Zala Beach and the Coves of Stara Baška: How to Get There and What to Expect

Which beach near Stara Baška is the one from the photographs? Usually it is Zala — the small pebble bay just south of Stara Baška where the water turns a colour that people assume has been edited. Here is how to get there, what you will find when you arrive, and where to go on the days you want something even quieter.

Where Zala is

Stara Baška is the last village on the south-western coast of Krk. One road leads there, from Punat — about 42 kilometres and 45 minutes from the Krk bridge and Rijeka Airport. The village is small and old, a shepherds' settlement long before it was anything else, with a working harbour, a handful of restaurants and a camp at Škrila to the north. Villa Marim stands on its rock in the middle of it.

Zala lies just beyond the southern end of the village, where the paved coastal road stops. From the harbour below Villa Marim it is ten minutes by boat. From the village on foot it is a twenty-minute walk along the road. By car it is a few minutes.

How to get to Zala Beach

By car. Drive through the village and follow the coastal road south. The asphalt ends at Zala; a small pay car park sits just above the beach, and a short footpath takes you down. Parking is €1 an hour at the machine, and it is checked even after the season. If it is full, do not improvise on the verge: come back in the late afternoon, which is when Zala is at its best anyway.

By boat. This is the best way. Rental boats are moored in Stara Baška harbour next to the fishing boats; ten minutes along the coast and you drop anchor in the bay. You arrive from the sea, which is how this coast is meant to be seen, and you can carry on to the coves that have no path at all. Our guide to boat days from Stara Baška has the details.

On foot. Roughly twenty minutes from the village along the road. There is no shade on the way, so go early or go late, and take water.

What the beach is like

Zala is about 110 metres of fine pebbles, roughly 15 metres deep, with a gradual entry into the water; five to ten metres out the bottom turns to pale sand, like a pool, and on a calm day you look down through the water as if it were air. A freshwater spring keeps the sea here noticeably cooler than elsewhere. The bay opens to the south-west, which means partial shade in the morning and full sun from midday until the evening. There is almost no natural shade — low scrub, no pines — so bring an umbrella.

Facilities are simple and seasonal: in summer there is a small bar with a toilet, a few umbrellas and loungers for hire (they go fast), and kayaks and SUPs. Bring water, sunscreen and a bag for your rubbish. It is not a naturist beach. Compared with Oprna it is quieter, but in August it fills from late morning, so come early or late.

One honest note: this is a pebble beach, not a sandy one. Swimming shoes make the entry far more comfortable, especially for children, and they protect you from the sea urchins that live on the rocks at either end of the bay.

Oprna Bay — the famous one

Two and a half kilometres before the village on the road from Punat, Oprna is the beach most people mean when they talk about Stara Baška. You park on the roadside above — on the rocky side, all four wheels off the asphalt and never in a bend, because police fine whole rows of cars (about €60) — and walk down a steep path — ten to fifteen minutes, longer coming back up in the heat. About 120 metres of small pebbles, water in three shades of blue, sun beds, umbrellas and a bar in season. From the village it is fifteen minutes by boat.

Oprna deserves its reputation, and in July and August it shows: the roadside parking is full by ten. Our advice is to go before nine, go after five, or go by boat.

The other coves

• The village beaches — small pebble beaches below the houses, with Barčica just to the north; the easiest to reach on foot from the harbour.
• Zaglav — a quiet coarse-pebble cove between Oprna and the camp, a rough 5–10-minute walk down from the road; park as for Oprna. For dogs, use the dog section of the Škrila camp beach.
• Surbova — about 500 metres beyond Zala’s bar on the gravel track, a wild gravel cove. Reachable on foot, by bike or by boat; don’t anchor off it, as power cables cross the bay.
• Pokrive — 80 metres of pebbles under dramatic cliffs and no path at all. Boat, kayak or paddleboard only.
• Pečen — Mali and Veli Pečen, small coves on the marked coastal loop past Oprna (KRK HIKE 146), or by boat. Very peaceful.
• Škrila — the camp beach north of the village, with a bar, sun beds and the full range of amenities. The right choice for a day when you want everything on hand.

A boat day from Stara Baška

Rent a boat in the harbour in the morning, when the sea is glass. Every motorboat in Croatia, however small the engine, must be driven by someone with a boat licence: “no licence needed” offers are not legal, and the fine (€265–664) falls on the renter. Choose a skippered boat, or drive yourself if you hold a licence; ask us. Head south-east past Zala to Surbova, or north-west past Oprna to Pokrive and Golden Beach; drop anchor, swim, move on. The coves along this stretch face the open Kvarner Bay and the water is among the clearest anywhere on Krk — turquoise over white pebbles in a way that photographs cannot quite hold. Take everything you need with you; there is nothing to buy once you leave the harbour. Be back before the afternoon breeze picks up, and you will have had the best day of the holiday for the price of a boat and a tank of fuel.

Practical notes from the owners

• Swimming shoes for everyone. Sharp rocks and sea urchins are part of every pebble beach on this coast.
• Do not sit under the cliffs. Rockfall is a real risk on the steeper bays, and the signs are not decoration.
• Water and shade. None of the wilder coves has either. An umbrella and two litres per person is the minimum.
• Supplies. Stara Baška has one small grocery shop for daily basics (ask us for its hours); for a big shop, stop in Punat or Krk town on the way in. The Škrila camp just north of the village has a restaurant, a bar and a shop.
• Timing. Zala faces south-west, so the light between five and seven in the evening is the best of the day, and the day-trippers have gone.
• Season. The sea is about 25°C in August and about 18°C in May. June and September combine warm water with empty beaches; August is the busiest month, and the boat is the way to avoid it.

Staying in Stara Baška

Villa Marim is built on a rock directly above the sea in the village, with private sea access, a pool and a SPA area, four bedrooms and room for eight guests. Zala is ten minutes by boat from the harbour below the villa, Oprna fifteen. Most guests swim from the rock in the morning and save the coves for the afternoon. You can check availability and prices for your dates, or write to us and we will tell you honestly which weeks are still open.