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Nudity in Croatia has a very long history: some of the very first people there were naked. In fact, if you go far enough back, people actually had to put clothes on (like bear skins and loincloths) before they could take them off. These days, you can’t stop people from taking their clothes off in Croatia. So popular is naturism in this country that on the tours I lead, for example, as soon as we cross the border into Croatia, I make everyone on the bus drop trou.

No, it’s not true. I just had to get the jokes out of my system. Really, naturism is such an easy target, it’s not even fair to make jokes about it. And its devotees have heard them all anyway, I’m sure. Instead, I think we owe them a little respect. That’s why I’m using what seems to be the preferred term, “naturism,” rather than the more descriptive but less politically correct “nudism.”

What is true, though, is that naturism in Croatia is a big deal. The country pioneered commercial naturist resorts back in the 1960s, and today there are 30 official naturist resorts, along with many, many “unofficial” clothing-optional beaches. By one estimate, some 15% of all the tourists who come to Croatia come to get naked. That totals up to around one million naturists visiting Croatia every year. They tend to come from a couple countries in particular, such that there is no better place in the world to survey sunburnt, naked, Germans, Austrians, Dutch, Italians, Slovenians, Czechs, and Hungarians.

Interestingly, among those naturists you will actually find relatively few Croatians. The Croatians, for the most part, like to sunbathe with their clothes on. So how did naturism get to be such a big deal here? I can explain it in two words: hippies and communists (they’re not necessarily the same thing, despite what you might think).

Let’s start with the hippies. And I don’t mean just the long-haired, pot-smoking flower children of the Summer of Love. No, I’m lumping into this term all people who are a bit bohemian, a bit rebellious, who chafe under the strict, conventional morals of bourgeois society. By that definition, we have to go back to the last few decades of the nineteenth century, to the first stirrings of the modern naturist movement. In the heady days of the Victorian Era, with its teeming cities and smoke-belching factories, there arose a conviction among certain free-thinkers that humans, to stay healthy, had to get back to nature. The idea was to expose yourself to the natural elements, to fresh air and sunlight–and ideally to expose all of yourself.

The idea of being naked in public thus grew out of associated movements espousing lifestyle reform such as vegetarianism, abstinence from tobacco and alcohol, and naturopathy. Such movements had their adherents throughout northwestern Europe (principally in England, France, and Germany), but it was among those peace-loving Germans that letting it all hang out outdoors really took off. Two men, Heinrich Pudor and Richard Ungewitter, became famous for advocating naturism, and it wasn’t long before experimental private clubs began opening in Germany (as well as France and England) where members could practice what Pudor and Ungewitter preached. These clubs combined the whole raft of typical lifestyle reform ideas: nudity, abstinence, vegetarianism, and mandatory calisthenics.

 English beach, Rab (image)

Fast forward now to August, 1936, and the island of Rab. In that month, King Edward VIII of England and his American mistress, Wallis Simpson, went skinny dipping in the bay of Kandarola. In this case, the emperor was well aware he was wearing no clothes, and his nakedness stands as a landmark in Croatian naturism–it’s also the reason why the bay where he swam is sometimes still referred to as “English beach” today. Edward, though, might not have taken the plunge had Rab not already enjoyed some renown as a naturist destination. At least as far back as 1907 tourists had been coming to the island to practice this lifestyle, taking advantage of the benign Croatian climate, which needless to say requires rather less insulation than those of England or Germany.

In the 1960s, then, tourism began to skyrocket in Yugoslavia. Here is obviously where the communists come in. When the Yugoslav authorities realized the economic bonanza they could reap by promoting Croatia’s sun and fun to other Europeans, the floodgates were opened. By 1965, restrictions on the movement of foreigners in Yugoslavia were removed, making travel much easier. Likewise, in the same year the highway along the Adriatic was completed, making the whole coast from Istria on down to Montenegro much more accessible.

What may seem surprising is that the communist authorities identified quite early on Croatia’s appeal to the naturist niche market, and it was already in 1961 that Europe’s first naturist resort opened in Istria near the town of Vrsar. Koversada, as the resort is called, has since also become one of Europe’s largest naturist resorts, reportedly able to accommodate some 6000 guests. Set on a private island with a bridge to the mainland, Koversada offers five kilometers of beaches, all kinds of sporting facilities, beauty pageants, and, well, acres of naked people. The legendary lothario Casanova, who once took a swim here in his birthday suit (or so the story goes), would hardly recognize the place.

 Koversada (image)

The communists built up a string of other resorts along the coast as well. They wouldn’t have built them, though, if there hadn’t been a market. Here the hippies enter the picture again. By the late 1960s, Europe and North America were seeing another cultural explosion of interest in lifestyle reform. Peace, love, the environment–”turn on, tune in, drop out,” and all the familiar trappings of flower power inspired another back-to-naturism movement much like the one that had flared in the late nineteenth century. As a result, there were many more people than in the infamously staid 1950s who wanted to get naked in public.

