Road Cycling in Croatia – Rab

Cycling tour of Rab Island

We wanted to see what Rab had to offer and being smaller than Cres, we decided just a day trip would suffice. We also wanted to try the Rabska Torta, a traditional cake with almonds and Maraschino liqueur, native to Rab whose recipe dates back hundreds of years.

It had been decided, a trip to Rab was a must, even just for the specialty biscuit.  

We ferried (new word) from Stinica, leaving the van in the port for what is just a 20 minute crossing. As we enjoyed the warm morning sun on deck I continued to debate that I could have swam the distance from mainland Croatia to Rab, as the islands seems just a stones throw away, although getting the bike over might have been somewhat tricky.

Arriving on Rab the ascent out of Misnjak isn’t as challenging as that on Cres but provides a nice warm up with a lovely surfaced road around snaking corners, something to look forward to on our return. Rab is another out and back ‘ish’ island to cycle on and the road surface is pretty good, it’s also not as hilly as Cres or Brac.

Once on top of the climb we enjoyed some lightly rolling terrain through the centre of the island and it wasn’t long before we arrived in the north at Lopar (another ferry port) where we navigated left and right to explore the different sides of the island. Rab is unique in that it has a number of sandy beaches, which are a rare find in Croatia. If it had been slightly warmer, a dip in the crystal clear sandy bay of Livacina beach would have been memorable, but with some further exploration and a return journey we simply enjoyed the unique view.

Turning back on ourselves we were now in need of a café stop and we’d picked a treat, Caffe Bar Grota, just up from Kampor, and there was nothing grotty about it. It served a fantastic coffee, really delicious in a wonderful marina setting, we could have sat there for hours but were keen to explore Rab center. 30 minutes later we were in the old town of Rab, which is very picturesque and, similar to many parts of Croatia, it has a wonderful cobbled street and waterfront section littered with cafes and restaurants.

We chose Biser Caffe Gastgarten and here we tried our first Kremšnita, a staple dessert in Croatia. Its custard and whipped marshmallow layers sandwiched in filo pastry were mouth watering. Now, it might be due to this being the first one we’d tried but it remained the best one I’ve had in the Balkans… and I knocked a few back! Of course, more importantly we took a souvenir of the traditional Rab biscuit, perhaps we’d overhyped it somewhat but it was still yummy and to be honest, most things taste good after cycling for a couple of hours.

With full tummies we enjoyed the gentle pootle back across Rab and the descent to the ferry. With a bit of time to kill waiting for our ferry, we did a couple of reps of the Misnjak climb, the glistening surface with its traffic sitting out the way in the port made it easy to burn off some of the Kremšnita.

Rab was not necessarily one of our most memorable routes, however if you like cycling, specialty biscuits and not too much climbing, then why not take your bike over for a visit.

For more Croatian island cycling inspiration read about our route around Brac Island or our 3 day bike trip on the island of Cres.