Makarska Riviera is one of the most beautiful places you can visit in Croatia. Still, there are many smaller places scattered across the whole Riviera and Drvenik is just one of them. Since you don’t want to come to Drvenik and spend your whole holiday just laying on the beach and enjoying the sun, we bring you our top things to do in Drvenik.
Because it deserves to be explored just like any other place on Makarska Riviera.
about drvenik
Drvenik is a small place in the south of the Riviera. In fact, 2 villages were made in 2 separate bays so there is Drvenik Gornja Vala (Upper bay) and Drvenik Donja Vala (Lower bay). Both of Drvenik villages are picturesque Dalmatian settlements that started as a fishing settlement for the people living in the old villages of Makarska Riviera.
Drvenik is officially part of the Gradac municipality which consists of other villages: Gradac, Brist, Podaca, and Zaostrog. Each of these places is easily accessible from Drvenik.
You see, the people of Makarska Riviera were living in villages that were much higher than the places they live today. There was no tourism at that point and they started to move closer to the sea as more and more tourists were coming to Croatia. All of these old villages are still up there, closer to the mountain peaks than to the sea. They lay mostly abandoned now but more and more people are renewing the old houses which are now used as vacation homes.
Both of Drvenik bays have beautiful beaches that are pretty crowded during the summer months. The beaches stretch along with the whole village and it’s the most important place during the summer. If you are not a fan of crowded beaches, there are few secluded beaches near Drvenik and you need only a few minutes of a car drive to reach them.
getting to drvenik
It’s rather easy to come to Drvenik. A main coastal road is going right through both Drvenik villages. If you are coming by airplane, the closest airport to Drvenik is Split airport and you would need a 2 hours drive to reach it. Frequent bus lines are connecting all the places of Makarska Riviera with Split so you should have no problem with transportation.
However, we always suggest anyone coming by airplane to rent a car in Croatia. It’s simply the best and most economical way to explore this beautiful country. Another fact that goes in the favor of this claim is the beauty of Makarska Riviera scenic road which has been proclaimed as one of the most beautiful scenic routes in Europe. The main advantage of renting a car is the ease of reaching any place on Makarska Riviera by it.
introduction to things to do in drvenik
When you finally come to this beautiful village, it might seem to you that you don’t have a lot to do around except swimming and laying on the beach. Well, that’s not completely true because there are many other things to do in Drvenik.
Don’t expect cinemas and concert halls since it’s a rather small place made for a quiet and peaceful vacation. Still, there are many bars along the main beaches of both Drvenik villages and you can try some of the local fish specialties in them.
If you wish to have more content than Drvenik has to offer, especially when it comes to urban areas contents as large shops, Makarska is the closest place to you. It would take you 30 minutes of a drive to reach Makarska.
But don’t go away yet, we’re starting with things to do in Drvenik.
take the ferry and explore hvar island
Famous Hvar island is one of the most beautiful of all Croatian islands and it’s just 30 minutes of a ferry ride away from Drvenik. That’s right, the ferry port is situated in Drvenik, and exploring the Hvar island is a must when visiting this village of Makarska Riviera.
The ferry price of Drvenik – Sucuraj line is 16 HRK per adult person and 8 HRK for children from 3 to 12 years old. We are talking about summer season prices in one direction here. Since the car is the best option to explore Hvar island, you’ll pay 108 HRK for a car under 2 meters in height. If you are traveling in a van, the ferry ride for it will cost you 186 HRK.
It’s not so expensive and nothing is stopping you to explore this beautiful island. Just have in mind that a lot of people are traveling to Hvar in the summer months so you might wait in a ferry queue for a while.
Once you’re on the Hvar island, we suggest you travel to the other side of it and visit some of the most popular places like the city of Hvar, Paklinski islands, and Red rocks. There are also numerous beautiful beaches scattered all across the island.
hike to the gradina monument
There are a lot of legends about the Drvenik area and the Gradina monument above Drvenik is the source of many of them. There are still remnants of the old fortress standing proud to this day. Gradina fortress was very famous during the war with Ottomans who were conquering surrounding areas.
