Stiniva bay and beach on Vis Island is undoubtedly one of the most picturesque beaches on the Vis island and in Croatia. This tiny shingle beach, situated at the southern shores of the island is framed by the iconic tall cliffs cut deep into the narrow bay. This unspoiled south coast of the island is opened to high seas where erosion formed this beautiful landscape. Since the 1960s the whole of Stiniva bay is a protected significant landscape with the intention to preserve its original look and feel.
We visited Stiniva in mid-September, arriving there by a small boat. It was a late summer afternoon and the sun was already gone from the shores of the beach. This is how it looked:
We approached the bay from the sea entrance, which is a narrow passage of about 5 meters wide, not suitable for larger vessels. We used the small inflatable tender boat (see above photo). The sea here is clean, clear and pretty shallow with a lot of small shingles on the sea bottom. This is the result of centuries-long cliff erosion due to the fact that the bay is completely open to the open and rough seas and its waves.
Once we passed the narrow cliff passage, inside the bay, the first impression we got was as we arrived in some kind of the Roman amphitheater and the rock formations on the cliffs look ideal for some rocks jumping.
We were lucky and glad that we decided to visit this lovely bay out of the season. The bay was completely empty with no visitors to it. The local beach bar was already closed and the bay was so peaceful that we just stayed there until the dusk when we returned back to our boat.
Table of Contents
Video – Snorkeling in Stiniva:
Here is a small video clip that we took while snorkelled in the bay – see how peaceful and tranquil it is:
See also below photos that we took on the same occasion.
If you would also like to visit this lovely bay when no one is around and avoid the crowd here are some tips:
Tips on visiting Stiniva to avoid the crowds:
- Try to visit it out of season (May, June & September, October). That is exactly what we did and yes, we had the bay only for ourselves.
- If you can’t do it off-season, then get there in the early morning. In July and August, the sun rises as early as 4 am and if you get up early you can enjoy this lovely nature spot all by yourself before the crowds arrive. Leave the bay at about 11 am when it gets very busy.
- A late afternoon visit is also an option. If you arrive at the bay at about 4:30 pm and stay until dusk you will eventually have there sometime on your own. In July and August, the sun sets at about 8 pm so you would have about 2 hours left to enjoy the beach, its peace, and tranquillity. Still, the best part of the day is the early morning as it gives you much more time than the late afternoon.
Photos of our recent visit to the beach:
Views over to the open seas from the Stiniva beach
Approaching the beach from the open seas – still some visitors around
Sign in the bay explaining why this is a protected (significant) landscape.
A small and narrow path that leads to the beach and bay, passing near a local beach bar/restaurant
Enjoying the tranquil swim 🙂
Lovely cliffs are surrounding the whole bay
Beach, calm water and rock formations created by erosion
Views over to bay while approaching it from the open seas
Rock formations on the cliffs outside the narrow passage
Reflections on the water
Getting to Stiniva:
Hiking there:
The bay is accessible from the sea as well as via a narrow and very steep hiking path that leads down the hill to the shores. You can not reach the bay with a car as there is no road leading to here. If you decide to walk here, bear in mind that in the middle of the day in the summer the sun rays are very strong and it gets very hot. Take a hat, sunblock and plenty of water. The best part of the day is to hike to the bay in the early morning or late afternoon. Get by car, scooter, or bike to Žužec hamlet, one of 8 hamlets of Marine Zemlje village about 2 kilometers from Plisko polje village, and from there walk down the path to the bay – see the map below.
By boat or kayak:
You can also rent a boat to sail there or a kayak to paddle there. The nearest point to rent a boat or kayak is in Rukavac village about 3.5 kilometers distance from the bay. From there it will take you about a good hour to paddle or row to the bay. Alternatively, you can rent a motorboat and get there much faster, in about 20 minutes.
Organized tours:
You can also book an organized tour of the bay. It’s usually done by water taxi speedboats and getting there will last about 10 to 15 minutes. The tours are organized from most of the places on Vis island, especially from Komiza and Vis from where day excursion taxi boats will take you to the bay any time you wish. See what is available to book online here.
Here is some info about getting here from other places in Croatia:
Getting to Stiniva from Komiza or Vis town
Take a car or taxi to Zuzec in Marine Zemlje village and from there walk to the bay. Alternatively, take a water taxi to reach it from the sea.
Stiniva Beach from Split, Hvar, Korcula, Mljet or Brac
If you intend to come here from Split or any other place (like Mljet, or Brac, or Dubrovnik) you first have to reach Vis Island (see the map here). Check available ferry sailing to the island on the croatiferries.com website and start from there. Once on the island, follow the above advice. See below the location map too. Check also info about organized tours that are available from Hvar island and many more places including day trips from Split.
Location Map:
Hiking map:
Although it says on the map that is just 8 minutes walk, as the path is steep, it will take you about 20 minutes to reach the bay. The distance is about 450 meters.
