Drobni pijesak, the wild beach of Paštrovići

Beyond Sveti Stefan the coast road swings away from the water and the shoreline breaks up into coves, most of them invisible from the car. Drobni pijesak is the best known, for a simple reason. It has the palest sand on this stretch and still takes a bit of effort to reach, which on the Budva Riviera is almost a luxury.

What the cove is like

According to the Budva tourist board, it’s a hidden cove, set a little apart from the road between Sveti Stefan and Petrovac. The sand is yellowish-white, scattered with small pebbles, and gives it a slightly tropical feel that stands out on a coast where pebble is the norm. Behind it are olive groves and Mediterranean scrub. It measures 250 metres and 5,000 m², and right on the beach there’s a drinking-water spring, which you’ll appreciate in such a tucked-away spot.

Why they call it wild

The nickname comes from the access. The official page explains that it’s easier to arrive by sea than by land, and that this awkwardness is what earned it the label wild. These days there are restaurants and cafés behind the sand, so don’t expect an untouched cove, but you won’t find a promenade or hotels looming over it either. If you’re coming by road, take it slowly and wear proper shoes for the last stretch.

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Is it good with children?

The national tourist board includes it on its list of family beaches on the Budva Riviera, alongside Jaz, Mogren and Bečići, and I can see why. The sand is fine, the water clear and the cove sheltered. What I’d bear in mind is getting there, because with small children and a cool box the path over land feels long. As a family I’d look at arriving by sea, as the official page itself suggests, and I’d get there early to grab a patch of shade under the olives. To compare it with the easier beaches on this stretch, see the Budva Riviera.

A slice of Paštrovići history

Paštrovići is the historic district of this coast, with its clans, its monasteries and its own court, the Bankada. According to the tourist board, that court of clan chiefs once met here at Drobni pijesak, although for nearly three hundred years its seat was on the islet of Sveti Stefan. I like a beach that has more to tell than its sand, and this one does.

If you are short on time, see the best tours in Drobni Pijesak Beach and pick one that fits your day.

What’s nearby

To the north are the seven coves of Crvena glavica, with reddish sand and rock adding up to 500 metres, one of them used by naturists. To the south, tiny 40-metre Perazića do below Reževići monastery, and then the village of Petrovac with its 600-metre beach. If you’re staying in Budva, the Petrovac town bus runs along this road, and I’ve lined up the whole riviera in beaches in Budva.

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