Brela is the first village you hit on the Makarska Riviera when you drive south from Split, and for many people it is also the last one they need. About 1,600 people live here, squeezed between Biokovo mountain and a long chain of pebble beaches with pine trees growing almost into the sea. Punta Rata, the beach with the little rock and its pine trees standing in the water, has been on so many “most beautiful beaches in Europe” lists that the rock probably has an agent by now.
I have lived in Dalmatia for more than 20 years, and Brela is where my family goes when we want a proper beach day. We drive down from Split once or twice a year, usually in June or at the end of August and beginning of September, and in earlier videos I have said that, in my opinion, Brela has the best beaches in Croatia. This summer I came back with a camera to film the whole coastline, and the visit confirmed it. It also taught me a few things I did not know, even after all those beach days. Here is what Brela is really like, what it costs, and who should (and should not) book a holiday here.
Brela at a glance
- Population: around 1,600
- Distance from Split: 52 km
- Distance from Split Airport: 71 km
- Distance from Makarska: 15 km
- Tourism: around 100,000 guest arrivals and 600,000 overnight stays a year (Croatian Bureau of Statistics, 2025)
- Bosnian border (Osoje crossing): about 47 km, roughly one hour by car
- Promenade: about 6.5 km of paved coastal path, from Jakiruša cove to Loznica Beach
- Beaches: pebble, not sand. Bring water shoes if you have sensitive feet
- Best for: families, couples, swimmers, anyone who wants a quiet beach holiday
- Not for: party people, museum hunters, anyone hoping for cheap parking in August
- My tip: arrive before 9 am in summer to park close to the beach
Where is Brela?
Brela sits at the northern end of the Makarska Riviera in Central Dalmatia, between Omiš to the north and Baška Voda to the south. The village is in two parts. Donja Brela is the coastal part with the beaches, hotels and promenade, where you will spend your whole holiday. Gornja Brela is the older village up behind the mountain, which most visitors never see.
Behind everything stands Biokovo, the grey limestone wall that makes the Makarska Riviera look the way it does. Out at sea you have the islands of Brač and Hvar. On a clear morning, the view from the promenade is as good as anything on the Croatian coast.
The promenade: 6.5 km of pine shade
If you only do one thing in Brela apart from swimming, walk (or run) the lungomare, the coastal promenade. It runs for about 6.5 km, from Jakiruša cove in the northwest to Loznica Beach in the southeast, where Brela turns into Baška Voda. You can keep walking into Baška Voda (or even to Makarska) if your legs and your ice cream budget allow it.
Between the centre and the Brela stone, the path runs through pine forest right above the beaches, so even in the middle of the day you walk in shade with the sea a few metres away. Further northwest towards Jakiruša, the trees thin out and the shade is limited. It is flat, paved and easy with a pushchair. In the evening it fills up with families, joggers and couples looking for a sunset photo.
It takes about 1 hour and 15 minutes to walk the whole way, and along the coast you have several options for refreshments or even a full meal.
Beaches in Brela
Brela is all about the beaches (as you can see from my photos in this article), and the good news is that there are a lot of them. The whole coastline is one long string of pebble beaches and small coves, so if one spot is full, you just walk five minutes further. Here is something I only learned properly on the filming visit: the big pine trees that give natural shade grow mainly along the beach from the centre to the Brela stone. Northwest of the stone, there is very little natural shade, so bring a parasol or rent one.
Along the beaches in Brela, you have several public toilets; most of them charge a fee (50 cents or 1 euro). Some of the larger ones have staff on site to make sure the toilets are in good condition all day long.
Loznica Beach
This beach is at the southeastern end of Brela, starting from the Berulia Hotel, and it has some of the finest gravel you will find in the Brela area. Loznica is only partly shaded by pines, so make sure to bring a parasol. On Loznica Beach, you can find an inflatable aquapark and rent paddle boats and other water sports equipment.
When you walk towards the centre from here, you will come to the only stairs along the lungomare in Brela. The stairs are there because a large rock stretches into the water. Beneath the rock, you can find Medvidina Cave, which offers a small beach area with plenty of shade.
Of course, this makes it a popular spot, so you have to come early if you want to spend the day on the beach here.
Brela Soline Beach
The next beach, just before the centre, is Brela Soline Beach. The first part is a relatively narrow pebble beach, but before you reach the centre, the beach becomes much wider. Here you can rent sunbeds, parasols and SUPs, and there is also a coffee bar and restaurant by the beach. As the beach is on the south side of the centre, you also have easy access to the shops and bars there. This beach gets very crowded in peak season.
Soline Beach
Soline Beach is the first beach after the centre when walking north, and it also gets really busy during the summer season. Here, too, you can rent sunbeds and parasols, and there is an inflatable aquapark and various water sports activities. At the end of the beach, there is a pier with a kids’ playground and trampolines. As the beach is in the centre, you have bars, restaurants and a supermarket nearby.
