Welcome to southern Croatia and the small coastal village of Brela. It’s a famous place for holidays on Makarska Riviera which the Brela is part of. There are many interesting things to do in Brela and places to see and experience too.
Dalmatian landscape
These experiences range from light hiking or kayaking tours to adrenaline-filled rock climbing in Brela. Either way, there is a lot do to around so don’t even think about spending your Makarska Riviera holiday only on the beach. Trust us, you’ll be a lot happier if you go out and discover at least one of the things to do in Brela we talk about in this article.
about brela
As we already mentioned, Brela is part of Makarska Riviera located in southern Croatia. It’s one of the most famous places on the Riviera and has more than 100 years old tourism tradition. The reasons why people choose to spend their holiday in Brela are the beautiful nature and perfect beaches accompanied by a crystal clear and warm Adriatic sea.
One of the most popular landmarks in Brela is the famous Brela stone, a small island with pine on it. If you Google the term Brela, you’ll see a lot of images of Brela Stone which is located near the main Punta Rata beach. And while we’re at this beach, let us just say that Forbes put this beach in the top 10 list of the most beautiful beaches of all the world. It tells enough about how beautiful Brela is.
Swimming in the crystal clear Adriatic Sea
Brela was first mentioned in the old books under the name Beroyllia in the 10th century. They were a fortified city of Pagania, the local principality of that time. Another cool fact is that Brela is famous because of the cherry sort Maraska and this sort is considered to be one of the best Dalmatian cherry sorts out there.
And we leave a special legend for the end of our Brela introduction. It’s a legend about the sunken city of Pelegrin which was once large and a beautiful city that sunk after it was cursed. According to the legend, a chariot with a prince and princess emerges from the sea each year at midnight on Christmas night.
how to get there?
There are many different ways you can reach Brela. Getting there by car is one of the most popular ones since the car allows you to explore the rest of Makarska Riviera and nearby places. Some tourists come to Brela from their home and they usually come from one of the neighboring countries such as Austria, Slovenia, or Chezch Republic… If you are coming from these or nearby countries, the fastest way to come to Brela is if you use the main Croatian motorway and take the Makarska exit.
The unique landscape of Vruja near Brela
Coming to Croatia by airplane is the second most popular way of visiting this country. It’s not so expensive, it’s fast and convenient. If you are coming from countries that are further away, then flying is the best option for you. The closest airport to Brela is the Split airport and you’ll need a bit more than 1 hour of driving to reach Brela. If you have arrived in the middle of the summer, we suggest you take the motorway because local roads can be pretty congested with traffic.
If you come by airplane, we suggest you rent a car at the airport. It will allow you to easily explore all the parts of Croatia you want to explore. If you want to use public transport, there are frequent bus lines that connect Split with Makarska Riviera and you can reach Brela in no time. Unfortunately, there are no railway lines in southern Croatia.
the best time of the year to visit brela
Like any other tourist place in Croatia, Brela is most visited during the hot summer months of July and August. These are the hottest and dryest months in the whole year and they are the first choice for anybody who wants to enjoy just in sun and the sea. July and August are also the most crowded months of the year and all the beaches are full of people.
Vruja beach near Brela
The alternative to these mentioned months would be June and September. The weather is still warm and nice, although not so hot, and you can swim in the sea since it’s warm too. Much better option to visit Brela if you ask us. But you can’t miss either way. The second good thing about preseason and postseason periods is that there are fewer people around and everything is much more humane. All the outdoor activities are better too, take hiking for example.
introduction to things to do in brela
When it comes to things to do in Brela, you have many different options and we’ll list some of them which we believe are the best to make your Makarska Riviera holiday better. All of these things mentioned are outdoor activities in some of their best forms. Why? Because life is best outdoors.
Kayaking is one of the best things to do in Brela
If you are going to do some of these things in Brela, always make sure you’re doing it safely. Proper equipment is of the essence. Take hiking for example. If you are going to hike on a hot summer day, no problem, but leave early in the morning and take a lot of water. The same goes for any other outdoor activity around there. Just make sure you’re safe and enjoy.
exploring the Brela coast by kayak
Brela kayaking is one of the best things to do in Brela. Kayaking is a great thing to do anywhere, but when you have a beautiful part of the coastline like Brela has, then kayaking is one of the best options out there. Kayaking near the famous Brela is a must if you are planning on renting a kayak. There are some options to rent a kayak but there are also guided kayak tours available.
Kayaking in Croatia
Exploring secluded beaches by kayak
visiting the vruja
Next comes the Vruja, a unique landscape on the edge of Brela municipality. You can reach Vruja either by kayak or by light hike. It’s the landscape characterized by steep rock cliffs and it’s something you must see when staying in Brela.
