Surroundings « Pisak Dalmatia

Surroundings

Split

001 Split is the economic and administrative center of Middle Dalmatia, with about 200,000 inhabitants. It is also the jumping-off point for exploration of the coast and islands of the beautiful Croatian Adriatic. The site was first settled when, at the end of the third century AD, the Roman Emperor Diocletian built his palace here. The importance of Diocletian’s Palace far transcends local significance because of its level of preservation and the buildings of succeeding historical periods built within its walls, which today form the very heart of old Split. Split’s growth became particularly rapid in the 7th century, when the inhabitants of the destroyed Greek and Roman metropolis Salona (present-day Solin) took refuge within its walls. The lovely ruins of Solin outside the city can still be explored today.

002 In the Middle Ages, Split was an autonomous commune. Many of Split’s historical and cultural buildings can be found within the walls of Diocletian’s Palace. In addition, numerous museums, the National Theatre, and old churches and other archeological sites in the Split region make it an important cultural attraction. Split is a busy port, with an international airport and regular ferry services with the nearby islands, the north and south Adriatic, Italy and Greece. The merchant and passenger ships of the Split shipyards may be encountered in almost all the seas of the world. In addition, the city has large chemical works, metallurgy plants, and workshops for the production of solar cells. The fertile fields around Split represent a good base for agriculture, while cultural monuments, superb landscapes and unparalleled seascapes make it a tourist’s wonderland. Split is also a university seat and host to numerous scientific institutions.

Omis

0011 Omis is the tourist center of a 35 km long Riviera of outstanding beauty. Numerous monuments from its past are the witnesses of its history, long and glorious; besides these one can find nowadays an interesting and colorful market place, a large number of small restaurants, coffee shops, bistros, various shops including duty free ones and fashionable boutiques. All these will make your stay pleasant and fulfilled. Very good communications with the nearby Split and beautiful natural beaches of this part of the Riviera have enabled the development of tourist trade whose traces are to be seen even before the World War II. A number of small fishermen’s villages along the Riviera have had a long tourist tradition and culture.

The Cetina River and its magnificent canyon are cut into the picturesque mountainous massif in the very background of the town. On its way to the sea the river has created numerous long sandy beaches which are characteristics of this part of the coast and make it one of the most beautiful, unusual and incomparable. Why the Omis Riviera this time? While looking at these photographs, has it occurred to you that there are still places which are so close and yet so far from the aggressive rythm of modern life and tourist industry? Isolated coves where you can always find “your own” beach, or auto camp at the very seaside are waiting for you. Why the Omis Riviera another time? Small fishermen’s villages preserved in their originality but at the same time offering full comfort in the newly built premises and private pensions, villas or apartments, make an extraordinary alternative. If you have just made up your mind, be sure that the deprived cold splendour of commercial hotels will be well made up for by the warmth welcome of your host and his wish to make you happy.

Makarska

Makarska is a city in the Split - Dalmatia county of Croatia, population 13,716 (2001). It is located on the Adriatic coast of Dalmatia, about 60 km southeast of Split and 140 km northwest of Dubrovnik. It is a tourist centre, located on a horseshoe shaped bay between the Biokovo mountain and the Adriatic Sea. The city is noted for its palm-fringed promenade, where fashionable cafés, bars and boutiques overlook the pretty harbour where many pleasure craft are moored.
Arrival to Makarska over Biokovo, from Vrgorac offers a breathtaking magnificent view of riviera, from Drasnice, Podgora, Tucepi, Brela, all the way to the Split, and in front to the islands Brac, Hvar, Korcula and peninsula Peljesac.

makarska-1

Center of Makarska is an old town with narrow stone-paved streets, a main church square where there is a flower and fruit market, and a Franciscan monastery that houses a sea shell collection featuring a giant clam shell. Most of the city’s hotels are located just off of the bay and their own private beaches. We invite you to browse our pages and find your own place for an unforgettable vacation on Makarska riviera.

Makarska Riviera is a part of Dalmatian coast of Adriatic, about 60 kilometers long and only several kilometers wide, squeezed under towering mountain Biokovo. Sunny climate and long pebbly beaches make this region a popular tourist destination. A string of settlements along the coast from the border with the Omis Riviera on the northwest to the Neretva delta on the southeast. We are very proud to offer you the large number of quality accommodation facilities in all of the places of the astonishingly beautiful Makarska riviera.

Biokovo Mountain

Biokovo is the largest and highest mountain in Dalmatia. It rises vertically from the Adriatic Coast to height of 1762 m. Because of it’s geographical position, Biokovo is a mountain that has continental as well as Mediterranean climate, so various plant species of both worlds meet and live next to each other. There are lot of caves and pits around Biokovo and very often one can meet wild muflon as well as various bird species and foxes too. The Biokovo Botanical Garden Kotisina has been established in 1984 above the village of Kotisina, a horticultural monument (16.5 hectares) aimed at nature conservation and protection of the Biokovo plant life. The views from Biokovo are spectacular – on the clear day one can see all Dalmatian islands as well as large part of Dalmatian coast to the south, and to the north, towns of Vrgorac and Imotski and their surrounding villages. biokovo-pogled-na-more Sometimes, when it’s very clear, one can see a peak of Monte Gargano in Italy too. The coastal town of Makarska, that lies on the very south edge of Biokovo is seen from Biokovo as a amazing bay with tiny little houses placed in the rows around it. The nature park Biokovo dominating above Makarska Riviera, is the good destination for botanists as well as walkers and cyclist. The beauty of Biokovo has always attracted explorers and visitors and you are likely to be thrilled too. What is the best way to get to know it. There are over thirty marked trails leading up the mountain on the seaward side and eight on the landward side. On your way up, you will pass ancient villages on the foothills of the magnificent rocky mountain: Gornja Brela, Topici, Bast, Veliko Brdo, Makar, Kotisina, Gornji Tucepi, Gornja Podgora and Gornje Igrane on the seaward side, and Kozica, Rascane, Zupa, Biokovsko Selo, Rastovac, Zagvozd and Zadvarje on the other side of the mountain. A main hiking trail transverses the mountain - the Biokovo Mountain Trail with its twenty control points. However, one should not forget that Biokovo deserves full respect and therefore should be well-prepared for the ascent. The weather conditions can change in a moment, no surface water is to be found and any deviation from the marked trail entails some risk. Hiking boots, backpack, biokovo6 spare clothing, raincoat, drinking water, some chocolate and a good map of the Park are the items you will surely need. Climbing the steepest ascent in Croatian mountains at dawn, you will be surprised to learn that the people of Biokovo once used the same trails to carry hay and potatoes or drive their livestock to pasture. Biokovo is the mountain that one can visit either by car or bicycle as well as on foot from various parts of Adriatic coast and Makarska Riviera. There is public transport service going from Makarska and surrounding area to Biokovo Mountain. Access from the coast : Makarska - Makar - Vosac - Sveti Jure (5 hrs 30 min) or Makarska - Tucepi - Staza - Sveti Jure (asphalted road, 31 km).