Always one of the Adriatic’s most enchanting islands, Rab packs a lot into a small area. Star turn is the beautifully preserved medieval centre of Rab Town, although the island is also famous for its beaches - particularly those of the Lopar Peninsula, where acres of fine sand are the rule.

Rab Town

Rising above a U-shaped harbour filled with pleasure boats, Rab Town is instantly compelling, a well-kept medieval settlement famous for the row of four church bell towers which sprout from its central ridge. Tallest of these is the twelfth-century Great Bell Tower, a striking 25-metre structure perforated with arches that stands several metres away from the church to which it is attached, the romanesque Church of St Mary the Great.

Three more bell towers are ranged in short order towards the west, most imposing of which is the thirteenth-century spire of the Church of St John the Evangelist, an otherwise abandoned seventh-century church whose ruins are among the most atmospheric in the Adriatic. The rest of Rab Town, with its grid of cobbled streets overlooked by balconied Renaissance villas, rewards extensive wandering.

Beaches & swimming