Trips · Beach trips
Sveti Ivan Beach (Lubenice, Cres)
Sveti Ivan beach below Lubenice is a small white-pebble beach inside Žanje Bay on the west coast of Cres island, ranked 1 of 426 beaches in the Primorje-Gorski Kotar region. About 150 m long, three sides walled by low limestone cliffs, the medieval village of Lubenice on the clif
The proof, in three numbers
Highest-rated boat rental in Rabac.
4.9
Google rating
5.0
TripAdvisor rating
#1
Rated in Rabac
The short answer.
Sveti Ivan beach below Lubenice is a small white-pebble beach inside Žanje Bay on the west coast of Cres island, ranked #1 of 426 beaches in the Primorje-Gorski Kotar region. About 150 m long, three sides walled by low limestone cliffs, the medieval village of Lubenice on the cliff above, no road access, no facilities, no kiosks. Reached from Fru Fru Boats in Rabac in about 65 minutes at cruise (28 nm). Not the same Sveti Ivan as the Rabac-shore Sveti Andrija; this one is a full-day boat run.
How you arrive.
You cast off from Rabac and motor west. The bow lifts; the open Kvarner opens out. For an hour the coast of Cres is on your right — pine, white stone, the occasional roof tile catching sun. The skipper rounds the headland into Žanje Bay, drops anchor in 5–8 m of sandy bottom about thirty metres off the pebbles, cuts the engine. The bay swallows the sound. Sveti Ivan — fine white pebbles, water so clear the anchor chain looks suspended, the village of Lubenice on the cliff above. You swim ashore from the boat.
What it feels like.
- White pebbles like sugar; midday sun against turquoise water makes the photographer's job easy
- Cliffs on three sides — the bay feels held, not exposed
- Absolute quiet relative to any Rabac Blue Flag beach. Wind, water, the occasional cicada from the path above
- Easy to swim in, around and out of — what one Cres-Lubenice forum visitor wrote of the beach, and it still holds
- The Blue Cave is around the corner of the same bay — same anchorage, second peak of the day
Practical details.
- From Rabac harbour: 28 nm · ~65 minutes at 25 knots
- Trip length: full-day (allow 5–6 h on the water plus the time at the beach)
- Ranking: #1 of 426 beaches in the Primorje-Gorski Kotar region
- Beach length: ~150 m, fine white pebble
- Facilities: none. No toilets, showers, or dining options at Sv. Ivan Beach — pack water, food, sun shade.
Boats that fit this run.
- ✅ Cap Camarat 7.5 — range + 12 seats
- ✅ Invictus · Key Largo 20 · FIART OASSI 22 — 8-seat licensed speedboats
- ❌ Dalmatinka, Remija — 20 HP boats can't reasonably do the 28 nm one-way run
Why it works by boat.
Sveti Ivan is the boat is the merciful arrival. Land access exists — a 45–50-minute hike down a slippery shale path from Lubenice village above — and the guidebook copy reliably calls it "a pretty tough walk, near the end the rock shale is slippery". By boat the same beach is a different experience. The merciful arrival has a logic. That logic, in turn, rests on Žanje Bay's geometry: cliffs on three sides, white-pebble shelf, sandy anchorage at 5–8 m. And that geometry, in turn, delivers the trick the hikers don't get: you stay until the cicadas start, then you're back on the boat in five minutes, not climbing back up the shale.
Nearby on the same day.
The Cres west coast is a cluster, not a single stop:
- Blue Cave (Plava Grota) — same bay, around the corner. Sunlight inside the cave reflects off the white seabed and the whole interior glows blue.
- Nonina Konoba — same area, slow village taverna with peka (descriptive only; order ahead)
- Dolphin Safari — the open Kvarner water between us and Cres on the run out
Lunch nearby.
The Nonina konoba sits in Stivan village, 1.2 km uphill from Martinšćica harbour (15–20-minute walk on a gentle forest road, or a pickup from Nonina on request), and the public-internet descriptions of it cluster around slow-cooked lamb under the bell (peka), home-garden vegetables, and a lemon pie reviewers write home about. We arrange the pre-order; the konoba itself runs to its own pace.
Snorkel notes.
Two bonus underwater caves on the left side of the bay:
- ~4 m offshore — requires a 2 m dive under a rock to enter
- ~10 m from the left rocky wall — accessible at the surface, no equipment needed
The water is clear enough that the snorkel mask is the better camera.
Dolphin-water protocol.
On the run out and back we may pass the resident bottlenose pod between Rabac and Cres. We approach responsibly — 100 m minimum, engine idle, no chasing, 30 min max. The pod has been studied since 1987 by the Blue World Institute. We treat them like neighbours.
Related days.
- The Open Adriatic — full Cres day — the experience this beach anchors
- Plan Your Trip — build your own version
- Blue Cave · Dolphin Safari
About this trip.
How long does the trip take?
65 minutes each way at cruise. Add ~3 hours at the beach, plus a stop at the Blue Cave next door. Full-day rental, allow ~9 hours from harbour to harbour.
Are there anchoring rules in the bay?
Anchor in the shallows clear of swimmers. The bay is small and protected; boats start coming in from 9 am, and by 12 pm there are typically several boats sharing the water. Our skipper places the boat correctly; self-drive guests get a chart and a briefing.
Can I walk up to Lubenice village from the beach?
Yes — 45–50 minutes up a steep stone path, 30 minutes back. Not on the day you came to swim — the path is "pretty tough, and near the end the rock shale is slippery" per one Cres-Lubenice forum visitor. Worth a second visit if you fall in love with the place.
What if the day is windy?
Even if the forecast shifts overnight, Dražen rebooks the day rather than running the Cres crossing in unsafe wind. The alternative offered same-day is The Fisherman's Run — Plomin Bay.
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