Route · 14 days · round-tripYacht charter route · Istria

Pula round-trip.

A two-week sailing route from Pula through Istria, Kvarner and the Zadar islands: Cres, Unije, Premuda, Dugi Otok, Pag and Lošinj, with mooring tips.

The route

Day-by-day route

Click any pin on the map or any day in the route summary below to see that day's stop, story and photos.

Day 1

Pula → Rabac

Thirty-five miles, the longest leg of the fortnight, and it lands on day one: Pula to Rabac by way of Cape Kamenjak and the open Kvarner. Rabac sits under Mount Učka, a working fishing harbour that added hotels without ballooning into a strip.

Distance

18 NM

Sailing

~3.6h at 5 kn

At a glance

Route at a glance

Best season

June – mid-September (peak Jul – Aug)

Duration

14 days

Departure

Pula

Sailing area

Istria

Route summary

Click any day to jump back to the map and see its photos, narrative and mooring tip.

Plan this route

See boats from Pula

Live availability & prices, bookable online

All Istria routes

Compare other route variations

Search the whole fleet

Every destination, date and boat type

The full story

Day-by-day journey

Named anchorages, mooring notes and things to do for every leg of the week — the map follows along as you scroll.

Day 1 / 14

Day 1

Pula → Rabac

Pula sends you off past its Roman arena, and then the day is mostly open water. This is the longest single leg of the fortnight, so we usually slip the lines by eight and settle in for the round of Cape Kamenjak before the Kvarner opens up ahead. Rabac curls into a shallow bay at the foot of Labin, the medieval town stacked on the ridge above. Mount Učka stands behind it, catching the last light. Ashore, the promenade runs the length of the shingle, and the konobas do scampi na buzaru properly, shells and all, with bread for the sauce. Walk up to Labin next morning if your legs are willing; the alleys and the belltower view repay the climb.

Things to do

Swim off Girandella beach

Climb to Labin's old town and belltower

Scampi na buzaru at a harbour konoba

Drive up Učka for the summit view

Mooring tip

Rabac's port has only a handful of laid moorings for boats up to about 14 m, and the breakwater shelters north and east but leaves you open to a southerly. If a jugo is forecast, take a berth rather than the bay, and anchor off the northeast corner only in settled weather.

Day 2

Rabac → Cres Island

Short and easy after yesterday's slog. Valun sits in a notch of the western shore, a row of stone houses, a church, and a pebble beach that shelves quickly into clear green water. The restaurants along the front keep mooring buoys for guests, so book a table and the night's berth is settled at once. The real reason to stop is above your head: Lubenice, perched on a 378-metre ridge with the whole Kvarner laid out below. It's an hour's walk up or a short taxi if the heat is fierce. Cres lamb, slow-cooked with island herbs, is the dish to order. Keep an eye out for griffon vultures riding the thermals over the Tramuntana woods to the north.

Things to do

Hike the ridge trail up to Lubenice

Swim off Valun's pebble beach

See the Glagolitic Valun Tablet

Cres lamb dinner at a stone konoba

Mooring tip

Valun's waterfront restaurants lay their own buoys and give them free to anyone dining ashore, which is the easy play here. If the field is full, drop the hook on sand a little further out in seven to ten metres; the bay is calm in the prevailing summer northwesterly.

Day 3

Cres → Unije Island

Unije is a slip of an island with fewer than a hundred residents and not a car on it. The single village climbs a low saddle, whitewashed and quiet, with a working fishing quay below. Maračol, the big bay on the western side, is the draw: a broad sandy bottom that holds an anchor beautifully and gives up one of the rare stretches of real sand in these waters. Wind can funnel in from the west by afternoon, so tuck well in. Evenings here are slow. Wander up to the old lighthouse for sunset, then find the family konoba doing brudet, the Adriatic fish stew that every household makes a little differently. Bring cash; there isn't much in the way of card machines.

