Baška south-east coves: Bunculuka, Vrženica, Vela Luka and Mala Luka

Take the taxi boat, and fix your pickup time on the pier

Boats of 6–12 seats leave Baška harbour from 08:00, every 15–30 minutes, about 10–15 min to Vela Luka; they also serve Mala Luka, Vrženica and Prvić. The last boat back runs around 20:00: agree your return time when you leave. About EUR 20 per person return to Vela Luka (2025–2026).

Where

The taxi-boat pier in Baška harbour. King sells at Palada 12 and at a booth in the port; Tigar has a desk in the port.

When

Take one of the first boats (by about 09:30) to get shade at the cove; come back before the last boat around 20:00.

Time

Half a day or a full day

How

Walk up to a booth, buy a return (or a one-way if you plan to walk back), agree the pickup time and save the skipper's phone number. Groups of more than six should book ahead.

Tip: Keep your phone charged and write down the pickup time. If Vela Luka is busy, ask to be dropped at Mala Luka. On strong-wind days boats may not run; ask at the booth the evening before.

Vela Luka: the deep bay, the shade under the cave and grilled squid

A deep bay at the end of a bare karst valley: about 160 m of pebble and small stones with loungers, parasols, a restaurant and a toilet, and a separate 30 m beach nearby. Sheep graze on the slopes. An umbrella with loungers cost about EUR 30 in 2026.

Where

Vela Luka beach, in the deep bay east of Baška, with its own taxi-boat landing.

When

Arrive by 10:00 in June–September; by midday the bay fills with boats and private umbrellas.

Time

3–5 h

How

Taxi boat from Baška (10–15 min), or the hike from the Bunculuka side.

Tip: Take the shade under the cave on the left side of the bay, or in the side coves. Order the grilled squid at the konoba and bring cash. The water can be very cold.

Look into the Buymer fishing museum and the tunera

A tiny fishing museum in a former fishermen's hut at Vela Luka that still serves as a refuge for sailors. It shows traditional fishing tools, boat gear and finds from the surrounding sea. Next to it stands a tunera, the tall ladder-lookout from which Kvarner fishermen watched for tuna.

Where

On the south-east side of Vela Luka bay, with the tunera beside the museum.

When

During a Vela Luka day; opening times vary.

Time

20 min

How

Walk along the bay from the beach.

Tip: It is run by the Buymer association (founded 2012). If it is shut, the tunera alone is worth the walk and explains why this bay mattered to fishermen.

Climb to Corinthia, the Byzantine fort between the two bays

On the hill between Vela and Mala Luka lie the ruins of Corinthia (Korintija, Bosar): a fort (kastron) and a settlement with three churches and two wells from the time of Emperor Justinian (6th century), with the remains of a later St Nicholas monastery. The short climb is not easy, but it gives the view down into both bays.

Where

The ruins and the Korintija summit, on the hill between Vela Luka and Mala Luka.

When

Morning, before the rock heats up.

Time

1–1.5 h return from the beach

How

From the Vela Luka beach on foot; rocky, no shade. Proper shoes.

Tip: Do it on the way over to Mala Luka, and take water. The fort sits on a hill about 129 m high.

Walk over to Mala Luka for a quieter afternoon

The smaller sister bay about 1 km north of Vela Luka: about 80 m of small pebble, sheep meadows and the ruins of St Nicholas on the headland. A small fish restaurant opens in season.

Where

Mala Luka beach, the smaller sister bay about 1 km north of Vela Luka.

When

Afternoon, after lunch at Vela Luka.

Time

20 min walk each way, plus swim time

How

Footpath from Vela Luka (no flip-flops), or ask the taxi boat to drop you there.

Tip: Lunch at Vela Luka, afternoon at Mala Luka, and ask the skipper to collect you from Mala Luka.

Beyond Bunculuka: Jablanova, Mali raj and Vela Vrženica

Past the camp a rough coastal path strings together small wild coves: Jablanova (about 50 m, pine shade), tiny Mali raj, Malo Storišće (about 50 m) and Vela Vrženica (about 190 m of small pebble with pines right behind it). Rarely crowded, even in high season, because you have to walk or come by boat. Naturism is accepted here.