As the number of tourists to the Croatian coast grew, and as among that number there were ever more people wanting to sunbathe in the all together, Yugoslav authorities became quite accommodating. Besides building the naturist resorts, they also increasingly designated certain beaches as clothing optional. When locals took fright at the growing expanse of naked Germans, the authorities often would actually take the side of the naturist tourists. One example is with the naturist beach on the island of Lokrum, just off Dubrovnik. By the end of the 1960s, one beach on the island had gained renown as the best naturist haven near Dubrovnik. Over the course of a summer, the beach would attract thousands of people. But many of Dubrovnik’s citizens weren’t happy about it. They wanted the authorities to crack down on the nudity–but, as it happened, the authorities in 1970 actually made the beach officially naturist!

 Lokrum island off Dubrovnik (image)

Since that time, though, most Croatians have accepted their country’s reputation as a mecca for naturism. There are truly few places more friendly to nude tourists than Croatia. In fact, the country’s main tourism website has a prominent link for naturism. The infrastructure and resources for naturists are both well developed. The best single site is www.cronatur.com, which has tons of useful information, including a blurb on history which was my main source for this post. You can also check out this other list of Croatia’s best nude beaches. Just remember that in Croatia, most clothing-optional beaches are designated by the German term “FKK,” which stands for Frei Koerper Kultur, or “free body culture,” the term invented by those original naturist pioneers in their enthusiasm for lifestyle reform.

So that’s how hippies and communists made naturism what it is today in Croatia. And in case you’re wondering… no, getting sunburned in sensitive places isn’t really my thing. But if you’re into it, then have fun. Just don’t forget your sunscreen!

Recently a friend sought my advice for a cycling trip to Croatia he was thinking about taking. I decided it was a perfect opportunity to do a post with ideas for some fantastic bike trips you could take along the Adriatic coast. So I’ve got some itinerary ideas of my own, some links to companies who operate bike tours in the area, as well as some other related websites that are worth a visit.

My itinerary ideas:

There are a couple places I think you could happily spend a few days cycling around, or you could link together these places for a longer trip. My first suggestion, not surprisingly, is Istria. Base yourself in a great hilltown like Motovun, or one of the lovely seaside towns like Rovinj. Then you can hit some highlights, like Pula’s Roman amphitheater, the Lim canal, other tiny hilltowns like Groznjan or Hum, or the medieval ghost town of Dvigrad, not to mention putting in stops at some wonderful wineries, truffle shops, and restaurants along the way. Istria is definitely a bit hilly, but the terrain isn’t brutal, and in the interior, especially, the roads shouldn’t be too crowded, even in high season.

My second suggestion would be to head to Rijeka and catch a ferry for one of the islands. If you want to get away from some of the crowds, head to Cres: it’s quieter, more rugged, but still with some nice little towns and beautiful landscapes. It would also be fun to spend a few days cycling around Hvar. Besides seeing the amazing main town, there are other cute villages, as well as fields full of lavender, some caves, and the spectacle of the international yacht set that now descends on the island each summer. Here are links to some cycling routes on Cres and Hvar. As a last island suggestion, Brac would be great. You could bike around to the villages of Supetar, Bol, and Sumartin, get some windsurfing in at Croatia’s best spot for it, and of course visit the magnificent beach at Zlatni Rat:

 (image credit)

I wouldn’t highly recommend cycling in mainland Dalmatia, since in my experience the older, winding roads can be so clogged during the summer months that it could be a little scary biking with so much traffic, at least in my opinion. Instead, my last suggestion would be to do a loop around the Bay of Kotor, Dubrovnik, and may even over the mountains into Hercegovina. An easy reach from Dubrovnik, Kotor has several little towns amidst the awesome scenery of the fjord, and the roads should be pretty low-key. If you’re hardcore you can head right up over the mountains to some really unbeaten paths in Montenegro. The same goes for the route up from Dubrovnik up towards the town of Trebinje in Hercegovina. You will have left the tourists behind, gotten some killer exercise, and taken in some pretty amazing mountains.

Tour operators:

More and more companies are starting to offer “adventure tours” of one sort or another in Croatia. I can’t vouch for any of these companies in particular; if you’re thinking about a guided tour, check out their prices and itineraries and see what looks good to you.

Here’s one list of a bunch of bike tour operators in Croatia, and here’s another. Pedalsea Adventures is an established tour company offering “adventure vacations,” and REI offers two Croatia tours I would bet are good.

 Kotor (image credit)

Other useful links:

There’s an excellent list of resources at find-croatia.com. You can also surf over to croatiatraveller.com’s cycling-related page. Finally, for those who might find actual cycling a little too sweaty, here’s your shot at some armchair cycling via a New York Times article about a bike trip in Istria. One word of warning: if you read it, you’ll want to go!

Any comments or questions about cycling along the Adriatic? Let us hear about it in the comments!