Things to do

Anchor and swim in sandy Maračol Bay

Walk the car-free path across the island

Sunset from the old lighthouse

Brudet fish stew at a family konoba

Mooring tip

The village quay is tiny and first-come, so if you want it, arrive by early afternoon. Most crews just anchor in Maračol on good holding sand in four to eight metres; it's snug from the north and northeast but open to the west, so watch the afternoon sea breeze.

Day 4

Unije → Premuda Island

Premuda is barely more than a limestone spine with a scatter of houses, but it draws divers from across the region. Somewhere off the southwest, at around sixty-five metres, lies the SMS Szent István, the Austro-Hungarian dreadnought torpedoed in 1918 and filmed as she rolled over. That's technical-diving territory, but the shallower Katedrala cave nearby, where light pours through the rock in shafts, is within reach of a guided dive. Above water, Krijal is the anchorage, an open bight facing the sea with a field of buoys and a couple of konobas serving pršut and figs. Sunset over bare white rock has a stark quality you don't get on the greener islands. Settle in early; the buoys go fast in July.

Things to do

Guided dive into the Katedrala cave

Walk the limestone ridge trail

Pršut and figs at a Krijal konoba

Watch sunset over bare white rock

Mooring tip

Krijal has roughly fifty buoys set north and south of the little harbour, and it sits more exposed to open water than most Adriatic anchorages, so a swell can work in. Take a restaurant buoy and eat ashore, and don't linger if a strong southwesterly is on the charts.

Day 5

Premuda → Zapuntel, Molat Island

Molat runs quiet even in August. Three villages, Molat, Brgulje, and Zapuntel, are strung together by one narrow lane, and Zapuntel's bay on the north shore is where we like to bring up for the night: pebble coves, a fringe of pine, and water that stays clear over a sandy bottom. There's not a great deal to do, which is rather the point. Stroll the lane between Brgulje and Zapuntel, poke along the shingle for weathered sea glass, and settle in for gregada, the peppery fish-and-potato stew, at whichever konoba is open. After dark the sky here is genuinely black, and the stars come out thick. One caveat: the bay is soft in a southerly but wide open to the bora.

Things to do

Walk the lane between Brgulje and Zapuntel

Beachcomb the coves for sea glass

Gregada fish stew at the village konoba

Stargaze under a genuinely dark sky

Mooring tip

Free anchoring on sand in five to eight metres, with good cover from the south and southeast. The catch is the bora out of the northeast; if one is forecast, don't get caught here overnight, run for the shelter of Zadar or a proper lee bay instead.

Day 6

Molat → Božava, Dugi Otok

Dugi Otok, the 'long island', stretches away to the south, and Božava makes a calm base at its northern end. The village itself is small and unhurried, with a shaded harbour and, oddly, a Cold War tunnel bored into the hillside to explore. A mile west lies Sakarun, a shallow bay of pale sand and milky turquoise water that ranks among the best-loved beaches in the country; go early before the day boats arrive. Round the point, Veli Rat lighthouse has stood since 1849 and is the tallest on the Adriatic, its ochre tower worth the walk through the pines. Back in the harbour, order grilled orada straight off the boats. Enjoy the calm; tomorrow's leg turns south down the outer coast.

Things to do

Swim the pale sand of Sakarun Bay

Walk to the 1849 Veli Rat lighthouse

Explore Božava's Cold War tunnel

Grilled orada on the harbour front

Mooring tip

Božava's harbour quay is small and fills in season, so call ahead or plan to anchor. Sakarun, a mile west, gives lovely holding on sand in four to six metres but is exposed to the north, making it a daytime stop rather than an overnight in unsettled weather.

Day 7

Božava → Sali, Dugi Otok

Sali is the busiest place on Dugi Otok, which on this island still means a fishing town with a couple of quays and a handful of konobas. It's the natural staging post for Telašćica just to the south, so many crews arrive mid-afternoon, provision, and set up for an early park run tomorrow. If your dates fall on the first weekend of August, you land in the middle of Saljske užance, the village's own festival, with donkey races along the quay and the famous tovareća mužika, a band that plays ox horns and cowbells and takes itself not at all seriously. Order pašticada, the sweet-and-sour braised beef, and let the evening run long. Book a marina slot ahead in peak weeks; the town quay fills and empties all day.

