Travelling down the coastline of Cres or sailing around it, you will constantly come across bays and coves, small dents and inlets, each a beach in its own right. This island is only slightly tamed which makes it a stunning backdrop for the many charming villages that nest between this forest and that cliff, and the pebbled and gravel beaches that are never too large and never crowded.

In this guide we bring you a list of eight of the most beautiful Cres beaches among the many more that dot the coastline of this gorgeous island. Some of them are for the adventurers, those of you who enjoy quests to hidden places out of the tourist reach. Others are easily accessible without losing their charm. We invite to you visit as many of them as you can, and give yourself a nature adventure you’ll never forget.

1. Zdovica beach, Valun

Set against the backdrop of the pine forest that reaches all the way to the edge of the pebbled shore, Zdovica beach combines the best of the island’s wild side with the comfort of beach amenities. Its sea is incredibly clear, great for snorkeling and swimming. The terrain is made of fine gravel that eases into the seabed, making sea access easy for visitors of all ages.

Should you feel the need for some entertainment other than swimming and snorkeling there are several cafes adjacent to the beach, with a larger catering offer available in the village of Valun. When they’ve had enough of splashing around in the sea your kids can simply step out of the water, shower off, and head onto the playground adapted to their needs. And before the next round of swimming, the entire family can grab some ice cream and take an easy stroll down the promenade and watch the boats dock in the small harbour near by.

2. St. John’s beach (Sveti Ivan beach)

St. John’s beach may just be one of Cres’ best adventures. Sitting at the foot of a tall cliff that carries the village of Lubenice on its rocky back, this pebble beach is a slice of tranquil paradise on Earth. As it slopes into the sky blue sea at an easy angle you get the feeling it blends with the transparent water into one vast expanse. Surrounded by Mediterranean vegetation and pine trees it is a symphonic blend of sights and fragrances that soothe the soul.

Getting to it will make for a lovely adventure, especially for those of you who enjoy hiking. A marked hiking trail will lead you from Lubenice down the hill and straight to the beach, and depending on your hiking prowess this might take up to one hour (climbing back up might take a bit longer).

Being a wild beach, St. John’s has no amenities available, so pack everything you need with you. All your effort will be generously rewarded with a day of perfect relaxation and communion with nature’s elements.

3. Slatina beach, Martinscica

Nesting in the landscape of pine forests, olive groves and low cliffs, the pebbled shore of the Slatina beach spreads onto the seabed of the calm azure sea washing against it. It is a part of the eponymous camp site but its beauty is available to all visitors, as are the many of the amenities and facilities of the camp.

Swimming, snorkeling and diving here are safe and easy since the swimming area has been sectioned off to prevent unwanted intrusions of pedal boats, jet skis and kayaks, all of which are available for rent in case you want to engage in some water sports fun. The camp’s facilities also include a children’s playground, a cafe and a restaurant and various ball sports courts. At the moment of writing this guide, the camp is closed so if you’re visiting off-season you can use the camp’s open grounds free of charge.

If you are holidaying with your four-legged friends, Slatina is the beach to go to: it is pet-friendly, with a special area designated for dogs. You and your furry friends will have a good portion of the beach at your disposal for swimming, fetch-playing, snoozing in the shade of the pine trees and generally making the best of Slatina’s wonderful scenery to create the best of memories.

4. Kruscica beach

Small, sweet and unabashedly wild, Kruscica beach is an idyllic corner of Cres that will impress itself upon you with its untouched nature. The sea here is calm, a deep blue blending into the turquoise, and the pine trees bloom with bright shades of green. In between them spreads the pale gravel beach, in a striking contrast to the colours around it, sparsely dotted with the remains of old stone huts.

Located in the eponymous bay, Kruscica is also a protected site of nature. Because of its favourable position it is favourite with the boaters who like to anchor here for the night. While the sandy seabed calls for some caution while anchoring, it makes sea access from the beach pretty easy and comfortable for the children and the elderly.

Slightly harder to reach, this beach is not inaccessible. The easiest way to get to it is by boat, and if you’re going on foot the path will take you (and hopefully, your backpack with everything you might need for a day on a wild beach since there are no amenities here) on a fifteen minute walk through the forest. But when you catch that first sight of the bay with the blue of its sea meeting the sky, you’ll be glad you took the trip.

5. Stara Porozina

Located at the northern peak of Cres and overlooking the Istrian peninsula, Stara Porozina beach is often said to be one of the most beautiful pebble beaches on the island. It is a tiny cove, backed by the characteristic island vegetation and flanked by low cliffs that conspire to give you one of the most private beach experiences on Cres.

A visit to Stara Porozina will be a kind of a holiday within a holiday and as such ideal for couples or simply anyone eager for a few hours of peace and quietness. Getting to it from the Porozina village won’t be hard, though hiking aficionados will enjoy the challenge of going through the forest down the hill to get to it.

