The Lopar peninsula

Another road climbs out of Rab to the north, making its way down the island's broad central valley. After passing the sprawling settlement of Supetarska Draga, the main road reaches a T-junction at the neck of the Lopar peninsula. The left turn leads to the village of LOPAR, a handful of houses spread around a muddy bay from where the ferry leaves for Krk. The sandy beach here isn't particularly picturesque, but is usually empty. The right turn leads to SAN MARINO, 1km south, a largely modern village which nevertheless lays claim to being the birthplace of St Morin, a fourth-century stonemason who fled persecution by crossing the seas to Italy, founding the town that subsequently became the republic of San Marino. Today's settlement stretches around a vast expanse of sand known as Veli mel (mel being an archaic word for "beach", although it's also referred to hereabouts as Rajska plaža — "Paradise Beach" — or simply "Copacabana"), backed by cafes and restaurants and packed with families in July and August. The bay on which Veli mel is situated is unusually shallow, and you can paddle to an islet about I kin offshore. There's a sequence of smaller, progressively less crowded sandy beaches beyond the headlands to the north, beginning with Livišina Bay, followed by the predominantly naturist Ka9telina Bay slightly further up. Even more secluded sandy bays can be reached by heading northeast on foot from either Lopar or San Marino, where trails cross a sandy heath covered by prickly evergreens before dropping down into coves like Sahara and Stolac —the latter is reserved for naturists.

There are seven buses daily from Rab to Lopar, and an equal number (summer only) to the beach at San Marino.

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