Things to do

Provision for a Telašćica day-trip

Catch the Saljske užance donkey races

Hear the tovareća mužika ox-horn band

Pašticada braised beef at a konoba

Mooring tip

Sali's port takes around ninety boats across two quays with laid lines, water, and power, and there is an ACI berth option too. In July and August book ahead; the quay turns over through the day, so a slot that's full at noon may open by evening.

Day 8

Sali → Telašćica Nature Park / Žut Island

Telašćica is the payoff for the run south. The inlet cuts eight kilometres into Dugi Otok, sheltered and mild on its inner side, while the seaward flank drops off the Stene cliffs, some 160 metres straight into deep blue. Take the short walk over the ridge to Mir, a saltwater lake warmer and heavier than the sea, its muddy shallows said to be good for the skin. You'll pay a park fee at the buoy, and it's money well spent. In the afternoon we usually cross the few miles east to Žut, the top island of the Kornati chain, and pick up a restaurant buoy in one of its inlets. Grill whatever the konoba sells you, and stay up for the Milky Way; there's no light out here to dim it.

Things to do

Swim the warm saltwater Mir lake

See the Stene cliffs from below

Pick up a restaurant buoy in Žut

Grill fresh fish under the Milky Way

Mooring tip

Inside the park the buoys and anchorages are free to use, but you'll buy a Telašćica entry ticket at the mooring. Over on Žut there is no marina; take a konoba buoy and the fee comes off with dinner, and reserve by radio in high summer when the fields fill early.

Day 9

Žut → Biograd

Biograd sits on a low peninsula facing the Pašman channel, and after a run of tiny islands it feels almost metropolitan. The name means 'white town', and it once crowned Croatian kings; these days it's one of the biggest charter bases on the coast, with Marina Kornati and Marina Šangulin sharing a single entrance and around a thousand berths between them. Walk the paved Riva in the evening, look into the stone churches and the small heritage museum, and if you've a spare morning, drive inland to Vrana Lake, the largest natural lake in the country and a haven for herons and marsh birds. For dinner, crni rižot, the inky squid-ink risotto, is the local order. Provision properly here; the shops are good and the next islands are lean.

Things to do

Stroll the stone-paved Biograd Riva

Look into the town heritage museum

Drive to Vrana Lake for the birdlife

Crni rižot at Konoba Barbara

Mooring tip

Marina Kornati and Marina Šangulin sit side by side inside the town breakwater and share a thousand-odd berths, so there's usually room, but reserve for July and August when the fleet turns over on Saturdays. Both are full-service, which makes this a sensible spot to refuel and re-provision.

Day 10

Biograd → Zadar

Zadar is the old capital of northern Dalmatia, and it wears its history plainly: a Roman forum, a round pre-Romanesque church, and Venetian gates all within a short walk. What everyone comes for sits at the tip of the peninsula. The Sea Organ, a set of pipes built under the marble steps, turns the swell into a low, wandering drone that changes with the sea. Beside it, the Greeting to the Sun, a disc of solar panels set flush in the pavement, lights up after dark. Both draw a crowd at sunset, and it's worth being there. This is a good town for provisioning and a proper dinner. Try a glass of Maraschino, the cherry liqueur that Zadar has distilled for centuries, before you head back out to the islands.

Things to do

Hear the Sea Organ at sunset

Watch the Greeting to the Sun light up

Walk the Roman Forum and St Donatus

Maraschino tasting at Konoba Skoblar

Mooring tip

The usual berth is Marina Borik, a couple of kilometres northwest of the old town, with Tankerkomerc as a second option. The quay along the old town is for ferries and fishing boats, not visiting yachts, so don't plan on lying alongside there.

