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We really liked Rab Town and the beaches on the island were good. However, there was too much sporadic development in the countryside along the main roads and it spoiled the view when driving around. Rab seems to be a very compact island and was a bit too busy. That might be because it is so close to the mainland.
Contents
1. Rab Town
1.1. What to See in Rab Town
Rab Town was one of the nicest towns that we visited in Croatia. It is also one of the easiest to find your way around as there are 4 main streets running parallel to one another from west to east.
Rab Town is entered from the main square (Trg Svetog Kristofora) which is on the north west side of Rab Town. It is a busy square next to the harbour and has a good view of Zidines's Fortress.
The first main street, which runs along the harbour, is surprisingly not that pleasant and there is little to see. The next 2 main streets (Donja Ulica and Srednja Ulica) run closely parallel to each other along the middle of Rab Town.
Most of the shops and restaurants are on these 2 streets. The fourth main street runs through the upper part of Rab Town and there are 4 churches and bell towers along it. There is a fee to enter the Great Bell Tower.
At the western end of the upper street you can climb steps to a short section of Rab Town's walls. There are good views of the old town with its 4 churches and also of the harbour.
At this western end of the upper street you can enter the large and wooded Komrcar park. It is a nice walk along the most southern path as there are good sea views over to the Frkanj Peninsular and also of the city walls.
1.2. Parking in Rab Town
We always parked at "U.O. Marina (Parking)" about a 10 minute walk from the centre of Rab Town. It is a large car park with an attendant. The charge is Eur 1.50 per hour and you pay the attendant when entering. In the early evening there was plenty of space but by 20.00 it was becoming full.
2. Beaches on Rab Island
2.1 Frkanj Peninsula near Rab Town
The Frkanj Peninsular is an undeveloped and wooded peninsula less than a 15 minute drive from Rab Town. Most of the coastline is rocky, although there are some sandy areas.
We went twice and parked at Žal Beach Bar & Kitchen for a fee of Eur 4. Water taxis from Rab Town also dock near here. Sunloungers and umbrellas are available, but most people don't use them and find a shady spot along the rocky coast.
It is best to arrive before 10.30 to 11.00 a.m. to obtain a parking place and to find a nice spot by the sea. It is a popular area and we really liked it. The restaurant gets good reviews but we didn't eat there.
2.2 Paradise Beach at San Marino
Paradise Beach is in the Lopar Peninsular, which unusually for Croatia has a sandy coastline. It is a 20 minute drive to this beach from Rab Town.
Paradise beach is a huge beach in a very shallow and sandy bay. It was far too shallow for us as even after walking 100 metres into the sea the water was only up to our knees. It is therefore a beach which is popular with families and has attractions like water slides in the bay.
If you have children this beach is probably very nice. For us the sea was too shallow, there were too many people and it was too commercialised. We much preferred the Frkanj Peninsula
We paid Eur 13.50 for 2 sun loungers and an umbrella. All day parking was Eur 7.00. Toilets cost Eur 1 with the first visit free if you rent sun loungers.
There are smaller and uncommercialised sandy beaches in the north of the Lopar Peninsula. They would have probably suited us better.
3. Ferries to Rab Island
3.1. The Ferry from Jablanac to Misnjak on Rab Island
Rapska Plovidba run hourly ferries from Jablanac on the mainland to Misnjak on Rab Island. You can't buy tickets in advance and must buy them at a booth at the dock. They accept credit cards and it cost us Eur 25.50 for the short ferry ride.
It is a busy ferry and in peak season there may not be space on the ferry if you arrive near the departure time. The ferry carries about 100 vehicles.
3.2. The Ferry from Lopar on Rab Island to Valbiska on Krk Island
There is a car ferry that goes between Lopar, at the northern end of Rab Island, to Valbiska on Krk Island. Krk island is connected to the mainland by a bridge. See my blogs Krk Town, Croatia: Travel Guide and Rab, Croatia: Travel Guide.
We felt that this was a nicer way of travelling to Rovinj in northern Croatia (see my blog Rovinj & Pula, Croatia: Travel Guide) than taking the short Jablanac to Misnjak ferry crossing back to the mainland. The travel time was about the same for each route, but the longer ferry ride to Krk island appealed to us as it would be more relaxing.
In the summer season there are 4 ferries a day and the times and cost are detailed on croatiaferries.com. We paid Eur 43.93 for the 1 hour 20 minute ferry ride which is operated by the state owned Jadrolinija.
The ferry takes about 100 vehicles and when we went all the waiting vehicles boarded the ferry. However, in July and August it is probably best to get there half an hour before boarding time. There is a ticket booth at the dock and credit cards were accepted.
4. Accommodation in Rab Town
We had to leave the 2 bedroom apartment that we booked near Rab Town as we had a very noisy family above us. Luckily we were given a refund. If there hadn't been a problem with noise it would have been very nice and it only cost Eur 71 per night through Booking.com.
We were then fortunate to find another even nicer 2 bedroom apartment 2 kms away from Rab Town as there had been a cancellation. We paid Eur 117 per night through Booking.com but the price had been reduced due to the cancellation.
My reviews of both apartments are on my blog "UK to Greek Islands Accommodation - Part 2" (numbers 12 and 13).
5. Restaurants in Rab Town
We ate at the Sanpjer restaurant in Rab Town every evening as we liked the food and it was good value. It has very good reviews and is very popular as a result. Usually there are queues and it is better to get there before 18.30.
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