Rabac for Beginners: Top Things to Do and See
3 minTucked away in a pretty bay on the east coast of Istria, this former fishing village has blossomed into a real gem for seekers of seaside bliss.
Throughout history, many famous writers and travellers have visited Rabac, including the British explorer and traveller Richard Francis Burton, who mentioned the Gulf of Rabac in his 19th-century work The Seaboard of Istria.
RESTAURANTS & BAR
TRATTORIA LA PENTOLA
Enjoy handmade pasta and other Mediterranean specialties paired with gorgeous sea views near the Valamar Collection Girandella Resort. Save room for the homemade ice cream.
SUNDANCE BEACH CLUB
Fun times by the swimming pool at the Valamar Collection Girandella Resort’s beach club, with DJs spinning tunes and live music gigs.
TAVERNA
Try stellar mainstays of Istrian cuisine, paired with rustic charm.
BLACK & BLUE STEAKHOUSE
If you love meat, you won’t be able to resist the excellent steaks and grilled meat dishes in the Black & Blue Steakhouse. This great restaurant with an open-type kitchen offers a relaxed atmosphere for perfect summer lunches and get-togethers.
BISTRO DELFINO
Enjoy pizzas, burgers and light Mediterranean dishes in a relaxing atmosphere, with views of the Rabac Bay and the island of Cres.
MUST-SEE SIGHTS
BREATHTAKING BEACHES
The beaches in Rabac are downright gorgeous, many claim the most beautiful in Istria. The star of them all is rocky St. Andrea, which extends from the old town along the entire coast with its manmade concrete plateaus and a pine forest offering natural shade. Another stunner is Girandella, a pebble beach hugged by pine woods.
TIPS FOR DIVING
The crystal-clear sea with depths of up to 70 metres makes Rabac an ideal diving destination. Whether it’s your first dive or you’re looking to perfect your skills, the diving centres have you covered with classes taught by experienced dive masters. Explore the colourful undersea life and mysterious shipwrecks that have been submerged for more than 100 years.
BEST DIVE SPOTS
GIRANDELLA BEACH
At a depth of 7 metres reach the remains of a steam boiler buried in sand. Further down, encounter octopuses, schools of two-banded sea bream and dentex.
CAPE BABINA
Diving here starts at a depth of 3 metres. A ridge starts at 20 metres and descends vertically to 40 metres. The ridge is 300 metres long, offering divers plenty of space to explore big gorgonians, some of which reach 1 metre in size.
GOLUBIERA
Ideal for beginner divers. After getting into the sea there is a number of large rocks with a profusion of holes and tunnels that pro-vide perfect hiding places for crabs and breams. The deeper you go, the more fish species you will meet.
SUNKEN SHIP
LINA
The ship was built in Newcastle, England in 1879. In the night of 14 January 1914, she was sailing from Cardiff to Rijeka when a massive storm and fog caused the steersman to lose his sense of direction and crash the ship into the rocks near Cape Pecanj.
