 17.0337E
Dračevac Beach
43.2534N, 17.0633E
Igrane Beach
43.1988N, 17.1314E
Porat - Mala Duba
43.1802N, 17.1640E
Mala Duba - Blato
43.1730N, 17.1824E
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| Brač Island
MAP [ ↑ ]
Brač is the third largest of Croatia's many islands, with just under 400 square kilometers of land, and there are ferry connections to Split and Makarska on the mainland. In the middle of the southern coast of the island, Zlatni Rat Beach is the most famous beach in Croatia. It is a sandy beach (a rarity in Croatia) that follows the contours of a distinctively shaped spit of land for which the beach is named—Zlatni Rat means "Golden Horn." While the main area of the beach is textile, the western periphery of the beach and nearly a kilometer of adjacent coves are very popular with nudists.
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NUDE BEACHES
Vela Luka
43.3853N, 16.5333E
Zlatni Rat Beach
43.2589N, 16.6305E
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| Hvar Island
MAP [ ↑ ]
Hvar is Croatia's fourth largest island, and it is a long but comparatively skinny island that spans about 70 kilometers from east to west. The island's three principal towns are located toward the western end of Hvar, and Hvar town is the largest of these. The Paklinski Islands are an archipelago of much smaller islands that extend westward from Hvar town, and two of the islands in particular—Jerolim and Stipanska—are popular day-trip destinations for nudists, with boat shuttles connecting the islands to Hvar town. On the north coast of Hvar, Zečevo Island is just offshore from the small Glavica Peninsula. Both locations are popular with nudists, and there is a naturist campground along part of the peninsula.
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NUDE BEACHES & NATURIST RETREATS
Jerolim & Stipanska
43.1569N, 16.4340E
Nudist Vrboska Camping & Beach
43.1824N, 16.6872E
Glavica Peninsula
43.1828N, 16.6950E
Zečevo Island
43.1901N, 16.6948E
Mlaska Camping & Beach
43.1375N, 17.1423E
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| Vis Island
MAP [ ↑ ]
Croatia has hundreds of islands, but of the several dozen that are considered major islands, Vis lies farthest at sea. The only car ferry to the mainland leaves from Split, 55 kilometers away. Lacking large hotels and mass tourism, Vis draws far fewer visitors compared to other major Dalmatian islands. Those who trek to Vis are can enjoy an exceptionally beautiful nude beach, secluded beneath dramatic cliffs but just a short hike from the village of Komiža.
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NUDE BEACHES
Komiža
43.0358N, 16.0933E
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SOUTH DALMATIA [ ↑ ]
In South Dalmatia, there is rather unusual quirk of international borders that interrupts the continuity of Croatia's mainland coastline. Neighboring Bosnia and Herzegovina (a single country despite the pair of names) has an outlet to the Adriatic at the town of Neum. So, if you were to drive from Split (in Central Dalmatia) to Dubrovnik (in the far south of South Dalmatia), you have two basic options. One option is to exit Croatia and drive through Bosnia and Herzegovina just under 10 kilometers (passing through Neum) before re-entering Croatia. A second option is to take the Ploce-Trpanj car ferry (an hour-long, 15-kilometer connection), which connects the Croatian mainland (north of Neum) to the Pelješac Peninsula, which in turn connects to the Croatian mainland (south of Neum). If you take the ferry option, you will be either on Croatian soil or in Croatian waters for the entire journey. A future third option is the Pelješac Bridge, which will be a 2.5-kilometer-long automobile connection that will bypass Neum and rectify South Dalmatia's curious border situation upon its expected completion in 2015.
The five sub-regions of South Dalmatia below are listed roughly in geographic order, going northwest to southeast. Korčula Island is the largest island of South Dalmatia, and a 3-kilometer-long ferry route connects it to the Pelješac Peninsula, which is a long but comparatively skinny protrusion of land that extends about 65 kilometers. The Pelješac attaches to the mainland just south of the Bosnian/Herzegovinian town of Neum. South of the Pelješac is Mljet, the second largest of South Dalmatia's islands. Closer to the mainland is Lopud, a much smaller island that is one of several islands of the Elafiti archipelago. Finally, on the mainland, Dubrovnik is the southernmost major town in Croatia.
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| Korčula Island
MAP [ ↑ ]
Of the three beaches below, Donji Bili Bok is generally regarded as the most beautiful. It is located on an uninhabited islet called Proizd, which is just offshore from the western extreme of Korčula. To get there, you will either need to rent a private boat or rely on shuttle boat service, which runs about three times a day. All the way across Korčula at its eastern extreme, Badija is another islet just offshore, served by shuttle boat service, and its traditional nude area has stunning views of the nearby Pelješac Peninsula. On the north coast of Korčula, Vaja is the only of the three beaches that can be directly reached by car, but it is more of a mix of nudists and textiles than the other two.
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NUDE BEACHES
Badija Island
42.9564N, 17.1671E
Vaja Beach
42.9750N, 17.0043E
Donji Bili Bok Beach
42.9850N, 16.6110E
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| Pelješac Peninsula
MAP [ ↑ ]
Ruggedly beautiful and relatively sparsely populated, the Pelješac Peninsula is similar to the larger Dalmatian islands that surround it, except it is connected to the mainland. It is not a major area for nude beaches, but there are ample opportunities for "I-got-here-first" bare bathing at secluded spots all along the shoreline. Grdni Do is an especially beautiful and rather off-the-beaten path beach on the south shore of the Pelješac where nude bathing is commonplace.
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NUDE BEACHES
Grdni Do Beach
42.8968N, 17.4438E
Trpanj
43.0078N, 17.2807E
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| Mljet Island
MAP [ ↑ ]
Mljet is among the least populated of Croatia's larger islands, and most visitors come to visit the national park that occupies much of the western end of the island. At the eastern extreme of Mljet, Blace is a unique sandy beach in a sheltered cove that gets relatively few visitors (probably because all the tourists are all the way across the island), and nudity is commonplace at one end of the beach.
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NUDE BEACHES
Blace Beach
42.6915N, 17.7418E
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| Lopud (Elafiti Islands)
MAP [ ↑ ]
Lopud is a car-free island that covers less than 5 square kilometers, and while there are overnight accommodations, many visitors are day trippers who ferry over from Dubrovnik (about 10 kilometers away). The main attraction is Šunj Bay, an inlet with a prized rarity for Croatia: a beach that actually has sand. The beach is about 300 meters long, and about a quarter of that length is reserved for naturists.
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NUDE BEACHES & NATURIST RETREATS
Šunj Bay
42.6811N, 17.9530E
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| Dubrovnik
MAP [ ↑ ]
Nicknamed the "Pearl of the Adriatic," Dubrovnik has the most recognizable cityscape of any town in Croatia. Its walled medieval Old Town with orange tile rooftops is an iconic symbol of the country. The most popular nude beach in the Dubrovnik area is a designated area of Lokrum Island, which is just offshore from the town and accessible by frequent passenger ferry service from the Old Town Harbor. The other two locations below are in the southern outskirts of the city.
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NUDE BEACHES
Lokrum Island
42.6224N, 18.1265E
Mlini - Soline
42.6162N, 18.2133E
Hotel Croatia Beach
42.5779N, 18.2135E
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