Trips · Cove trips
Blue Cave (Plava Grota), Lubenice
Plava Grota — the Blue Cave at Lubenice — is a sea cave on the west coast of Cres island, opening at sea level into a chamber where sunlight enters through an underwater fissure and reflects off a fine white seabed, lighting the interior electric blue. It sits in Žanje Bay below
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.
Plava Grota — the Blue Cave at Lubenice — is a sea cave on the west coast of Cres island, opening at sea level into a chamber where sunlight enters through an underwater fissure and reflects off a fine white seabed, lighting the interior electric blue. It sits in Žanje Bay below the cliff village of Lubenice, the same bay as Sveti Ivan beach. Reached from Fru Fru Boats in Rabac in about 65 minutes at cruise (28 nm). The light peaks around midday. Not the same Blue Cave as Biševo's; Plava Grota is on Cres.
How you arrive.
You round the headland on the west coast of Cres after a 65-minute crossing from Rabac. The cliffs drop straight to the water. The skipper slows the boat — in the rock face, just above sea level, there's an opening you'd miss otherwise. The Blue Cave. Inside, the water glows the kind of blue you assume was edited; sunlight enters through an underwater fissure and reflects off the fine white seabed, lighting the whole interior. The light peaks around midday. You anchor the larger boat in Žanje Bay, swim or tender to the entrance, and follow the skipper into the cave.
What it feels like.
- The contrast: open Adriatic blue → cool shadow at the cave mouth → unbelievable backlit blue inside
- Acoustic shift — water echoes differently inside the rock
- The moment a snorkel mask goes under and you see the sun through the underwater entrance
- Same bay as Sveti Ivan beach — the geographic gift
- "The cave is amazing. There are 3 parts (or different chambers) in the cave. The colours are amazing" — what one Cres-Lubenice forum visitor wrote, and it still holds
Practical details.
- From Rabac harbour: 28 nm · ~65 minutes at cruise
- Trip length: full-day (always paired with Sveti Ivan beach in the same bay)
- Best time: around midday — that's when the cave lights up
- Rating: 4.6 (17 reviews on TripAdvisor)
Boats that fit this run.
- ✅ Licensed speedboats: Cap Camarat · Invictus · Key Largo 20 · FIART
- ❌ Dalmatinka, Remija — range mismatch
The same-bay pairing.
The Blue Cave is in the same bay as Sveti Ivan beach — Žanje Bay, below Lubenice village. One anchor, two peaks:
- The beach — white pebbles, sun, swim, the famous bay
- The cave — tender across to the entrance, swim or kayak through
This is what makes the Blue Cave a moment inside a story, not a destination on its own. The story has a shape. The shape begins with the 65-minute crossing; the crossing, in turn, delivers you to the same Žanje Bay anchorage twice in one day — first for the beach, then for the cave at the midday peak. Compare to a competitor's "Blue Cave Express Hop-On" — same cave, a much smaller day.
Nearby on the same day.
- Sveti Ivan Beach — same bay
- Nonina Konoba — same area, peka (descriptive only; pre-order)
- Dolphin Safari — on the run out
Bonus cave details.
Two more snorkel features in the same bay, on the left side:
- ~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)
Brief on safety; snorkel with a buddy.
Related days.
- The Open Adriatic — full Cres day — the experience that wires the cave into a full day
- Plan Your Trip — possible to build a Blue Cave half-day for guests who can't commit to Cres full day (geometry-permitting)
About this trip.
What time of day should I visit?
Midday. The light angle through the underwater entrance is the trick — too early or too late and the cave is darker. Aim for 11 am to 2 pm. One past guest noted that mid-July midweek the cave was less busy than expected — "this worked in our favour at the Blue cave as less busy" — but plan for some sharing in peak August.
Can I go inside the cave?
Yes — by tender, or swim from the anchored boat. The cave mouth is at sea level. Larger boats anchor in Žanje Bay; smaller boats can approach the entrance directly.
Is it safe?
Yes with sensible caution. We brief on entry, especially for snorkellers exploring the bonus underwater caves. The cave itself is open and well-ventilated.
Will there be other boats?
Sometimes. The cave is on the cruise-tour circuit; we time around the peak hour or take advantage of off-peak shoulder months. Even if another boat is at the entrance, the cave's three chambers hold more than one group comfortably.
Inquire
Inquire about Blue Cave (Plava Grota), Lubenice.
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