Here’s why Croatia’s Makarska Riviera is all about the drama

Historical architecture, high altitude nature parks and imposing canyons – this slice of Central Dalmatia truly is a spectacle to behold

Mary Novakovich
Thursday 06 June 2024 14:55 BST
Dramatic scenes await visitors to the picturesque port town of Makarska
Dramatic scenes await visitors to the picturesque port town of Makarska (Shutterstock)

Central Dalmatia’s coastline is packed with drama – and few places more so than along the Makarska Riviera. While pine-shaded beach resorts hug the coast, the magnificent mountains of the Biokovo Nature Park rise above the shore. The contrast is extraordinary: a barren limestone range hovering over the deep blues and greens of the Adriatic Sea.

Biokovo Nature Park features beautifully contrasting scenery, hiking trails, breathtaking views and the impressive Sveti Jure peak
Biokovo Nature Park features beautifully contrasting scenery, hiking trails, breathtaking views and the impressive Sveti Jure peak (Shutterstock)

Amid all this drama are some of Croatia’s best-loved beach resorts and historic towns, which go hand in hand with some of Central Dalmatia’s most exhilarating adventure playgrounds. I start off on a high – literally, as I’m in the mountains of Biokovo Nature Park following the narrow winding roads leading up from the town of Makarska. Cows amble along the roadside while horses snooze in the maquis-covered scrub and black Dalmatian pines. Ahead of me is Sveti Jure, Dalmatia’s highest mountain, which, despite towering over this seemingly bare landscape, is actually accessible via Croatia’s highest paved road. It’s not only a paradise for hikers but also for cyclists and paragliders.

Skywalk Biokovo is an observation deck on the way to Sveti Jure with a glass floor 1,228m above sea level and more than a kilometre up in the air
Skywalk Biokovo is an observation deck on the way to Sveti Jure with a glass floor 1,228m above sea level and more than a kilometre up in the air (CROPIX)

The views of the coastline on hikes to Sveti Jure are astounding, but there’s an easier way to take in some of those vistas. On the way to Sveti Jure is Skywalk Biokovo, a D-shaped observation deck with a glass floor 1,228m above sea level and more than a kilometre up in the air. If you don’t have a head for heights, look away now. If you don’t have a problem, look down – and up – and across – and take in a sweeping panorama of the Dalmatian coast and the islands. I could see the hammerhead-shaped peninsula that dangles off Makarska’s harbour as well as the islands of Bra? and Hvar. Looking down I see the scrubby limestone of the cliff and the abyss below, spellbound.

Makarska itself has something that will appeal to all holidaymakers. History lovers can admire the architecture whose legacy shows how the Ottoman, Venetian and Habsburg empires had a hand in shaping Makarska. I pass a 16th-century Franciscan monastery before wandering past the bustling café terraces that line the harbour, filled with locals getting their morning fix of coffee and a chat. Jutting into the harbour is that hammerhead cape I spotted from the Skywalk, its interior a hilly forested park with rugged pathways leading to the little Church of St Peter and rocky beaches.

Makarska Beach, with its pebbly shores, water sports, cafés and family-focused activities, is one of the town’s biggest draws
Makarska Beach, with its pebbly shores, water sports, cafés and family-focused activities, is one of the town’s biggest draws (Shutterstock)

On the other side of the cape is one of Makarska’s biggest draws – an enormous stretch of pebbly beach and all the water sports, cafés and family-focused activities that come with it. For something more rustic, head further south to Nugal beach, which is tucked under pine-covered cliffs.

Makarska’s beaches are just a fraction of what you can find in the Makarska Riviera. One of the most delightful spots to spend a day swimming and snorkelling is in the village of Brela. Follow the paths around Punta Rata to find pine-shaded pebbly beaches leading to the geographical quirk that is the Rock of Brela and symbol of the town – a huge chunk of rock dotted with stunted pines and a favourite spot for a seaside selfie.

The unique appearance and stunning surroundings of the Rock of Brela have led to this geographical quirk becoming a symbol of the village of Brela
The unique appearance and stunning surroundings of the Rock of Brela have led to this geographical quirk becoming a symbol of the village of Brela (Shutterstock)

The coast road taking me back to Split leads me to one of Central Dalmatia’s most breathtaking towns. The canyons of the Cetina River slice through the beautiful town of Omi?, whose southern side squeezes in an enchanting Venetian old town before the long stretch of sandy beach takes over. The Cetina attracts rafters and kayakers to its clear waters and occasional series of hair-raising rapids. And there’s one activity no self-respecting adrenalin junkie would turn down: the chance to whiz across the Cetina’s canyons on a zipline. Now that’s drama.