Recently a friend of mine asked me for some ideas on how to spend a great honeymoon along the eastern Adriatic. I let my thoughts stew for a while, and here’s what I came up with.

It’s a list of a couple different kinds of honeymoons you can have in the Adriatic region. I know that for a lot of people, a honeymoon is supposed to feature sun, sand, and sea. But I’m not much of a “sit in the sun on the beach” guy myself, so I dreamed up some other fantastic trips you could take, too–and any of these would be amazing, whether you’re on your honeymoon or not.

The classic sun, sand, and sea: This combination is almost comically easy to achieve anywhere along the Adriatic. But here are a few ways to narrow down your choices. The islands of Hvar and Brac are generally considered to be two of the sunniest (in terms of total hours of sunshine per year) on the Croatian coast. The next thing you have to know is that most Adriatic beaches are either rocky or pebbly. But you can find some great golden stretches of sand, too. Here’s a list of some of Croatia’s best beaches. Baska on the island of Krk is an oft-cited favorite, as is Paradise beach (”Rajska plaza” in Croatian) on the island of Rab. Perhaps the most famous, and most spectacular, beach in the entire Adriatic is Zlatni Rat, near Bol, on Brac:

 (image)

Sail the seas: A lot of people like to take cruises for their honeymoon. Not only is that easy to do along the eastern Adriatic, but this is one of the world’s most beautiful areas for sailing. So why not go all out and charter a boat? If you know how to sail, you can do it all for yourself. If you don’t, you can hire a captain. In any case, spending a couple days out there on those turquoise waters makes for an absolutely idyllic holiday. This site is a good place to start for finding a cruise or chartering a boat.

Get away from it all: If you’ve got your own boat, you can pretty easily get out to some of the less visited, but no less lovely islands of the Croatian archipelago. You can do it with public ferries, though, too. And though the greatest hits of Hvar, Korcula, and Dubrovnik are fantastic, almost everybody goes there. If you want to get away from the crowds, consider spending some time on quiet, beautiful Mljet island, part of which is protected as a national park. Or head to outlying Vis island, with a couple historic towns and the nearby, magical blue grotto. I’d also recommend rugged Cres island for those who like their landscapes a bit wilder.

Really get away from it all: If romantic solitude is what you’re after, though, the slam dunk would be renting a lighthouse. There are several you can choose from, and nearly all of them are spectacularly located. See my earlier post for more information on this idea, which is one of my own personal Adriatic dream vacations.

Commune with nature: If you’re like me, and your idea of a good time isn’t so much lying on a beach as it is tramping around mountains, there are some wonderful options along the Adriatic. I’d suggest making a circuit of a couple of Croatia’s top national parks. Get some good hiking in at Sjeverni Velebit national park near the old pirate town of Senj. Then head inland to the famous Plitvice Lakes national park. Be warned that this park is firmly on the tourist bus trail. So though it’s beautiful and worth seeing, the best bet for hiking is in the early morning or late afternoon–otherwise you’ll be sharing the trails with hundreds of elderly German tourists (and trust me, I’m speaking from looong experience on this point). If your knees are ready for more, round everything off with some great mountain scenery at Paklenica national park further south. That’s one of the things I love most about Croatia: amazing mountains right next to breathtaking seas!

Living the rustic life: Some of my favorite places to stay in Europe are agriturismos–they’re often farmhouses out in the countryside, and they offer a great way to unwind, eat well, and see some sights as part of the bargain. The agriturismo scene isn’t extensively developed in the eastern Adriatic yet, but I do have some suggestions. First, find a good agriturismo in Istria and you can’t go wrong. From your homebase, you’d be able to explore interesting seaside towns like Piran, Rovinj, Pula and Opatija, as well as those remarkable inland Istrian hill towns like Motovun or Groznjan. You can even spend some time with the Istrian natural wonders of the Lim Canal, Mt. Ucka, and of course the wines and truffles! This is a good place to start looking for an agriturismo in Croatia. As a second option, I adore the Soca Valley in Slovenia. You can go hiking in the Julian Alps in the morning, head to a Croatian beach for an afternoon swim, then pop over to Italy for a great dinner. The Soca Valley really is one of the planet’s most wonderful spots. Here is one agriturismo option in the valley, and here’s another. To whet your appetite, here’s a picture of the first place:

Living the high life: If rusticity, the outdoors, or a lighthouse aren’t your style, and on your honeymoon you just want to be pampered, well then, I’ve got the solution for you. Get a suite at Sveti Stefan, the resort island off the Montenegrin coast. It’s an entire historic village that’s been transformed into a top-end pleasure playground. If it’s been good enough for Sophia Loren, Claudia Schiffer, and Silvio Berlusconi, then hopefully it will be good enough for you.

Jeanne Oliver has another list of Croatia-specific honeymoon ideas, some similar to, some different from mine. If you have any other tips, let us hear them in the comments!