Makarska

Makarska is a town on the coast of central Dalamatia, situated under the cliffs of mountain Biokovo. The town developed around the old mediterranean core inside a natural bay protected by peninsulas Sveti Petar and Osejava into one of Croatia’s most popular tourist centers. Besides a two kilometer long beach of sand and pebble, warm sea and mild mediterranean climate, the town offers many historical and cultural sightnings, natural sights, local gastronomic flavours and a rich nightlife.

Makarska has a mediterranean climate. The average temperature in winter is 10 °C, and in summer it’s 25 °C with more than 2750 hours of sunlight in a year. The sea has an average temperature above 20 °C between June and October.

Tap water is safe to drink in whole Croatia.

Postal service

Makarska has a post office on Trg 4. svibnja 533 No. 1 which works from Monday to Friday 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., and 8 to 12 a.m. on Saturdays.

Banks

Several banks have offices in Makarska: Hypo Alpe-Adria-Bank, Raiffeisen Bank, Splitska banka, Zagrebačka banka, Splitsko-dalmatinska banka, and one of numerous exchange offices is the exchange office Jakir on Obala kralja Tomislava 18.

Makarska is situated in central Dalmatia in a natural bay between two peninsulas, Osejava and Sveti Petar. The town is connected to all bigger european cities through the airport in Split, to which it is connected with a 60 km long highway. Makarska has a bus terminal from which buses travel daily to Split and other cities.

In Makarska there are baroque churches from the era of Venetian Republic: Church of St. Mark on Kačićev trg, Church of St. Phillip next to the Town Museum on the coast, and Church of St. Peter in St. Peter’s park, built on the foundations of an early Christian chruch, which provides a beautiful view of the town and Biokovo.

There’s also a Malacological Museum in a 500 year old monastery, next to a pinacotheca and a library, with a rich collection of sea snails and shellfish from the Adriatic Sea. On the west side of Makarska, the beauty and silence of the Vepric sanctuary,which was founded in 1908, surrounded by hills, overwhelms the visitor with its natural cave and a stream.

The atypical botanical garden Kotišina next to the fortified walls of Veliki Kaštel from the 17th century on the coastal slopes of mountain Biokovo contains diverse habitats with 300 wild plant species and is at its most splendid in spring and early summer.

Tennis center Makarska has 11 tennis courts, and sports facility on the peninsula of Osejava has football fields, basketball courts, rugby fields, handball courts, tennis courts etc. Medical Rehabilitation center Biokovka has a modern fitness center with physical therapy and an indoor pool, while hotels on Makarska Riviera have a total of 18 pools. It’s possible to do extreme sports in Makarska as well: paragliding, rock climbing, hiking, mountain biking, tracking, caving, sailing, windsurfing and diving.

Dalmatian beef stew is a specialty made of beef stuffed with bacon and garlic, prepared in red wine. Makarska Riviera is known for its sweets “Makaran ravioli” – the original cake made of dough and walnut mixture and “Cake Makarana” with almonds and Maraschino liqueur.

Each year in late April, a wine festival under the name of “Dalmatia Wine Expo” is held in Makarska. A well known award-winning local white wine is Zlatan Pošip, rich and full of flavor, with aromas of apricot, citrus, anise and Mediterranean herbs.