Hi, everyone! This week, let me take you to the first stop of my Croatia island hopping tour: Makarska! This is my favourite town in Croatia because… you’ll see 😉
Before writing this blog, I wrote about Salve Di Mare, an elegant small cruise that was my home at the sea for this 7D6N Croatia island hopping tour.
Usually, people go for Greek island hopping, but why did I choose Croatia island hopping? I have a few reasons:
- I’m a fan of Maksim Mrvica (a famous piano player from Croatia) and wanted to visit his hometown
- Too many people went to Greece, it turns me off. Croatia is more interesting to me
- The beautiful Adriatic Sea 😍 🌊 ✨
On 27 April 2024, the cruise departed from Split.
The route: Split – Makarska – Korcula – Mljet – Dubrovnik – Hvar – Split
We only stayed for one night in each town, except in Dubrovnik and Split, where we stayed for two nights. Hmm… is one day enough to explore the towns?
In my opinion, yes. Most of the towns are small, you can explore them in less than a day.
Alright, these are the reasons why I love Makarska:
Croatia Island Hopping – Makarska is a Lively Town
In general, the towns in Croatia are small and quiet except for Split, Dubrovnik, and Zagreb. When I planned my Croatia island hopping, I hadn’t heard of Makarska and had no expectations.
However, as soon as my cruise docked, I could see a lively street! In addition, there were mountains, a tourist street, a huge park, a shopping mall, sea, and neighbourhood area.
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I’m not sure if the town was lively that day because of a festival, but I could see a mix of locals and tourists everywhere.
People wandered on the streets, chatting at the cafes, children played in the parks, etc… This lively town gave off a good vibe – I felt excited to explore it!
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Croatia Island Hopping – Makarska Has Beautiful Parks
Like other towns in Croatia, Makarska doesn’t have any shopping streets. You will find cafes and restaurants here instead of branded shops and souvenir shops owned by the locals.
So, besides food hunting, you’ll likely stroll in the park when in Makarska!
When I was there, I went to two parks – one for hanging out, complete with tables and chairs made of hays. Another one was a park near the beach, meant for leisure walks with pets or kids.
Exploring this town was relaxing because the road wasn’t busy and you’d be walking in a neighbourhood area. The pace was slow, just nature and me-time…
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I was happy exploring Makarska as it wasn’t a very small town. Most importantly, a good, long walk in the parks helped me to digest my lunch and gelato so I could have dinner later 😜
The only thing that I wished I had done in Makarska is checking out the shopping mall. Yes, there was a small shopping mall near the port!
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Croatia Island Hopping – The Food Price in Makarska is Reasonable
Croatia isn’t as popular as France, Italy, or other European countries, but the food is more expensive than those countries!
Here are why it’s expensive to live/travel in Croatia:
- Croatia makes around 19% from tourism
- They recently transitioned from Kuna to Euro
- Game of Thrones movie boosts tourism = chance to increase prices
- During winter, no tourists = shops and restaurants are closed. The locals have to prepare no income for 4 months
Despite being a less popular destination to some people, Croatia is actually a popular destination among celebrities. My friend’s mother recently went there and met the author of Bridgerton 👀
There’s even a high-end club on a tiny island which is frequented by football stars and celebrities!
Okay, back to Croatia island hopping and Makarska. In this town, you can find places with reasonable food prices.
There’s a popular cafe, Romana, famous for its gelato and desserts. Although I just had lunch not long before the cruise docked, I made room for one scoop, hehe! 😍🍦✨#pistachiogelato
Then I walked around the town and took some photos. After that, I started to check out some restaurants for dinner. By ‘check out’, I meant checking the menu and prices 😂😂😂
If you’re a budget person like me, I highly recommend Bounty. To me, Bounty is the only restaurant in Makarska where you can enjoy a sunset sea view and dine at a reasonable price.
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My fried calamari with fries was 14 euros. For the drink, I think I ordered mixed fresh juice with ginger… it was around 4-6 euros. If you want to save money, you can fill your water bottle with tap water.
I usually do this in Europe… After paying, I will go to the toilet and refill my water bottle from the tap. Then exit the restaurant and drink 😁😁😁
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Croatia Island Hopping – Charity Festival and Live Band in Makarska
During our Croatia island hopping, we only stayed for one night in Makarska yet on that day there was a charity festival with a live band in the evening.
The festival was held to commemorate someone named Mike. I didn’t get the full story of what happened to this guy, but I hope he rest in peace.
The festival drew many locals and tourists to the park near the port, where our cruise docked. In the morning and afternoon, there were sports competitions.
In the evening, there were some food and drink stalls + live band. I’m not a night person, so after the group dinner, I checked out the live band for a while then returned to the cruise.
There were too many people smoking – I disliked it! As for the music, although the singer sang in Croatian, but the beat was catchy. If it wasn’t because of the smoke, I would stay longer…
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So yes, during my 7-day Croatia island hopping trip, I was the only one who slept early 😊✨😴 #healthy
Alright, this is the end of our Makarska trip. I hope you enjoyed reading this blog. Have a wonderful July!
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