Zlatni Rat Beach(Golden Cape, Golden Horn Beach)

Located on the island of Brac off the coast of Split, Zlatni Rat Beach – also called Golden Horn Beach or Golden Horn and originally called Dugi Rat and Long Cape – is a 500-meters-long, popular, and south-facing beach with gravel, some light-brown sand, many pebbles, and nearby pine trees in Croatia.  This pebble beach has a unique shape, which resembles the English alphabet “V” and it is located near the town of Bol.  The tip of this V-shaped beach seasonally changes in size and shape because of natural wind and water movements – the tip of this V-shaped beach is usually straight in the summer.  However, its tip sometimes turns eastwards in early summer and it sometimes turns westwards in autumn.    

Travel+Leisure magazine and The Times newspaper have listed Zlatni Rat Beach as one of the 15 best and most beautiful beaches in Croatia in 2024.  Travel+Leisure magazine listed this beach as one of the 20 best beaches in Europe in 2024.  In addition, a travel website named Big 7 Travel also listed Zlatni Rat Beach Croatia as one of the 50 best beaches in the world, and it is also a favorite of Randall Kaplan, the world’s foremost beach expert who is known as Mr. Beach.  In addition, Zlatni Rat Beach is family-friendly beach that also been awarded a Blue Flag because of its cleanliness.  

This beach is also a popular nude beach – the western side of this clothing-optional beach is particularly popular with nudists. 

Zlatni Rat Beach has lifeguards, usually between May and October.  In addition to lifeguards, the beach has many other amenities, including restrooms, playgrounds (including a water park-based aquatic playground), benches, walking paths, restrooms, and rental facilities for beach umbrellas, sun loungers, and watersports equipment.  Please note that you might need to pay a small fee to use the showers and restrooms here.

Dogs are not allowed here.

Zlatni Rat Beach offers many fun activities including sunbathing, beachcombing, swimming, boating, fishing, paddleboarding, jet-skiing, surf-skiing, water-skiing, parasailing, kitesurfing, windsurfing, wakeboarding, snorkeling, scuba diving, kayaking, canoeing, and wildlife watching. 

This beach is ideal for slightly less-experienced swimmers because the calm water here mostly has gentle waves.  A westerly thermic wind named “Maestral” blows here sometimes in the afternoons, making it ideal for kite surfers and windsurfers – the best time to windsurf and kitesurf here is between May and August.  In addition, Red Bull conducted a kiteboarding competition here named the Red Bull Golden Jump in 2008.  If you are planning to swim, kayak, or snorkel here, we recommend being careful because the water here is known to have unpredictable rip currents and dangerous waves. 

If you like taking pictures with excellent views, Zlatni Rat Beach offers amazing Instagram-worthy views of the southern Brac shoreline and the Adriatic Sea’s Hvar Channel, especially at sunset.  This beach is ideal for visitors looking for a quieter beach experience because it sees fewer visitors than other nearby beaches.

There are ruins of an Ancient Roman villa rustica near this beach – you can explore these ruins which offer a unique insight into local history.  In addition, there are many small shops near the beach in the summer that sell novelties and handicrafts. 

Zlatni Rat Beach does not offer wheelchair access to visitors with disabilities.

Getting to Zlatni Rat Beach is easy – this beach is easily accessible from the nearby town of Bol through a road named Put Zlatong Rata.  There is a paid parking lot near the beach that costs around €10 per day.   

If you want to travel by boat, you can charter a water taxi from the nearby town of Bol that can take you to this beach for around €4.  As an alternate form of transportation, you can also ride on a seasonal “street train” that will transport you to the beach – this street train service is usually active between May and September.  This street train starts from Bol’s local gas station and has a ticket price of €4 – this street train passes through many stops before leading to Zlatni Rat Beach.  You can also walk to this beach from the town of Bol through a walkway named Bol Promenade – it takes around 20-30 minutes to walk to this beach from Bol’s city center. 

We recommend visiting this beach early in the summer because this beach can get quickly crowded during this time.  In addition, please also note that it sometimes snows here in the winters.

The name of the beach – Zlatni Rat – means “Golden Horn” or “Golden Cape” in Croatian – some say that the beach received this name because fishermen could earlier catch a lot of fish here.  Fishmongering (which means the act of selling fish) played a crucial role in local economic growth, and hence this beach was named “Golden Cape” because of its immense economic value.  In addition, this beach was also earlier popular with paragliders, who used to glide above this beach.  However, this activity is now prohibited here because of safety concerns. 

There are many attractions near Zlatni Rat Beach.  Vidova Gora is a nearby 780-meter-tall mountain whose peak offers amazing Instagram-worthy views of the southern Brac shoreline.  You can explore this mountain through hiking trails and there are interesting remnants of old churches and forts here.  The Dominican Monastery is a monastery that was built in 1475 – this monastery has a museum that has many interesting objects including old paintings, Roman-era artifacts, manuscripts, and Christian religious antiques.  There is a 16th-century church here that has artworks made by Italian painter Jacopo Tintoretto.  Stina Winery is a winery that offers interesting wine tastings, along with interesting tours of its premises.  Dragon’s Cave – also called Zmajeva Spilja – is an interesting cave that previously served as a monastery for Glagolitic Priests.  This cave has interesting artworks and carvings depicting many Christian and pagan icons including angels, dragons, and animals – some say that these were carved in the 15th century by a friar.  Branislav Deskovic Gallery is an art gallery that is set in a Renaissance-Baroque building and it has artworks by interesting contemporary 20th century Croatian artists.  If you are looking for another attraction near the beach, Bol Promenade is a waterfront walkway that offers amazing Instagram-worthy views of the Adriatic Sea and it also has interesting sculptures. 

If you get hungry, there are many great restaurants near Zlatni Rat Beach.  Auro Cocktail Bar – also called Auro Bol – is a restaurant that offers amazing bar snacks and refreshing cocktails – in addition, it also offers live music performances.  Restoran Loggia 1884 is known for serving amazing Mediterranean dishes including pasta, risotto, cevapcici, steaks, pizzas, and paellas.  Mali Raj is a restaurant that has a rustic decor and it also offers a variety of excellent local Croatian dishes including grilled fish, lamb, and roast octopus.  Pumparela offers a variety of delicious dishes including pasta, seafood, salads, burgers, veal, steaks, and soups.  If you are looking for another good and affordable nearby restaurant, Snack Box Bol offers a variety of delicious dishes including French fries, eggs, burgers, salads, and toasts.

If you are looking for a hotel near Zlatni Rat Beach, there are many great nearby options.  The 4-Star Bluesun Holiday Village Bonaca is a nearby Zlatni Rat Beach resort that offers many amenities including multiple bars, a restaurant, multiple pools, sun terraces, kids’ play areas, an exercise room, a tennis center, a garden, and multiple pools.  Another upscale hotel is the 4-Star Bluesun Hotel Elaphus that offers many amenities including a tennis court, a salon, a bowling alley, a nightclub, play areas for kids, a wellness center with saunas, a hot tub, and a gym, multiple pools, sports facilities, and multiple restaurants and bars.  Another great hotel is the Villa Juraj that offers many amenities including a saltwater pool, a sun terrace, a garden, sun loungers, a TV lounge, a restaurant, a bar, and board games.  A more affordable hotel is the 3-Star Zlatni Rat Beach Hotel that offers many amenities including a garden, a restaurant, a bar, and complimentary breakfast.  If you are looking for another good and affordable nearby Zlatni Rat Beach hotel, the 3-Star Villa Daniela offers many amenities including a restaurant, a pool, and a sunbath terrace.