In this article we bring you the most beautiful attractions in the city of Makarska as well as various other facilities and places that we are sure you will love. You may have already heard of some but keep reading until the end because we are sure you will be surprised with some of the hidden beauties we bring to you as residents of this beautiful city.
Do you like sightseeing? Maybe you prefer concerts and nightlife or spending time in nature. Maybe you want to spend most of your time on the beach or try traditional dishes in restaurants.
Don't worry, this city has it all!
Discover Makarska with us and book you holiday villa in Makarska!
Short story about Makarska
Makarska is surrounded by nature. The town of Makarska has developed around a natural harbor protected by the picturesque peninsula of Sveti Petar and Cape Osejava and the massive mountain Biokovo. It is the largest and only port of its kind between the mouths of the Cetina and Neretva rivers. There is also a ferry line from Makarska to Sumartin on the island of Brac, which runs several times a day.
In the summer evenings, the port is full of yachts and tourist excursion boats, and Kačić Square in the center of the city is full of young people who enjoy entertainment and cultural events. As the night progresses, Makarska becomes more lively, and cafes, restaurants and disco bars fill up.
In order to find our way around and get as many attractions in the city of Makarska as possible, we will imagine that we are currently in a street called Kalalarga. It is also the oldest and the most beautiful street in the city center that will take you to the main town square.
Kalalarga Street
All around Kačić Square, and especially in the "wide street" Kalalarga we can find traces of the Baroque architecture, which can be noticed on entrance doors, balconies, windows or coat-of-arms carved in stone. The ground plan of the main square and the layout of the surrounding streets have been preserved to this day. Kalalarga was the heart of the city and the main place for events.
Every year since 1994, it is the place of celebration known as the Night of Kalalarga, which attracts more and more visitors every year.
While walking through Kalalarga, stop and try traditional Dalmatian food in the best restaurants such as Kalalarga tavern, Gastro diva restaurant, Stari Mlin tavern and many others, and in the evening you can stop for cocktails and finger food snacks in beautiful bars such as Špina bar and Kala bar.
Apart from having a great offer, they also have a perfect location.
Kalalarga Street has now led us to the main square. From the narrow long street our view now widens and we see the square, the church of St. Mark, the great mountain Biokovo which guards the whole town.
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Andrija Kačić Miošić Square in Makarska
Andrija Kačić Miošić Square is the largest town square, with his monument placed in the center.
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It is named after the most significant poet of the entire Dalmatia. He is the author of the most popular book in Dalmatia, which has so far undergone 64 editions. Andrija Kačić Miošić’s monument was made by the famous Croatian sculptor Ivan Rendić.
Behind the square, the glorious mountain Biokovo can be seen where many villas with a sea view can be found.
St.Mark's Church in Makarska
St.Mark's Church is late Baroque Church of St. witch rises on an elevated part of the town square.
A large staircase and an elevated terrace lead to the church. Named after St. Mark the Evangelist, this church is a symbol of the restored Makarska diocese. Built in several phases starting from 1700 until the consecration in 1766. Several builders worked on the church, engineer Bartol Riviera completed it.
Right next to the church is located the popular Venetian Fountain.
The public water fountain was built in 1775 by Ioseppo Bisazzio on the southeast of St. Mark's Church. It is still used today for refreshment from the summer heat. The work is significant because of the coat-of-arms that is still used as the official symbol of the town of Makarska, which has been carved on its right side.
The square is crowded during the summer days, especially in the evening because the city of Makarska organizes various events and concerts for its guests, which are held every day between 20:00 and 00:00 on the square.
If you find yourself in Makarska, don't miss the rich cultural summer program.
New World Lovers Art Gallery in Makarska
It is also unavoidable to visit the most beautiful gallery in the city New World Lovers Art Gallery where you will have to take foto, and if you love art you may find a painting for yourself as a souvenir of a vacation in Makarska.
The author of the permanent sales exhibition and the owner of the gallery is Marijeta Lozina. It was her idea to turn her lovely house into a real and modern gallery, which very quickly became one of the top places to take photos.
Her works are truly beautiful and the marine theme extends everywhere. She transferred her love for the sea to the canvas.
