A short taxi-boat ride from Punat's harbour brings you to the islet of Košljun, which sits almost perfectly in the middle of the sheltered bay. The entire island — barely two hundred metres across — is a nature reserve, and the Franciscan friars who have lived here since the fifteenth century have kept it that way. A path loops around the shore beneath a canopy of oaks and Mediterranean shrubs, and the silence is broken only by birdsong and the distant hum of the marina.
The monastery church contains a striking late-sixteenth-century polyptych altarpiece by Girolamo da Santacroce — an unexpected piece of Renaissance painting in such a modest setting. The small museum beside the church holds a well-curated collection of folk costumes, embroidery, and religious objects drawn from the surrounding islands, along with a curiosity cabinet that has been accumulating oddities for centuries.
Taxi boats run from Punat's waterfront throughout the day in summer, and the crossing takes only a few minutes. The island shuts to visitors at dusk, and a very small fee is charged at the monastery gate. Wear shoes suitable for uneven stone paths if you plan to explore the gardens.