Maestral Beach
The next beach is Maestral Beach, in front of the adults-only Hotel Maestral. This is another amazing pebble beach, relatively narrow and therefore quite busy in the summer season. As the hotels line up just behind the lungomare, you have easy access to the food places run by the hotels. In terms of natural shade, Maestral is one of the best beaches in Brela.
Punta Rata (Filipinska Beach) and the Brela stone
Punta Rata is the famous one. It sits exactly where the beach and the lungomare make a 90-degree turn. The first part of the beach runs from east to west, and after the turn, it runs from south to north. This part of the beach is also called Filipinska, and it is here that you find the famous symbol of Brela: the Brela stone, which has been featured in many international magazines.
The Punta Rata beach area has lots of natural shade, and the south-to-north part of the beach is quite wide.
At Punta Rata, you can of course rent sunbeds and parasols, as well as paddle boats, as we have always done on our beach trips.
We always pick Punta Rata / Filipinska Beach for our beach days, mainly because we can park nearby.
Podrače Beach
The next beach is Podrače, a small beach in a cove. Personally, I think this is the most beautiful spot along the beaches in Brela. The beach has fine pebbles, so it is a great spot if you have smaller kids. On the west side of the beach, there is a large rock. Years back, I remember we could climb up the rock and jump into the water, but the wooden ladder has now been removed, so I assume it was deemed too dangerous. Most of the beach has no natural shade, so make sure to bring a parasol.
Šćit Beach
Heading west from Podrače, the next 500 metres are a mix of narrow beaches (some with natural shade) and rocks until you reach La Bomba restaurant, which was full when we passed. After the restaurant comes Šćit Beach, another nice pebble beach. Here we found a diving school (Bikini Dive), so if you are into underwater exploration, this is the place to go! Along this part of the beach, there are also apartments right on the lungomare.
At the beach, you can also find the beach bar Stari Porat and a small port.
Stomarica Beach
Stomarica Beach is in the next cove, where there are a few more houses, which is probably why you find several restaurants along the lungomare here. The cove also has a small port where locals keep their small fishing boats. There is no natural shade on Stomarica Beach.
At the end of Stomarica Beach, there is a cocktail bar called Waikiki, where we made a pit stop when we were filming.
Podcrkavlje Beach
The next few hundred metres after Stomarica are a mix of rocks and a few smaller pebble beaches, one of them a dog beach. It is along this part of the lungomare that you find another photo point in Brela: the heart you see here.
After the photo point, you reach a cove with Podcrkavlje Beach, another really nice pebble beach with a few food places. This beach does not have much natural shade either. There is also an outdoor gym and a playground by the beach.
After Podcrkavlje, there are a few hundred metres of mainly rocks along the lungomare.
Jardula Beach
In the next cove, you find Jardula Beach. There is also an outdoor gym by the large rock, as well as the Lero Beach Bar. The beach has a few pines, so if you arrive early, you can find a shady spot.
Jakiruša Beach
The last beach in Brela is Jakiruša Beach, a smaller cove at the northwestern end of Brela. It is also the end of the nicely paved lungomare and therefore a good turning point for the walk.
If you like cliff jumping, you can do that here too. We filmed several brave young people making acrobatic jumps.
At Jakiruša, you will find Restaurant Burin, where we had the cheapest fish lunch we saw anywhere on our travels through Croatia.
How we do a beach day in Brela
Most of our Brela trips are day trips from Split, and after many years we have a routine. We leave Split at 7 in the morning and arrive in Brela around 8. That is not because we love early mornings, but because at 8 you can park close to the beach. 2 hours later you are parking far away and carrying all your gear a long way.
And there is always a lot of gear: towels, beach bags and a cooling box with sandwiches and drinks for the day. We rent a few sunbeds and a parasol. In the noon hours when it gets too hot, we usually walk under the pines to the centre.
If you are not staying in Brela, I can only recommend doing it the same way. If you arrive at 10 in July, you will understand why.
What a beach day in Brela costs
This is the part the big travel sites never tell you, so here are the prices I paid or saw on my visit in summer. Treat them as approximate, because prices change every season and sometimes between neighbouring beach bars.
- Sunbeds: around €8 to €12 each per day
- Parasols: around €6 to €10 per day
- Grilled orada (sea bream) lunch offer at Restaurant Burin: €14. Expect to pay €15 to €20 for lunch in most places
- Coffee: around €2 to €2.50
- Public toilets: 50 cents to €1
- Parking near the popular beaches: we paid €30 for the day when we filmed, and spaces are limited. In June and September, parking is cheaper, around €20 a day
So a couple wanting two sunbeds and a parasol should budget around €25 to €35 a day for the beach alone. Add €30 for parking, and a day at the beach in Brela is not cheap. If you are staying in an apartment within walking distance, leave the car at home. If you are driving in for the day, parking is where Brela gets expensive, and if you arrive late, you can end up with a long walk to the beach.
