Punta Rata Beach

Punta Rata is the best known stretch of the Brela shore: white shingle in a series of small coves, pines coming down to the edge for shade, and standing just offshore the Brela Stone, a rock with a pine growing out of the top of it that has become the visual shorthand for the whole Makarska riviera. The water shelves quickly and is clear over pale stone. Behind it the Biokovo wall rises steeply, so the beach sits in a narrow strip between mountain and sea. It appears in international beach lists regularly, which shows in the numbers between mid July and late August.

What you actually see

• White shingle in small coves - the Brela shore.
• The Brela Stone offshore - a rock with a pine on top of it.
• Pines to the water's edge - the shade that makes it usable.
• Biokovo directly behind - the mountain wall above the strip.

When to go

June to September; early or late in the day in high summer. Half a day.

Honest expectations

It is very crowded in the middle of the day in August, and the pine shade is claimed early. Parking is above with steps down and fills. Shingle means footwear. The coast road here is busy and noisy.

Nearby

Brela village is above; Makarska is south-east along the coast.