Their beauty leaves you breathless, and to get to them, you have to leave your car miles away - on land. These are islands where cars have always been "persona non grata" and if a vacation without a car seems tempting to you, then you should definitely explore several locations on our coast.
Croatia is a country of numerous islands and islets. Some can be reached by land, while others can be reached by boat, but each of them is full of riches that are worth exploring. We bring you a suggestion of six locations where you can enjoy without the noise of cars, and the silence will only be broken by crickets and the sound of sea waves.
whistle
Close your eyes and imagine a Mediterranean forest, lush green, fragrant and full of life.
Are you?
Good… And now around that forest imagine a turquoise sea that invites you to swim, dive or sit carefree on the beach…
Imagine a place without the sound of a car… E it is the island of Silba. It is also called the gate of Dalmatia, and apart from its beautiful nature, it is also special because it is known as an island of pedestrians. Namely, there are no cars and engines on this island, only a few tractors that are used to supply shops. Precisely because of this, the only traffic for guests and locals to transport things are trailers, the so-called "carici" which have become a trademark of the island.
This island of sailors and sailors was defended from cars by a decree issued by all the locals. Although a ferry docks on the island every day, a truck can also disembark from it, but it must not go further than the ferry port. The residents of Silba have gone so far as to even reduce cycling.
Certainly the most mentioned landmark of the island is Toreta - tower with external spiral staircase. According to tradition, it was built in the 19th century by Captain Petar Marinić as a memory of unrequited love. Find the story of this love here.
Union
This small paradise is located in the shadow of five times larger Lošinj. There are no cars in Unije, and the main means of transport on the island are points. The northern part of the island is of special ecological importance because it is located on the path of migratory birds. The western and southwestern part of the island also hides its specialties - olive groves. Although small, the Unions can boast of even four indigenous olive species.
Remains of a Roman villa, fragments of tiles and bricks testify to the ancient settlement of the Union, which was inhabited before the Old Age, as the name suggests. Garden for locations on the extreme northern and extreme southeastern side of the island. Namely, Gradina is the name for old Illyrian forts in our region. According to the inscriptions, the older name of the island of Nia comes from the Greek (he)neios, which means "field", and refers to the fertile field of flags. The continuity of the population, from prehistoric times to the present day, is confirmed by numerous archaeological finds discovered both on the land and in the underwater part of the island.
The northern and eastern sides of the island are steep and rocky, overgrown with green holm oaks, while the southern and western sides are flatter and form a bay in which is the only place on the island, which reflects the facades of its houses and fertile fields in the mirror of the sea. The "doors to" the Union are islands Vele and Male Srakane, where there is no traffic, but that is why there are a lot of healthy bees that attract biologists from all over the world.
Kornati National Park and the island of Zut
In the Kornati Islands, that enigmatic labyrinth of islands, islets, rocks and passages between them, only boats and vessels of all sizes and purposes rule. Since ancient times, the owners came to them in their multi-purpose "cargo" boats - gajetas. Do you know the story of gajeta? Read it here.
On the Kornati, the golden rule applies - where there is a house in the bay, there is a restaurant, so the Kornati are a paradise for gastro hedonists.
Kornati National Park most of the Kornati aquatorium, which was declared a national park in 1980 due to its exceptional landscape beauty, interesting geomorphology, large indentation of the coastline and especially rich biocenoses of the marine ecosystem. Kornati archipelago, covers an area of about 320 square kilometers, and this most developed island ecosystem in the Adriatic Sea, which includes as much as 12% of all the islands of the Croatian Adriatic (1264 islands, of which 67 are inhabited), and only 1% of the total Croatian sea surface, has long been attracts the attention of numerous sailors, divers, mountaineers and other lovers of nature and what nature has to offer.
String is one of the most beautiful bays located in the heart of the Kornati archipelago, on an uninhabited the island of Žut. This place, 25 kilometers from Murter, is an island of stone, raspberries, figs, grapes and clear blue sea. Excellent food, warm sea, magical view and nice people are waiting for you right here. This is why Strunac is the perfect place to escape from everyday, busy life. It is one of the increasingly rare examples of pure, untouched nature.
Take it
If you do not have a safe hiding place for your tin pet in Zadar or Lošinj, you can use it to get to Take it, but that's where the car adventure ends and new ones begin. The main traffic on the island is a golf vehicle that was "imported" by returnees from America.
There is a bay in the eastern part of the island Slatinica, a favorite anchorage of many boaters and a favorite beach of islanders and their guests. The crystal clear sea, which is still up to your ankles after a few hundred meters, and the sandy bottom are the perfect combination for all-day enjoyment.
The island of Olib is said to have the most beautiful sandy beaches on the Adriatic. On our sea, the vast majority are pebble beaches, with sea-smoothed pebbles that are a symbol of the beauty of our coast. Sandy beaches are much rarer, so visiting the sandy beaches and bays of this island is a real attraction.
Zlarin
Zlarin is widely known for its corals, which is not at all surprising because the activity of processing and hunting for them has been present on the island since the 15th century. Despite the fact that there are ten kilometers of road and paved roads on the island, traffic is prohibited for cars, and only tractors for the transport of goods brought by ship have a noise permit.
If you want to see the coral exhibit at the local museum, you'll have to go on foot or "step over" someone with an electric golf cart. Be sure to take a look at Leroy, a tower with a public clock located inside the place.
The benefits of the sea and vegetation are felt at every step, and the silence that stretches across the island will be disturbed only by the cry of a seagull, the chirping of a pheasant, the chirping of a woodpecker or the roar of an owl. Zlarin has 2700 hours of sunshine a year, making it one of the sunniest islands in the Adriatic.
susak
Susak is specific in many ways, but certainly everyone knows it as an island full of shallow sandy coves. A lesser known curiosity is theirs folk costume. This island with only a hundred inhabitants has the shortest folk costume in Europe and the only one that does not cover the knees.
During the day, small tractors with trailers "operate" on the island, the noise of which can only be heard when cargo is unloaded from the ship.
Susak is a unique island in the Adriatic both in its origin and in its appearance. Thick layers of fine yellowish sand on the limestone slab were caused by ancient winds, and people have been planting reeds around their farms since time immemorial, whose roots penetrate deep into the soil in search of water and protect it from erosion.
Source: Croatia feeds
Cover photo: Hvar Tourist Board
