Pag
In the small town of Pag, a charming park welcomes local elders every day who compete in a game similar to pétanque, play cards and chat while smoking. This park bordered by the sea and in the shade of pretty trees is the ideal place to stretch out a hammock or two and take a nap in the company of the lapping of the water and the muffled discussions of the elders.
All along the seaside are various hotels, restaurants and bars, the attendance of which is most pleasant after dark. Calm and rejuvenating atmosphere!
See also our activity: Folkloric tour of Croatia.
Homestays can be found at very good rates (double room for €12 per night for two people) when you go beyond the port and around the bay (about 1,5 km from the town centre) and take the trouble to climb the steep slope of the hill a little.
The prices of the center are for some exorbitant (Internet center and youth hostel by the sea: 30€ per night per person in a dormitory… of course breakfast is included… well all the same…).
Renting a bike will allow you to enjoy the fabulous little hidden beaches around the island, some of them are real gems: white and soft pebble beaches, warm and transparent water, very low attendance: a real paradise on Earth !
Novalja
Several daily buses make the Pag-Novalja route (please note that a supplement is required for luggage to be put in the hold) and will drop you off at the slightly outlying Novalja bus station (not practical when you are loaded!).
This small town without much interest is the symbol of the island's nightlife and is really a tourist industry. Here you can rent scooters, motorcycles, and quads (four-wheeled motorcycles); which to my taste, breaks the charm of visits to the island, but which allows you to sink into the land more quickly. At night, the city effectively becomes a bustling hive of young people sporting the colors of the latest fashions and the horrible “Boom Boom” of the discotheques shakes the whole beach until dawn. Reserved for amateurs…
Jean-Baptiste Gibily