Vruja landscape
It’s also a barren landscape with almost no vegetation. After every heavy rainfall, you can see water coming out of the depths and ‘boiling’ on the surface of Vruja. That’s because some underground passages lead rain through the nearby hills straight into the sea. Finally, that’s the reason why Vruja is called that way. The name Vruja can be translated as a ‘spring’ in the English language.
There are few nice beaches in this part and it would be a shame not to take a swim at them.
hiking to napoleon road above brela
Another interesting activity when it comes to things to do in Brela. There is a stone road just above Brela that was made by the famous Napoleon when he was waging wars across Europe. This road is still in very good condition and it won’t take you long to reach it. We suggest you combine the visit to Napoleon Road with other hiking routes in the Brela area.
Brela rock climbing area is also not so far away and you can visit this road before or after your rock climbing session.
trying a rock climbing in brela climbing area
We come to the more adventurous things to do in Brela. The rock climbing site in Brela is one of the best on the Makarska Riviera. There are many climbing routes with different difficulties. Some of these are good even for beginners. You can spot the Brela rock climbing site even from Brela itself, just look toward the slopes of Biokovo mountain and you’ll see a Croatian coat of arms painted on the rock. That’s it, that’s where you need to go if you want to do some rock climbing in Brela.
Rock climbing is in the domain of adventurous things to do in Brela
Since rock climbing can be a potentially dangerous activity, we suggest you take all the safety precautions and use all the safety equipment for rock climbing. If this is your first time doing this activity, find an agency that will show you the basics of rock climbing and enjoy your experience in the heights.
hike to nevistina stina and eye of the biokovo mountain
We come to the great old hiking. Nothing compares to it. Well, almost nothing. Hiking is one of our favorites on the list of things to do in Brela. There are a few peculiar rock formations known as Nevistina Stina and Eye of the Biokovo mountain located just above Brela. It’s not a long hike and we suggest you explore these unique places of Biokovo mountain.
Once again, if you are hiking in the summer, make sure you have proper hiking shoes and a lot of water. If you want to go for a longer hike, we recommend one to the Bukovac peak on Biokovo mountain. Gornja Brela village is the starting point and this hike is pretty light and not so steep. Enjoy!
go walking or cycling along the brela coastline
If you are not into adventure activities around Brela, then simply walking by the sea will do just fine. The same trails you would usually walk can be explored by bike too so it’s up to you to choose what way would you like to do it. Brela lungo mare (sea promenade) is going through the whole Brela and even further.
You can use these walking trails to reach nearby Baska Voda and other places of Makarska Riviera. it’s perfect for evening walks. If you choose to explore these trails by bike, you can get even further. There are few options to rent a bike in Brela so choose one and explore around.
And that’s it when it comes to things to do in Brela. But there are still some other places to explore.
exploring the rest of the makarska riviera
As you already know by now, Brela is part of Makarska Riviera. The whole Makarska Riviera is among some of the most beautiful landscapes of Croatia. It holds many places to discover and experience. When you’re done with exploring Brela, you should turn your eyes to the rest of Makarska Riviera.
Landscape of Makarska Riviera
And there is a whole Biokovo mountain to hike and discover. Some parts of this mountain are even proclaimed as a nature park. There is a road going through Biokovo Nature Park that could take you to all the best places in this protected environment.
There are many adventure options on Makarska Riviera and kayaking is just one of them. Some of the most beautiful beaches in Croatia are located on the Makarska Riviera. You already know that Brela Beach was proclaimed as one of the most stunning ones, but there are many more similar beaches just waiting to be discovered.
other things to see and experience in southern croatia not so far from brela
Finally, there are even more things to do near Brela if you step outside of the Makarska Riviera boundaries. If you were to go in the Split direction, the city of Omis is the first largest city you would stumble upon. It’s a beautiful city with an interesting past but what’s even more interesting is the Cetina River canyon that is located near the Omis. It’s a beautiful place made by the Cetina River. You have many options of things to do there and rafting tours are among the most popular ones in Cetina Canyon. We suggest you also experience the Via Ferrata experience in Omis.
If you choose to go south, in the direction of Dubrovnik city next thing you would reach after the Makarska Riviera are wonderful Bacina lakes. It’s a group of 7 lakes with beautiful nature which are located near the city of Ploce. There are many activities you can do on Bacina Lakes and make some great memories of this stunning place.
Bacina Lakes near the city of Ploce
Near the Bacina lakes, the unique landscape of the Neretva delta is located. It’s the landscape made by the Neretva River at the end of its journey. The most famous place of the Neretva Delta is the mouth of the Neretva River, famous for its numerous sandy beaches and known as one of the most popular places for kiteboarding in Croatia. Apart from this place, Neretva Valley is full of other beautiful places we suggest you visit.
Enjoy your Croatian adventures and explorations!