Address: Kalalarga 1
Phone: + 385/98 915 2518
Just a few meters towards the sea we come to the most beautiful promenade in the world. Decorated with large palm trees and boats in the harbor and cafes that are a favorite place of every Dalmatian. After sightseeing, choose your favorite coffee shop, order one and just relax looking at the sea.
Monument to the Tourist in Makarska
The first thing you will notice while walking along the waterfront is Monument to the Tourist
The sculpture represents a local man from Makarska named Jura, referred to as galeb (seagull, i.e. ladies’ man in Dalmatia), seducing a female tourist. Galebarenje, the technique of seducing women, was very popular in Makarska. The monument is the work of Nikola Šanjek, a sculptor from Varaždin who also named it “Move with the times”. It is 205 cm high, made of bronze, and was erected to honour all tourists visiting Makarska. If you'd like to live like Jura, maybe a beahfront villa in Croatia is for you.
Now we come to the big dilemma. Whether to go right or left first. The waterfront will take us either to the peninsula of St. Petar or to the Osejava Peninsula. Let's go to St. Peter's first Along the waterfront towards St. Petar we will find the beautiful Tonoli Palace, which houses the city museum and the tourist board of the city of Makarska.
The Town Museum of Makarska
The Town Museum of Makarska is located within the Baroque palace Tonoli, built in the second half of the 18th century on the west side of the town coast and harbor, entered into the Registry of Immovable Cultural Monuments.
The exhibition and working space of the museum is located on the first floor of the palace where the exhibits are exhibited in showcases. On the newly renovated ground floor, along with a souvenir shop, a permanent exhibition Material Cultural Heritage of Makarska was set up. It is made of big bilingual posters and selected photographs of the most distinctive cultural monuments.
Working hours: 09:00 - 15:00
Phone: +385 21 612 302
Address: Obala kralja Tomislava 17/1
In addition to the city museum, visit the tourist board in the newly renovated space where you can find out everything you need to know about Makarska's history and garden in an interesting way with the help of smart screens and beautiful photos on the walls.
Also the biggest attraction for tourists is that they can experience the feeling of the Bura wind, which is due to a special room that, along with video scenes, mimics the movement and sound of the wind. So tourists can experience the life of the locals in winter during the strong winds on the Adriatic.
After the Tonoli palace, the Riva promenade ends and climbs to the church of St. Peter on the peninsula of the same name.
Don't forget to bring a camera and a bottle of water. Get ready for a spectacular view of the entire city with the harbor and the mountain Biokovo. Truly something indescribable.
Statue of St. Peter in Makarska
At the entrance to the town’s harbour, a beautiful statue of St. Peter stands there.
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He is the patron saint of the Church, Rome, the pope, fishermen, bakers, butchers, bridge builders, horologists, cobblers, of the hungry and the weak, shipwrights, and of many locations all over the world. The statue is located at the top of St. Peter Peninsula, which protects Makarska's bay from the open sea.
St. Peter is holding the keys to Heaven, as Jesus gave them to him in the Gospel of Matthew. People from all over the world visit this valuable religious monument and believe in its protection and strength. The statue is made by the sculptor Tomislav Kršnjavi. It is 3,60 m high and weighs 900 kg.
St. Peter's Church on the peninsula of St. Peter
St. Peter's Church on the peninsula of St. Peter Traces of prehistoric settlements, as well as some parts of late antiquity and Venetian architecture can all be found on St. Peter's Peninsula.
St. Peter's Church, marked even on the oldest maps dating from the 16th and 18th century, was reconstructed based on the appearance of the previous church from the 15th century, which was built on the foundations of its forerunner from the 6th century. It was badly damaged in the earthquake in 1962. The following year, during the afternoon Good Friday church service, the remains were completely destroyed and thrown into the sea, by order of the ruling municipal authority. . It was renovated and extended multiple times; in the 15th century it probably acquired the Gothic form and in the 18th, the Baroque form.
If you surround the whole peninsula you will also see a small lighthouse on the sea.
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So from this point "the lighthouse on St. Peter" all the way to Krvavica, the beach stretches. Over 2km of city beach.
