Silba

Silba narrows in the middle to a few hundred metres, so the village sits on the waist with a beach on the eastern side and another on the western, and you can move between them in ten minutes. Cars are banned entirely, and in summer bicycles are banned in the village too, which makes it exceptionally quiet. The island was wealthy in the age of sail with its own captains and fleet; when steam took the trade the population left, and the substantial stone houses date from the earlier period. The Toreta, a round tower with a spiral outer stair, was built in the nineteenth century by a captain, the story says out of jealousy over a woman.

What you actually see

• An island with two coasts in ten minutes - the village on the narrow waist.
• No cars at all - and no bicycles in the village in summer.
• Captains' stone houses - from the age of sail, before steam took the trade.
• The Toreta tower - built by a captain, with an outer spiral stair.

When to go

June to September, when the boats are frequent. A full day.

Honest expectations

Ferry and catamaran schedules are limited and a day trip needs planning. Everything is carried by hand or handcart. Services are seasonal and few. Beaches are pebble and rock.

Nearby

Olib is the next island; Zadar is on the mainland.