Want to follow in the footsteps of our Croatia travel expert? You can discover more about Central Dalmatia and start planning your trip here

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in

universo-virtual.com
buytrendz.net
thisforall.net
benchpressgains.com
qthzb.com
mindhunter9.com
dwjqp1.com
secure-signup.net
ahaayy.com
soxtry.com
tressesindia.com
puresybian.com
krpano-chs.com
cre8workshop.com
hdkino.org
peixun021.com
qz786.com
utahperformingartscenter.org
maw-pr.com
zaaksen.com
ypxsptbfd7.com
worldqrmconference.com
shangyuwh.com
eejssdfsdfdfjsd.com
playminecraftfreeonline.com
trekvietnamtour.com
your-business-articles.com
essaywritingservice10.com
hindusamaaj.com
joggingvideo.com
wandercoups.com
onlinenewsofindia.com
worldgraphic-team.com
bnsrz.com
wormblaster.net
tongchengchuyange0004.com
internetknowing.com
breachurch.com
peachesnginburlesque.com
dataarchitectoo.com
clientfunnelformula.com
30pps.com
cherylroll.com
ks2252.com
webmanicura.com
osostore.com
softsmob.com
sofietsshotel.com
facetorch.com
nylawyerreview.com
apapromotions.com
shareparelli.com
goeaglepointe.com
thegreenmanpubphuket.com
karotorossian.com
publicsensor.com
taiwandefence.com
epcsur.com
odskc.com
inzziln.info
leaiiln.info
cq-oa.com
dqtianshun.com
southstills.com
tvtv98.com
thewellington-hotel.com
bccaipiao.com
colectoresindustrialesgs.com
shenanddcg.com
capriartfilmfestival.com
replicabreitlingsale.com
thaiamarinnewtoncorner.com
gkmcww.com
mbnkbj.com
andrewbrennandesign.com
cod54.com
luobinzhang.com
bartoysdirect.com
taquerialoscompadresdc.com
aaoodln.info
amcckln.info
drvrnln.info
dwabmln.info
fcsjoln.info
hlonxln.info
kcmeiln.info
kplrrln.info
fatcatoons.com
91guoys.com
signupforfreehosting.com
faithfirst.net
zjyc28.com
tongchengjinyeyouyue0004.com
nhuan6.com
oldgardensflowers.com
lightupthefloor.com
bahamamamas-stjohns.com
ly2818.com
905onthebay.com
fonemenu.com
notanothermovie.com
ukrainehighclassescort.com
meincmagazine.com
av-5858.com
yallerdawg.com
donkeythemovie.com
corporatehospitalitygroup.com
boboyy88.com
miteinander-lernen.com
dannayconsulting.com
officialtomsshoesoutletstore.com
forsale-amoxil-amoxicillin.net
generictadalafil-canada.net
guitarlessonseastlondon.com
lesliesrestaurants.com
mattyno9.com
nri-homeloans.com
rtgvisas-qatar.com
salbutamolventolinonline.net
sportsinjuries.info
topsedu.xyz
xmxm7.com
x332.xyz
sportstrainingblog.com
autopartspares.com
readguy.net
soniasegreto.com
bobbygdavis.com
wedsna.com
rgkntk.com
bkkmarketplace.com
zxqcwx.com
breakupprogram.com
boxcardc.com
unblockyoutubeindonesia.com
fabulousbookmark.com
beat-the.com
guatemala-sailfishing-vacations-charters.com
magie-marketing.com
kingstonliteracy.com
guitaraffinity.com
eurelookinggoodapparel.com
howtolosecheekfat.net
marioncma.org
oliviadavismusic.com
shantelcampbellrealestate.com
shopleborn13.com
topindiafree.com
v-visitors.net
qazwsxedcokmijn.com
parabis.net
terriesandelin.com
luxuryhomme.com
studyexpanse.com
ronoom.com
djjky.com
053hh.com
originbluei.com
baucishotel.com
33kkn.com
intrinsiqresearch.com
mariaescort-kiev.com
mymaguk.com
sponsored4u.com
crimsonclass.com
bataillenavale.com
searchtile.com
ze-stribrnych-struh.com
zenithalhype.com
modalpkv.com
bouisset-lafforgue.com
useupload.com
37r.net
autoankauf-muenster.com
bantinbongda.net
bilgius.com
brabustermagazine.com
indigrow.org
miicrosofts.net
mysmiletravel.com
selinasims.com
spellcubesapp.com
usa-faction.com
snn01.com
hope-kelley.com
bancodeprofissionais.com
zjccp99.com
liturgycreator.com
weedsmj.com
majorelenco.com
colcollect.com
androidnews-jp.com