Our beaches are pebbly and in some places rocky and concrete.
Along the beaches there are small stalls with clothes and summer equipment, as well as outdoor facilities such as small beach restaurants, cafes and cocktail bars and the inevitable ice cream stands. Don’t be surprised while bathing to spot a local on a boat that sells a variety of fruits.
We will leave the beach for you to choose your favorite when you visit us, and now we will return to the promenade and head to the very other end of the waterfront towards the Osejava peninsula.
We have reached the end of the waterfront on the other side, towards Osejava, and before we start enjoying nature, we will stop by the most valuable museum of shells.
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The Malacological Museum in Makarska
The Malacological Museum in Makarska of the Franciscan Monastery was founded by Fr. Jure Radić in 1963. With its attractive collection of sea snails and shells from the Adriatic Sea, but also from the rest of the world, it is the most famous malacological collection in Croatia.
In addition to the rich malacological collection, the museum also has a valuable collection of flora of the mountain Biokovo and a smaller paleontological collection. The museum was opened to the public on April 30, 1963 in the old part of the Franciscan monastery, which is a protected cultural monument. The museum has more than 3000 specimens of shells in the collection.
Opening hours: (Monday-Saturday) 10:00-19:00 (Sunday): 10:00-13:00
Address:Franjevački put 1
Phone: +385/21 611 256
Franciscan Monastery in Makarska
Franciscan Monastery of the Blessed Virgin Mary Its construction began in 1502, and through the following centuries the building expanded.
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The Franciscans came to Makarska in the late 15th century and settled outside the settlement near St. Mary's Church. In 1518. it was declared a monastery, which was destroyed for military reasons by the Venetians in 1572 during the War of Cyprus (1570 – 1573). The Turks also demolished the church later on. It was damaged again during the Cretan War in the 17th century when the Turks set on fire part of the monastery along with the church, and the other part was damaged in an earthquake in 1667.
Throughout many centuries of the monastery’s existence, the Franciscans have created a library that now holds around 5000 books, 24 incunabula, many journals and manuscripts.
Osejava peninsula in Makarska
For all those who like to stay in nature, breathe fresh air, run, ride a bike ... The Osejava Peninsula has it all.
Upon return, you can stop at the Biokovo Nature Park Info Center and gather all the necessary information for a new trip to the mountain.
Impressive Biokovo mountain which dominates the surrounding landscape and guards the town of Makarska from all sides.
Throughout history, it has protected the local citizens from invasions by both land and sea alike. Today, it is a beautiful nature park, an excursion site with numerous marked hiking trails, endemic plants and rich wildlife. The unique juxtaposition between the almost two-thousand-meter-high snowy mountain and the serene coastline is striking.
A 30-minute ride up a well-maintained road through the nature park will be enough for you to reach a point where the views of the city and the surrounding islands are simply breath-taking.
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Makarska Observatory and Astro-Park in Makarska
Makarska Observatory and Astro-Park form a unique scientific and tourist component of Makarska.
The observatory is unique for several reasons: it was built on an existing monument, is located in the center of the city on a small hill, and compared to other observatories on the Adriatic, it is closest to the sea. The Makarska Observatory was built on a monument dedicated to the fallen fighters of the Second World War from Makarska. It is the work of the famous architect Matija Salaj.
Opening hours: Summer: 01.06. - 30.09. 21:00 – 24:00 h Winter: Thursdays 20:00 – 22:00
Phone: +385/98 542 361
Address: Glazbarska 1
Makarska, apart from having so much to offer and see, is also a great starting point for day trips, be it boat trips where you can visit the most beautiful islands of Hvar, Brac, Paklinski islands and Biševo with the Blue Cave, which has always been the biggest attraction among tourists. . Also day trips by land such as a trip to the city of Split with Diocletian's Palace, Trogir with its old historic center, the Dubrovnik walls and the location of the most famous series of the Game of Thrones and much more.
If you have a desire to visit this beautiful city, take a look at our rich offer of accommodation in Makarska and also our car rental Makarska offers, boat rental Makarska offer or private transfers in and form Makarska.
Makarska is waiting for you!