Naturist holidays and campsites in Croatia

Croatia was the first country in Europe to realise the potential of commercial naturist resorts. An article in an Austrian trade magazine in around 1900 mentioned that an official naturist beach had been established on the island of Rab, and 50 beds in the nearby hotel were reserved for naturists. In August 1936 the English King Edward VIII stayed on Rab and he and his wife bathed nude in the bay of Kandarola. That's why this bay is nowadays sometimes called "English Beach" or "Engleska plaza". Real naturist expansion started in 1960's when the first naturist camps were opened in Istra and Dalmatia and more than 100,000 naturists spent their vacation in Croatia each year. The oldest naturist resort in Croatia is Koversada and in 2001 it celebrated its 40th anniversary. Today Croatia is offering a wide range of naturist facilities: beaches, camping, hotels, apartments and bungalow villages. Naturism represents an important factor in Croatian tourism industry. Some estimate that 15% of all tourists to Croatia are naturists - many stay in textile resorts and visit naturist beaches or resorts just for swimming and sunbathing. That means over 1,000,000 naturists now visit Croatia each year.