Devoid of amenities and crowds, this little cove offers an uninterrupted experience of swimming and sunbathing amidst the tranquillity of nature’s elements, topped with a lovely view of the coast of Istria.

6. Mali Bok beach

The tiny cove of Mali Bok is as spectacular as it is small. Sitting at the foot of tall bulky cliffs that protect it, it is a fragment of a pebbled shore kissed by the stunning blue and aquamarine sea. It looks unadulterated and just-this-side-of raw, an authentic blend of seaside elements that could have easily remained hidden.

The pebbles and fine gravel terrain that extend onto the seabed alternate with the scattered stones and rocks that add a dynamic decor by creating nooks and crannies in the scenery. Sea access is easy since the sea comes in low, and aside from swimming you’ll have an exciting time kayaking here on the more windy days when the waves start rolling towards the beach.

Amidst all the bare rock you won’t find any natural shade unless you come later in the afternoon when the sun moves behind the cliffs. There are no amenities here, either, so take everything you need with you, and be prepared for a twenty minute descent down the somewhat steep path that leads to the beach.

Despite all this, Mali Bok is a pretty popular place during the summertime, so all of its bare beauty is best experienced in the morning hours, before it gets too crowded. So, put on your hiking shoes, bring your Thermos bottle filled with hot coffee and enjoy your summer morning in a perfectly pristine seascape.

7. Blue Grotto beach (Plave grote beach), Zanje bay

Cres may have dozens and dozens of stunning hidden places, but Plave grote beach is a special kind of a wonder. Located not far from the village of Lubenice, in the Zanje bay, it is a cave with its own beach inside it.

The Zanje bay is small white-pebbled cove, in perfect harmony with the surrounding grey rocks and cliffs, island’s evergreens and the turquoise-to-azure sea. Despite the absence of amenities its landscape is brilliant and perfect for visitors of all ages due to the shallow sea level and some natural shade. The Blue Grotto cave is the proverbial icing on the cake hiding inside the cliffs at the very edge of the Zanje beach.

The sea cave gets its name from the dance of light that occurs in the afternoon hours when the sunlight pours through the cracks and slits in the cave’s walls and, reflecting against the sea, illuminates the entire space in an amazing azure shade. This sight is nothing short of magical and people from all sides of the island pour in to admire it.

You can get to Zanje bay with a taxi boat or make it a field trip and take the one hour descent from Lubenice on foot. Either way, we promise it will be worth your while, because this kind of a site of nature is a rare one and not easily found. 

8. Koromacna beach

Koromacna beach is that wonderful work of Mother Nature that isn’t hard to reach. On one side, the foot of its low semi-circular cliffs is indented with small stretches of pebbled shore, each dent a sort of a semi cave with a beach. These charming nooks and crannies are incredibly pretty and offer solace, natural shade and privacy for an afternoon nap. 

On the other side of the cove you’ll find a small concrete pier, a perfect spot to park your boat if you’re coming by way of sea. With the sea depth reaching up to ten meters in the outer parts, this small bay is also an excellent place to anchor and is often dotted with sail boats during the summer.

There are no amenities of any kind here, but Koromacna beach might just be the easiest wild beach to reach on Cres since the parking lot is right next to it.

If you’d like to experience the wild beaches of Cres and find others just a tad bit too daunting, this is the right one for you - small and wild, not crowded and easily accessible.

What makes Cres beaches so unique?

The island of Cres is well known for its indented coastline, full of coves and bays of all sizes that hide pebble and gravel beaches, most of them wild, and devoid of any amenities. Even the beaches that are well equipped, like Slatina and Zdovica, always retain a bit of wilderness in them, allowing the island’s landscape to shape the beach structure.

Often these beaches are not easy to reach, nesting at the foot of cliffs and in between rocks, providing adventure opportunities for hikers and lovers of active vacation. However, as wild as they are, all of the beaches can be reached by a taxi boat, and if you know how to man a boat yourself you’ll find several of them make wonderful locations for anchoring.

The best feature of Cres beaches is precisely that they are not easy to reach; this way a lot of them are located off the beaten tourist paths and offer you the unique opportunity to connect with the seascape wilderness in perfect tranquillity. Another thing worth mentioning is that most of the beaches on Cres have been designated as pet friendly on the official Cres tourist board website, with beach Slatina having a special area sectioned off for dogs and their humans. 

We hope our selection of Cres’ beaches helps you find your perfect one and helps you maximize on your holiday experience. We’d love to hear all your thoughts and observations so don’t hesitate to leave your Cres adventure stories in the comment section. Until then, we’re wishing you an amazing adventure whether you’re going solo, as a couple, with your pets or with your entire family.