Gradina today is a viewpoint with a huge historic value. There is no entrance fee of any kind and it would take you some 40 minutes of an easy hike to reach it. Presuming that you’re starting from a sea level. There is a hiking path that leads to Gradina.
If you are not willing to walk, you have the option of going by car because the paved road leads almost all the way to Gradina. Once you are up there, we suggest you explore the Kostanica greb, a stone monument to the eternal love of two young locals. Drvenik old village is also worth exploring and if you are an adrenaline lover, the Drvenik rock climbing site is situated just above Gradina fortress.
Who said that there are no things to do in Drvenik?
swim at one of the secluded beaches of the drvenik area
We already mentioned that both of the Drvenik villages have vast beaches right in the center. And these are perfectly fine and nice, as long as you are ok with a lot of people being around you which is a usual sight in the middle of the summer.
On the other hand, there are many smaller beaches near Drvenik and we suggest you visit them. Duba and Vira beaches are larger ones, and they are never too crowded because of the limited parking space available on the main road. Both of these beaches are situated just 5 minutes of a car drive away from Drvenik. You could also easily reach them by bike.
Then there are many other smaller beaches suitable for swimming. Finally, if you really want to be alone, the cliffs are the way to go for you. There are many places on the cliffs that have easy access to the sea and they are mostly empty since everyone prefers pebbled beaches.
go cycling and explore the old villages of the drvenik area
Cycling is one of the best things to do in the Drvenik area and the best way to discover the surrounding area. We would advise you to rent a bike for at least one day while you are in Drvenik. There are a few reasons for that. First, all the places along the sea are connected by a walking/cycling trail. You could easily reach any place of Gradac municipality on your bike.
Secondly, there is the road connecting all the old villages of the Drvenik area. This road is not paved and it’s perfect for a cycling adventure through the past of these areas. Trust us, you’ll discover much more than you expected.
Apart from the historic value, this cycling trail is one of the most scenic routes of Makarska Riviera. During the whole ride, you’ll be rewarded with some of the best views of the Riviera and mountains above it. One last thing, few steep places are harder to pass if you are not an experienced cyclist so we suggest you walk these parts.
embark on a sea kayaking adventure
We always leave some of the best things to be the last. Although we love everything you can do in the Drvenik area and we have tried all these things mentioned in this article, kayaking is still one of our favorite things to do in Drvenik.
We organize the only kayaking tours in the Drvenik area and both of them cover some of the most beautiful places on the Makarska Riviera coastline.
Sunset kayaking tour is the tour that is organized between Vira beach near Drvenik and Zivogosce Mala Duba. It’s set in an afternoon mood when the sea and the mountains are lit by the fading afternoon sun. It’s an easy and relaxing tour with a few stops at some of the most beautiful beaches of Makarska Riviera.
Another kayaking tour we organize is the night kayaking tour, one of the most unique adventure tours in Dalmatia. It takes place on the same piece of the coastline, not so far from Drvenik. But this time, we paddle in a totally different environment, with stars above us and glowing plankton underneath us. It’s one of the most peaceful experiences you can have during your Makarska Riviera holiday. We also stop for a night swimming and snorkeling.
exploring the rest of makarska riviera
Although this article covered the things to do in Drvenik and near it, it would be a shame not to explore the rest of Makarska Riviera while you’re staying in Drvenik. There are many places to see and experience to make your holiday in Croatia more fulfilling.
Makarska is the largest city of Makarska Riviera and there are pretty much all the contents you could find in a city of such size. The old city core and St. Peter’s peninsula are the places worth visiting while in Makarska. Nugal, a beach that was proclaimed as one of the most amazing beaches in Croatia is located not so far from Makarska city center.
Then there is a Biokovo mountain rising above the whole Makarska Riviera and gives that special sea and mountains mood in the overall landscape. Biokovo mountain is a familiar place for any hiking enthusiast coming to Croatia. Part of the mountain is the nature park and as such, it’s definitely a place we suggest you visit.
Makarska Riviera is full of secluded beaches, in fact, some of the best beaches in Croatia are situated here. We made our list of favorite beaches, check it out and you’ll see what we are talking about.
Hope we have helped with this list of things to do in Drvenik. Feel free to explore more and contact us if we can be of any help.