Day 11

Zadar → Olib Island

Olib gets missed by most itineraries, which is exactly why it's worth the detour. Under two hundred people live here year-round, scattered among stone villages that empty out the moment summer ends. The coast is unusually soft for the Adriatic: Slatina and Banve are proper sandy bays over a pale, bright seabed, shallow and warm for swimming. Rent or borrow a bike and ride the interior lanes past drystone walls and abandoned houses reclaimed by fig and pomegranate. At lunch, hunt down olibške makarule, a hand-rolled pasta the older women still make by the hour, dressed simply with island lamb or a tomato sauce. It's the kind of day where nothing is scheduled and that's the whole appeal. Anchor off Slatina and swim before dinner.

Things to do

Swim the sandy Slatina and Banve bays

Cycle the lanes past empty stone hamlets

Olibške makarule pasta for lunch

Beachcomb the shallows for sea glass

Mooring tip

Olib's fishing harbour has only a few visitor slots, so treat it as a maybe rather than a plan. Most crews anchor off Slatina on good sand in four to six metres, well tucked from the north and northeast, and it's a fine place to lie for the night in settled summer weather.

Day 12

Olib → Novalja, Pag Island

Pag is a study in contrasts, and Novalja sits right at the hinge of them. The island's western hills are stripped bare by the bora into a pale, stony moonscape, grazed by sheep that give Pag its two famous exports: paški sir, the hard, salty sheep's cheese, and salt itself. Drive out to the Gligora dairy for a proper tasting, or up to Lun to walk among wild olive trees that have stood for centuries. Then there's Zrće, a fifteen-minute taxi from the harbour, a shingle strip of open-air clubs that runs until sunrise and pulls crowds from across the continent. You can do one, the other, or both. Sober up with a plate of grilled lamb; Pag's is reckoned the best in Croatia.

Things to do

Taste paški sir at the Gligora dairy

Walk the ancient olive grove at Lun

Dance until sunrise on Zrće Beach

Grilled Pag lamb for dinner

Mooring tip

Novalja has a town quay and a small marina, both of which fill in July and August, so book if you can. For a quiet night away from the club noise, anchor in one of the coves outside town and take a taxi in and out of Zrće.

Day 13

Novalja → Mali Lošinj

Back into busier waters. Mali Lošinj wraps around a long, narrow inlet, its quay lined with the pastel townhouses that captains built when this was a shipbuilding power. It's the liveliest harbour on the upper Adriatic, and after a week of empty bays the bustle is rather welcome. Make time for the Museum of Apoxyomenos, purpose-built around a single bronze athlete pulled from the seabed after two thousand years down there; it's beautifully done. The island trades on its air, all Aleppo pine and sea salt, and long ago earned a reputation as a climate cure. Walk or cycle the Čikat woods to the west, paddle the harbour front at dusk, and put together one last seafood spread. Tomorrow is the long haul home.

Things to do

See the bronze Apoxyomenos in its museum

Cycle the pine-scented Čikat woods

Paddleboard the harbour at dusk

A last seafood spread on the Riva

Mooring tip

ACI Marina Mali Lošinj is the reliable booking in summer and worth reserving well ahead; town-quay places are first-come and go early. If you'd rather anchor, Krivica and Balvanida bays on the southwest coast hold well and stay calm even in a bora.

Day 14

Mali Lošinj → Pula

The last day is the mirror of the first, a long passage back across the Kvarner Gulf under the tall western cliffs of Cres. Get the anchor up early and use the morning breeze before the afternoon maestral builds against you. Susak lies roughly halfway and makes a fine final swim: it's the one island in Croatia made of deep, fine sand rather than rock, its low hills draped in reed grass and old vineyards. From there it's a straight run in to Pula. Most crews hand back at Marina Veruda just south of the city, though the town marina takes charter boats too. Leave time to refuel, and if you can, walk up to the Roman amphitheatre for a last look before you fly out.

Things to do

Final swim off Susak's sand dunes

Sail the morning breeze before the maestral

Tour the Pula Roman amphitheatre

Clean and pack for handover

Mooring tip

Plan the handover at Marina Veruda or the city marina in Pula, both full-service and used to charter turnarounds. Book your fuel-dock slot a day ahead if you can, since the queue backs up on Friday and Saturday mornings when the whole fleet is coming in.