Queen's Beach

Why it is worth your time

The Queen's beach is the greatest sandy gift of northern Dalmatia: kilometres of fine sand in a shallow lagoon below Nin, with a view running across the calm water straight to the Velebit, Croatia's longest mountain. It bears its name from the tradition of queen Jelena, wife of king Michael Krešimir, who supposedly came down to the sea most gladly right here while the court sat in Nin; whoever once sees this frame believes the tradition without resistance. The sea is shallow for hundreds of metres and a degree or two warmer than the open beaches, so the lagoon is a natural pool for the youngest; the bottom is sand without surprises, and the bura here raises waves just big enough to delight children.

By the beach work seasonal facilities, sunbeds, showers, cafés, a riding school in the hinterland and board hire; there is almost no shade, so a parasol is not luxury but equipment. One comes on foot from town in some twenty minutes or by car to the car parks at the back. The loveliest moment: late afternoon, when the Velebit turns blue and the shallows become a mirror. This is a beach remembered by its frame, not its facilities: sand, lagoon, mountain.