Makarska Riviera

A stay in the Riviera offers all of the things you can find on any normal Croatian holiday (beautiful scenery, crystal clear water, etc.), along with a few added bonuses that might make it particularly attractive for some visitors. The first of these things might be the Riviera's namesake, the city of Makarska. The main highlight of this small coastal town might well be it's promenade, the palm-lined Marineta street, where cafés, bars and shops keep watch over the nearby harbour. The town's horizon is dominated by nearby Biokovo mountain range, a must-see for visitors to Makarska. At 1762m, Sveti Jure, Biokovo's highest peak, is one of the highest peaks in Dalmatia and is marked with over thirty hiking trails of varying difficulty and abounds with caves, the remains of ancient villages, all sorts of wildlife scampering about and even a botanical garden, making it an absolute haven for hiking enthusiasts.
From the top of the mountain on a clear day, you can see every island in Dalmatia stretching out beneath you. If that's not enough to satiate your travel hunger, the rest of the Riviera is dotted with a number of tiny, quiet towns that are numerous enough to avoid becoming bogged down by the summer tourist explosion. Towns such as Baška Voda, Podgora and Gradac could be ideal stopping points on a meandering trip through the Riviera, with plenty of time taken to soak up the sun, laze on beautiful beaches and get to know a bit about life in each place along the way.