Rabac: the “beach and promenade” on east coast of Istria

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In my frequent joyriding along Istrian shores, Rabac mostly played the role of a place for swimming (in the summer), for walks (in other seasons), and sometimes to hang out (when I was younger). It takes about 15 minutes by car from my house in Rijeka to Rabac, so that is one of my closest destinations on the Istrian peninsula when I wish for a day of lying on the beach, bathing and other similar (in)activities. Rabac is the only place on the eastern Istrian coast that developed tourism as practically the most important economic branch the place lives on. The configuration of the shore, nature and geography have done their parts, so Rabac and its coves represent a kind of a “beach and promenade oasis”. Geographically, it is situated on Istrian peninsula, but at the same time it is a part of Kvarner bay, situated vis a vis the island of Cres which is, with Krk, one of the largest of about 1000 Adriatic islands.

If you do some research on Rabac in various brochures or on the Internet, you will often find information that it used to be a small, tame, fishing village, with the fist hotel built in 1889. True, Rabac still has something of that old, primal “fishing” charm, especially in the small harbour where one can find some very old, and very well-preserved, ships. However, Rabac is nowadays first of all a centre for leisure tourism with hotels and apartments dominating the countryside.

My regular day in Rabac looks more or less like this: I usually arrive early in the morning, and after the morning coffee (that I always have at the same cafe) I spend most of the day on three destinations: the beach, the promenade, and the terrace - with the coldest drink I can find. That is the summer version. From the winter version you just delete “the coldest drink”, and the rest is more or less the same.

The landscape, and, despite tourism, well-preserved nature, is just the part Rabac is famous for - kilometres of beaches and promenades of all kinds and shapes - pebbled, sand, rocky, flat, in coves, out of coves… most of them with the Blue Flag. It can also be proud of is facilities, therefore, if you head that way with children you will not end up disappointed. Walks or “lungo mare” cycling can also take some time and you can spend a good part of the day that way.

When food is concerned, I am the type who likes to try food specific for the area I’m in, and when it comes to Istria and the sea, I usually don’t have any second thoughts - fish is my No. 1 choice.

There are numerous taverns and restaurants in Rabac and its surroundings. I have recently had an excellent fish plate (mixed fish and seafood - sea bass, mussels, shrimps) at Valamar Sanfior Hotel restaurant, which I recommend. One can also find interesting gastronomic locations out of Rabac, when one heads for the inlands, from classic Istrian dishes to different combinations with truffles, which made Istria well-known in the world.
The photos published with the post show the very little harbour I have mentioned before, i.e. the “fishing” part of Rabac for which we can say the years haven’t changed much…

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