The third-largest of Croatia’s islands, BRAČ is the nearest of the major islands to Split, and is the easiest to get to, with regular ferries running (hourly in high season) to the port of Supetar, an attractive former fishing village with shallow pebbly beaches. On the opposite side of the island is similarly picturesque Bol, boasting the spectacular beach of Zlatni rat and a mild-breeze climate that’s perfect for windsurfing. The smaller coastal settlements of Postira, Pučišća, Povlja and Milna are less visited, more relaxed, and ideal for a spot of Mediterranean-island chilling. Away from the coast, the island’s starkly beautiful interior has undoubted allure, its scrub-covered karst uplands dotted with fertile depressions containing vines, olives and orange trees, or by the great man-made piles of limestone built up over centuries by smallholders clearing a place in which to grow crops.
Brač was, until the development of the tourist trade, dependent on the export of its stone – a milky-white mix of marble and limestone – which was used in structures such as Berlin’s Reichstag, the high altar of Liverpool’s Catholic cathedral, the White House in Washington and, of course, Diocletian’s Palace in Split.
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Supetar
Supetar
Despite being the largest town on the island, SUPETAR is a sleepy place onto which package tourism has been painlessly grafted. With a decent beach, a clutch of good restaurants and not too much noise, it’s a relaxing, family-oriented resort and a good base from which to explore the rest of the island.
Much of Supetar has the appearance of an affluent suburb, with rows of neat villas nestling amid lush, well-kept gardens. Something of an old town survives, however, its rust-brown stone houses grouped around a horseshoe-shaped harbour. Ten minutes’ walk west of town, a long pebbly beach curves around a shallow bay.
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Brac’s northeastern coast
Brac’s northeastern coast
If you want the beauty of Brač but without the package hotels then the northeastern coast is the best place to find it. There is a string of easy-going harbour settlements along this stretch of shore, each occupying dramatically indented bays that offer a range of bathing opportunities – beaches are predominantly rocky, although there is the odd shingly cove to paddle around in.
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Bol
Bol
You cannot help but be overwhelmed by the beauty of BOL’s setting, hugging the coastal flanks of Vidova gora mountain, or the charm of its old stone houses. Most famous the of the town’s attractions is the beautiful Zlatni rat (Golden Cape), a 400-metre-long pebbly promontory which stretches into the sea just west of town. Both Bol and its beach fill up with visitors during high season, when accommodation is at a premium; come in early summer or September for a lower stress dose of Adriatic charm. Bol’s summer crowds provide a ready-made audience for the enjoyably informal Supertoon animation festival, which screens short films in a variety of around-town outdoor venues in late July/early August.
Although there’s a modest string of package hotels on the path to Zlatni rat, the town itself is a reassuringly low-rise affair, with a couple of rows of old stone houses set above an attractive harbour packed with small boats and pleasure craft.
