After boarding our Sail Croatia boat in Split, Croatia, we were anxious to start our cruising journey along the Dalmatian Coast! Our first stop on our cruise was the town of Makarska, Croatia.
While our limited amount of time in the town doesn’t exactly qualify us as experts on things to do here, I can share how we spent the time – and what we loved so much!
Makaraska was a gem, and one of our favorite stops on our Croatian exploration.
We went into this Sail Croatia cruise having done very little planning or research. That is very NOT LIKE ME. Yet I knew we’d have good infrastructure supporting us, a cruise boat director to give us ideas, and, honestly, not a ton of time in each location. Also, the cruising lifestyle gives a person very little control over their itinerary (you can see my recent review of a major cruise line cruise experience for more thoughts on that), so I didn’t want to get too attached to any ideas.
But when we got off the boat in Makarska, everything opened up to us, and it felt easy – perfect- comfortable – beautiful- magical (and stay tuned if you want to see how many times I can use those words to describe Makarska).
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About Makarska, Croatia
The town of Makarska, Croatia, is absolutely lovely: a small place nestled in a horseshoe-shaped bay. All around, the Biokovo mountain range pops up jauntily.
If we had more time in Makarska, I would have loved to have explored those mountains. Croatia has a national park protecting the area around Makarska, proving wonderful grounds for exploring and adventuring.
Makarska is known for its riviera and promenade. A large walkway skirts the bay, which welcomes heaps of boats of all sizes. Cafes and ice cream shops encourage visitors to linger.
Originally, Makarska’s economy was based on fishing and trade, given its location. But in the early 1900s, the tourism trade began. Makarska never looked back.
During wars and strife, they used large hotels to house refugees and offer a place to stay until settled. Even today, Makarska feels like a place to be welcomed and given a chance to live a good life.
Given its restaurants, beaches, history, nightclub scene, and activities all wrapped into one, I kept having flashbacks to Lloret de Mar.
How to get to Makarska, Croatia
Makarska is on the mainland of Croatia, on the coast. You can fly to either Split or Dubrovnik and take a ferry or drive to Makarska.
Split is closer, with a drive of under an hour and half. The drive from Dubrovnik will be just over two and a half hours.
You can find and explore the ferry schedule on the Jadrolinija website.
Things to do in Makarska, Croatia
Table of Contents
Cliff jump
So this isn’t technically an endorsement or an encouragement since cliff-jumping can be dangerous. You have to use your judgment on the safety versus the risks of this. So I am not condoning it – but just saying that if you did want to cliff-jump, Makarska proudly offers the infrastructure.
On the Sveti Petar Peninsula (located right at the mouth of the harbor near the St. Peter monument), there is easy access from the main walking paths to a spot designated for a cliff-jumping club. When we were there, men of all ages had gathered to jump in the late evening sun.
Swim on the beach
Technically, the Makarska Riviera exceeds the town of Makarska. The Riviera itself is over 60km of beautiful water and coastline, with a plethora of beaches tucked away.
But given that two peninsulas surround Makarska town, there are some really great spots to swim within an easy walk. The most convenient is the Makarska main beach (Donja Luka). It is an quick walk from the port, with plenty of space and beautiful water.
Stroll the Promenade
This large, ambling sidewalk around the bay isn’t too terribly long, but it’s one of the best out of the coastal Croatian cities we visited. Benches lined the smooth pavement to look out over the water, kids played, gelaterias were open, and people meandered through the waning sunlight and deep into the night.
Walk the point - enjoy a drink at the bar
Right near port and at the end of the promenade is St. Peter’s Forest Park. This is a wonderful place to have an easy stroll. It takes you through some pine forests but also out on one of the peninsulas that juts out of Makarska town – providing views and vistas.
Sol Music Bar sits at the end of the point. It is a pricier spot to have a drink but, honestly, the views can’t be beat. We sat here for sunset and it was majestic. (Note that you can walk to this area to take in the sunset without paying for an Aperol Spritz – but having a drink and watching the entire sunset for over an hour was a key highlight of our time here.)