Where

Along the rough coastal path east of the Bunculuka camp: Jablanova, Mali raj, Malo Storišće and Vela Vrženica.

When

Morning to mid-afternoon.

Time

About 25 min on foot past the camp; half a day

How

Coastal path from the Bunculuka camp (rough; no flip-flops), or a taxi boat from Baška harbour (ask for Vrženica).

Tip: Take the boat out and walk back, or the reverse. Mali raj is tiny: go early to get it. There are no facilities at any of these coves.

Walk 15 minutes over the headland to Bunculuka

The first cove east of town: about 500 m of enclosed pebble beach in front of a naturist camp, with a restaurant, a shop, showers, loungers, SUP and canoe rental and a dog beach.

Where

Bunculuka beach, the first cove east of Baška, over the headland.

When

Morning, in the camp season (check the dates before you go).

Time

Half a day

How

About 15 minutes' walk east from Baška centre over the headland, or drive to the car park by the camp entrance (paid in season). Non-guests pay to enter the camp in season.

Tip: Nudity is the rule on the camp beach. It is also the gateway to the wilder coves beyond and the start of the hike to Vela Luka.

Hike out at 07:00, take the boat back

The walker's version: from the Bunculuka side a well-marked path, partly on old shepherds' tracks, climbs to the Rebica viewpoint (about 311 m) over Prvić, then zig-zags steeply down to Vela Luka. Swim, eat, and buy a one-way taxi-boat ride back to Baška.

Where

Start near the Bunculuka camp, east of Baška centre (car park paid in season); the path passes the Rebica mrgari.

When

May–June and September–October; in July–August leave at dawn.

Time

2–2.5 h one way, plus the boat

How

Sturdy shoes, 2+ litres of water each, sun hat. The serpentine descent is slippery. Check boat times at the harbour before you set off.

Tip: Fit adults can make it a loop down the dry Vrženica canyon instead: it needs hands in about three places, traps heat, and is not for children, dogs or grandparents.

For the adventurous: Prvić by taxi boat

Prvić, across the strait from Baška, is the largest uninhabited island in Croatia and a special botanical-zoological reserve since 1972 that includes the surrounding sea. Its cliffs rise up to 300 m; only the gentler western side has pebble and sand coves, which is where the boats go.

Where

Prvić, off Baška; the boats go to the coves on its gentler western side.

When

Calm summer mornings only: Prvić is one of the windiest places on the Croatian coast, with bura on about 200 days a year.

Time

Half a day

How

Taxi boat from Baška (Tigar and others). Take everything you need; there are no services.

Tip: Treat it as a look-and-swim stop and leave no trace: it is a nature reserve, so stay on the shore and keep away from the vulture cliffs.

How the taxi boats work

Tickets at Baška harbour (King: Palada 12 and a port booth; Tigar: a desk in the port). First boats 08:00, then every 15–30 min; last return around 20:00, agreed when you leave. One-way tickets for hikers. Groups over six book ahead.

By boat from Vrbnik, without driving to Baška

From Vrbnik, the wooden boat Curicta runs a 6-hour southern route from 10:00, with about two hours at Mala and Vela Luka, plus Zečevo, the vulture cliffs and a swim stop (EUR 320 for up to 6, EUR 390 for up to 12; 2026 prices).

What to bring

Cash for the cove konoba, water shoes (sea urchins in the wild coves), an umbrella if you go beyond the rental rows, water and a hat. The wild coves between Bunculuka and Vrženica have no services at all. Vela Luka has a toilet; Bunculuka has the camp's facilities.

Naturism

Bunculuka is a naturist camp beach: swimwear is not allowed on the beach. Jablanova, Mali raj, Malo Storišće, Vrženica and several coves further east are naturist-friendly. The main Vela Luka and Mala Luka beaches are not naturist beaches.

Dogs

The Baška beach rules ban pets outside the dog beaches; Bunculuka has a dedicated dog beach.