Makarska

Makarska occupies a horseshoe bay with the Biokovo ridge rising directly behind it - Sveti Jure, the summit, reaches 1,762 metres a few kilometres from the sea, which gives the town one of the most compressed sea-to-mountain profiles in Europe. The old town around the harbour is Venetian in plan with a baroque square, and the beach strip of pine-backed shingle runs west from it. Biokovo above is a nature park with a road to the summit ridge and, since 2020, a glass skywalk cantilevered over the drop. The town is the centre of the riviera that carries its name.

Background

Split is about 60 kilometres to the northwest and Dubrovnik 140 kilometres to the southeast. The riviera named after the town runs for 60 kilometres from Brela to Gradac, and along the harbour a palm-lined promenade holds cafes, bars and boutiques. People had settled near the site by the middle of the 2nd millennium BC, and an older name for the place was Muccurum. As Macrum it appears in the acts of the synod held at Salona on 4 May 533 AD, when its diocese was created. In the 7th century Mokro, within today's town, served as the administrative centre of the coast between the Cetina and Neretva rivers. The town had 13,301 residents in 2021.

Source: Wikipedia, "Makarska"

What you'll find

• A mountain wall behind the town - Sveti Jure at 1,762 metres.
• A horseshoe harbour and old town - Venetian plan with a baroque square.
• Pine-backed shingle beaches - running west from the centre.
• A skywalk on Biokovo - glass over the drop, opened 2020.

When to go

May to September. Half a day.

Practical notes

It is heavily developed and very busy in July and August. Parking is difficult and mostly charged. The Biokovo road is narrow, steep and timed-entry in season. Beaches are shingle.

Nearby

Biokovo nature park is above; Brela and Punta Rata are north-west.

Key facts