Rab Town

Rab town occupies a long narrow peninsula, and its identifying feature is the line of four bell towers standing along the ridge, which read from the water as a single silhouette - the tallest, belonging to St Mary the Great, is Romanesque of the twelfth century and can be climbed. Three parallel streets run the length of the peninsula on different levels, connected by stepped lanes, and the whole core is walled. The town holds a medieval festival in July with crossbow contests, and the island's beaches, unusually for the northern Adriatic, include stretches of real sand at Lopar.

What you actually see

• Four bell towers in a line - the town's profile from the sea.
• A twelfth century Romanesque tower - St Mary the Great, climbable.
• Three parallel streets on levels - the whole peninsula plan.
• A medieval festival in July - crossbow contests in the streets.

When to go

May to September; ferries reduce in winter. Half a day.

Honest expectations

Getting there means a ferry with queues in July and August. The old town is small and crowded in season. Streets are stepped and steep between levels. The sand beaches are at Lopar, half an hour away, not at the town.

Nearby

Lopar and its sand are north; the Velebit coast is across the channel.