hypoallergenicdogsnames.com
dailyupdatez.com
foodphotographyreviews.com
cricutcom-setup.com
chprowebdesign.com
katyrealty-kanepa.com
tasramar.com
bilgipinari.org
four-am.com
indiarepublicday.com
inquick-enbooks.com
iracmpi.com
kakaschoenen.com
lsm99flash.com
nana1255.com
ngen-niagara.com
technwzs.com
virtualonlinecasino1345.com
wallpapertop.net
nova-click.com
abeautifulcrazylife.com
diggmobile.com
denochemexicana.com
eventhalfkg.com
medcon-taiwan.com
life-himawari.com
myriamshomes.com
nightmarevue.com
allstarsru.com
bestofthebuckeyestate.com
bestofthefirststate.com
bestwireless7.com
declarationintermittent.com
findhereall.com
jingyou888.com
lsm99deal.com
lsm99galaxy.com
moozatech.com
nuagh.com
patliyo.com
philomenamagikz.net
rckouba.net
saturnunipessoallda.com
tallahasseefrolics.com
thematurehardcore.net
totalenvironment-inthatquietearth.com
velislavakaymakanova.com
vermontenergetic.com
sizam-design.com
kakakpintar.com
begorgeouslady.com
1800birks4u.com
2wheelstogo.com
6strip4you.com
bigdata-world.net
emailandco.net
gacapal.com
jharpost.com
krishnaastro.com
lsm99credit.com
mascalzonicampani.com
sitemapxml.org
thecityslums.net
topagh.com
flairnetwebdesign.com
bangkaeair.com
beneventocoupon.com
noternet.org
oqtive.com
smilebrightrx.com
decollage-etiquette.com
1millionbestdownloads.com
7658.info
bidbass.com
devlopworldtech.com
digitalmarketingrajkot.com
fluginfo.net
naqlafshk.com
passion-decouverte.com
playsirius.com
spacceleratorintl.com
stikyballs.com
top10way.com
yokidsyogurt.com
zszyhl.com
16firthcrescent.com
abogadolaboralistamd.com
apk2wap.com
aromacremeria.com
banparacard.com
bosmanraws.com
businessproviderblog.com
caltonosa.com
calvaryrevivalchurch.org
chastenedsoulwithabrokenheart.com
cheminotsgardcevennes.com
cooksspot.com
cqxzpt.com
deesywig.com
deltacartoonmaps.com
despixelsetdeshommes.com
duocoracaobrasileiro.com
fareshopbd.com
goodpainspills.com
kobisitecdn.com
makaigoods.com
mgs1454.com
piccadillyresidences.com
radiolaondafresca.com
rubendorf.com
searchengineimprov.com
sellmyhrvahome.com
shugahouseessentials.com
sonihullquad.com
subtractkilos.com
valeriekelmansky.com
vipasdigitalmarketing.com
voolivrerj.com
zeelonggroup.com
1015southrockhill.com
10x10b.com
111-online-casinos.com
191cb.com
3665arpentunitd.com
aitesonics.com
bag-shokunin.com
brightotech.com
communication-digitale-services.com
covoakland.org
dariaprimapack.com
freefortniteaccountss.com
gatebizglobal.com
global1entertainmentnews.com
greatytene.com
hiroshiwakita.com
iktodaypk.com
jahatsakong.com
meadowbrookgolfgroup.com
newsbharati.net
platinumstudiosdesign.com
slotxogamesplay.com
strikestaruk.com
trucosdefortnite.com
ufabetrune.com
weddedtowhitmore.com
12940brycecanyonunitb.com
1311dietrichoaks.com
2monarchtraceunit303.com
601legendhill.com
850elaine.com
adieusolasomade.com
andora-ke.com
bestslotxogames.com
cannagomcallen.com
endlesslyhot.com
iestpjva.com
ouqprint.com
pwmaplefest.com
qtylmr.com
rb88betting.com
buscadogues.com
1007macfm.com
born-wild.com
growthinvests.com
promocode-casino.com
proyectogalgoargentina.com
wbthompson-art.com
whitemountainwheels.com
7thavehvl.com
developmethis.com
funkydogbowties.com
travelodgegrandjunction.com
gao-town.com
globalmarketsuite.com
blogshippo.com
hdbka.com
proboards67.com
outletonline-michaelkors.com
kalkis-research.com
thuthuatit.net
buckcash.com
hollistercanada.com
docterror.com
asadart.com
vmayke.org
erwincomputers.com
dirimart.org
okkii.com
loteriasdecehegin.com
mountanalog.com
healingtaobritain.com
ttxmonitor.com
bamthemes.com
nwordpress.com
11bolabonanza.com
avgo.top