Note that walking around the forest is very easy, particularly if you do an out-and-back. You could do this in flip-flops if you wanted. The path is short, easy to follow, mostly flat, and mostly paved. Part of it is even lit.
We did the full loop, so we ended up heading up to the St Peter’s monument (where the cliff jumpers hang). This took about an hour of walking, but we sat and enjoyed the views.
- Sol Music Bar is online at solmusicbar.com/en and located at Šetalište Svetog Petra, 21300, Makarska, Croatia.
See sunset
As I mentioned, we were out at the Sol Music Bar, at the far end of St Peter’s Point, to enjoy a stunning sunset.
There are many other places to experience the sun falling gently over the horizon, but I highly recommend you take the time to enjoy this moment if the weather cooperates.
Eat delicious food
Our cruise director, whom I absolutely trusted, recommended gelato at Romana. As I was quite hungry by the time we landed in Makarska, this was the first place we went. (Although, let’s be honest: do I really need to give an excuse as to why I ate gelato while in Europe?)
This is on the promenade and was right on our walk from where we had docked to St Peter’s Forest, so it was perfect! We walked up to the counter and ordered delicious, creamy gelato to sustain us through our walk.
- Romana is online at www.romana-makarska.com and is located in the Makarska port at Ante Starčevića 23, 21300 Makarska.
We had one of the best meals in Croatia at Arta Larga by Gastro Diva. We did not have reservations, which meant a wait and hoping luck was on our side. (If you are here during high season, make reservations!)
Tucked away in one of the streets of the old town, the setting was beautiful. Locals sat at tables enjoying the night and each other’s company. We had absolutely delicious food and an enchanting experience here.
- Arta Larga by Gastro Diva is located at Kalalarga 22, 21300, Makarska, Croatia, and is on Facebook. To make reservations, call or message +385 95 511 0422.
Enjoy Makarska at night
Makarska is known for having a dynamic and exciting nightlife. While I am now almost 50 and find my body gets up at 7 am and goes to bed at 10 pm no matter what else has happened during the day, this wasn’t a huge draw to me. But for many, the club and bar scene is a huge part of what they love about Makarska.
We did wander around at night, of course, and found ourselves at St Mark’s Cathedral and Kacic Square. I am kind of tired of using the adjectives “beautiful” and “magical” to describe Makarska, but that’s how this was.
If you are looking for a club scene, you must go to Deep Makarska. This is a nightclub inside a cave, on the beach. It is open nearly 24/7, so during the daytime hours it is a beach club, with expensive drinks, large beach chairs, and people lounging. But when nighttime hits, it comes alive! (We know, we heard it all night from where we were docked.)
It is an expensive cover to get in, but people absolutely rave about the experience and the setting.
- Deep Makarska is on Facebook and located at Šetalište doktor fra Jure Radića 5a, 21300, Makarska, Croatia.
With more time
We only had an afternoon and an evening in Makarska, so we didn’t get to see nearly as much as I wanted. I really liked this coastal town.
If you are lucky enough to spend more time here than we did, here are some activities and things to do that caught my attention:
- Watersports. There are lots of opportunities to get out on a speedboat, kayak, cliff jump and/or snorkel. To find a vendor, start here: gyg.me/rXF2Sof5
- Aquaparks. During the summer, the Riviera businesses put out inflatable aquaparks to enjoy. For a small fee, but no need to make a reservation, you can enjoy these colorful water obstacles.
- The Makarska Observatory. www.makarska-zvjezdarnica.com/en/
- The City Museum. gmm.hr
- Biokovo National Park – it even has a skywalk! pp-biokovo.hr/en/home
I know you are probably tired of hearing it, but Makarska really was magical and beautiful. After spending one night in Cavtat and another night in the big, booming Split, seeing Makarska was a fantastic introduction to Croatia!
This gem has something for everyone: families, mid-lifers celebrating their wedding anniversary, club kids looking for a party. But it is all artful, charming, and … well… magical.
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