Stand-up paddling on the sea by Stara Novalja, official Visit Novalja image
Stara Novalja · Island of Pag · Croatia

Closer to
the island.

A deep bay. Warm water. Sand and rock. Divers at first light. Vineyards behind the stone. Stara Novalja is Pag at a gentler rhythm — close to everything, yet unmistakably its own.

Official destination imagery · Visit Novalja
Discover the bay

Not the Pag you expect.
The Pag you remember.

North of Novalja, Stara Novalja sits inside a warm bay that reaches deep into the island. Planjka (Trinćel) brings fine sand and shallow water; Jadra turns rockier and deeper; several diving centres make the underwater world part of the destination’s identity.

365More than a summer address
01Planjka

Fine sand, warm shallow sea and Blue Flag status since 2004.

Beach guide →
02Jadra

Pebble and rocky sections with direct access to deeper water.

Beach guide →
03Diving

Stara Novalja is one of the established diving bases on Pag.

Dive guide →
04Boškinac

Hotel, winery and one-MICHELIN-star restaurant between Novalja and Stara Novalja.

Signature feature →
The destination

A bay with more than one way in.

Stara Novalja works when the experience is understood as a system: beach and water, diving, food, nearby landscapes, family time and the quieter months. This guide is built around those visitor intents.

Hotel Boškinac and pool, official Boškinac photograph
Signature feature · Between Novalja & Stara Novalja

Boškinac.
The island on a plate.

One MICHELIN Star · Croatia 2026

Set by Novalja Field among pines, vineyards and olive trees, Boškinac connects accommodation, wine and creative island cooking in one place. For Stara Novalja, it is more than a recommendation: it is a premium anchor for gastronomy and shoulder-season travel.

72 hours

A long weekend,
properly paced.

Not a checklist. A rhythm: sand, field, food, underwater world and one evening with nowhere else to be.

01

Arrive by the bay

Planjka in the afternoon, the waterfront at golden hour, then a simple island dinner.

02

Go deeper

Dive or take the water in the morning, explore Novalja Field, then reserve the evening for Boškinac.

03

Find the wild edge

Jadra, a northern-Pag drive and enough time to notice stone, wind and the changing light.

Official imagery · Boškinac

Food is part of the landscape.

The premium story of Stara Novalja is stronger when sea and gastronomy are treated as one journey. Boškinac gives the destination an internationally recognized culinary reason to travel outside the peak season.

Explore food & wine
Creative dish at Boškinac, official restaurant photograph
Official Boškinac restaurant imagery
Dining room at Boškinac, official restaurant photograph
Hotel Restaurant Winery Boškinac
Stone exterior of Hotel Boškinac
Hotel Boškinac
Trust layer

Primary-source destination facts.

Core claims are grounded in the Tourist Board of the Town of Novalja, Boškinac’s official site and the MICHELIN Guide. That gives the platform a clearer provenance layer for visitors, journalists, search systems and AI assistants.