Town & Beaches
Makarska Old Town, St Peter & the Riviera Beaches
Makarska · Central Dalmatia
QUICK INFORMATION
- CATEGORY
- Town & Beaches
- COUNTRY
- Croatia
- REGION
- Makarska · Central Dalmatia
- DURATION
- 1–2 days
ABOUT THIS ATTRACTION
Makarska town wraps its horseshoe bay in a palm promenade: the old lanes around St Mark’s square, the church of St Philip, and the Franciscan monastery (built 1616) whose malacological museum holds one of the finest shell collections in the world — over 3,000 specimens. The wooded peninsula of St Peter carries the first beaches; the Osejava cape the other; and along the whole coast east and west runs the Riviera — pebble beaches, pine shade and the mountain wall above.
HISTORY & BACKGROUND
The story behind it
Makarska grew under the Roman Muccurum, was mentioned in the 4th century, lived under Venice and the Ottomans at its back, and became the administrative heart of the Riviera under Austria. The Franciscans built their monastery in 1616; its shell museum, founded in 1963, made the town famous among naturalists.
WHAT TO SEE
What to see here
The palm promenade and the old lanes.
The shell museum of the Franciscan monastery.
The St Peter peninsula beaches at sunset.
GOOD TO KNOW
Facts & Curiosities
The Franciscan monastery (1616) holds a malacological museum with over 3,000 shell specimens — among the finest in the world.
The St Peter peninsula and the Osejava cape frame the horseshoe bay with pine-shaded beaches.
The Makarska Riviera runs about 60 km — pebble beaches under the Biokovo wall.
The town’s church of St Mark’s square is the historic centre.
WHY IT MATTERS
Why it matters
It is the best beach-and-mountain combination in Croatia — town, sea and 1,700-metre wall in one frame.
PRACTICAL INFORMATION
Before you go
THROUGH THE LENS
From the road
MAP & LOCATION
Makarska Old Town, St Peter & the Riviera Beaches
Makarska Old Town, St Peter & the Riviera Beaches, Makarska, Central Dalmatia, Croatia
43.2944, 17.0177
FOOD & DRINK
Where to eat nearby
Harbour restaurants — fish and peka
Konobas of the old lanes
HOTELS & STAYS
Where to stay nearby
Hotels on the promenade
Apartments along the Riviera beaches
NEARBY DESTINATIONS
Continue the journey
INTERESTS
Explore by what you love
PART OF
Keep exploring
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