The cheaper option is the Croatian classic: bring your own towel and a cooling box, and find a spot under the pines between the centre and the Brela stone. That is free, but in summer you need to be early to get one.
Is Brela good for families?
Yes, and it is probably one of the best family beach villages on the Makarska Riviera. The central beaches have natural pine shade, the promenade is flat and car-free, there are green park areas, and the whole place is calmer than Makarska. Many beaches slope gently, although on pebble beaches it always pays to check each spot before the kids run in.
The one thing to know is that Brela is not built for teenagers who want nightlife. Evenings are about a walk, a pizza and an ice cream. If your teenagers need more, Makarska is 15 km down the road.
When to visit Brela
July and August are when Brela is at its fullest. The beaches near the centre and Punta Rata get packed, parking becomes a sport, and prices are at their highest. If you come in peak season, arrive before 9 in the morning to park near the beach, and walk northwest past the Brela stone towards Jakiruša to find space.
We always do our Brela day trips in June, or at the end of August and beginning of September. In the weeks in between, Punta Rata is too crowded for my taste. In June and early September, the sea is warm, the hotels are open, the crowds are gone and the light on Biokovo in the evening is something special. Late May and early October work too if you are mostly there to walk and do not mind a fresher swim.
We filmed in Brela on the 31st of July, the absolute peak period, so what you see in the video and photos is Brela at its busiest.
Where to stay in Brela
The big hotels in Brela belong to the Bluesun group. I have not stayed in them myself, so I will not pretend to review them, but here is how they compare on the main booking sites:
- Bluesun Hotel Berulia: the top hotel in town, beachfront with pools, spa and sea views. Rated around 8.9 out of 10. Good for families and couples
- Bluesun Hotel Soline: beachfront, with spa, indoor and outdoor pools. Surrounded by the sea on three sides in places. Rated around 8.7 to 8.8
- Bluesun Hotel Marina: renovated, near the beach, solid mid-range choice. Rated around 8.4 to 8.8
- Bluesun Hotel Maestral: near Punta Rata in the pine forest, quieter, with adults-only options. Rated around 8.8 to 9.2
- Bluesun Mala Berulia: smaller, with outdoor pools and sea and mountain views, near Podluka beach in neighbouring Baška Voda. Rated around 8.8 to 9.0
If you want more space or want to cook for yourself, there are hundreds of private apartments in Brela. When I look for apartments, I usually check Direct Croatia.
Book early for July and August, because the good ones near the sea go fast. Check the recent reviews carefully: most hosts are great, but with private rentals the quality varies a lot more than with hotels.
Eating out in Brela
Brela has a good choice of konobas, pizzerias and beach restaurants, and the prices surprised me in a good way.
My advice is the same as everywhere in Dalmatia: the family-run konobas a little away from the beachfront usually give you better food for the money than the places with the best view. If you see peka on the menu (meat or octopus slow cooked under an iron bell in the embers), order it, but often you have to order it in advance.
At Restaurant Burin in Jakiruša we had grilled orada (sea bream) with blitva (Swiss chard) and a cabbage salad. It was a lunch offer at €14, and in the evening the same plate costs around €20. That was the cheapest price we found anywhere in Croatia this year for a comparable meal, and it was a great meal, not a compromise.
We also checked the menus at other places in Brela, for example Pizzeria Nikolina near the centre, and the prices were very reasonable.
Things to do near Brela
Biokovo Nature Park
Biokovo rises straight up behind Brela and is one of the best places for hiking in Dalmatia. There are marked trails from easy walks to serious climbs to the peaks, old stone paths like the French Road (Napoleon’s Road), and views down over the Adriatic to Brač and Hvar. Start early, bring more water than you think you need, and do not underestimate the heat on the bare limestone in summer. If you prefer an organised trip, consider joining one of the tours to the Biokovo Skywalk (still on my bucket list, but I am not too fond of heights 😉).
Baška Voda
Walk the promenade southeast, and you end up in Baška Voda, a slightly bigger village with a small harbour, more cafés and a livelier evening atmosphere. Alternatively, go by car; there is parking in the centre.
Makarska
Makarska, 15 km south, is the main town of the riviera with a proper old town, a harbour promenade, shops, and the nightlife Brela does not have. It is an easy evening trip.
Omiš
North towards Split, Omiš sits where the Cetina River canyon meets the sea. It has an old town, fortresses above it, and rafting and canyoning on the river. Omiš is good for a day trip, but for an evening out, Makarska is the better choice.
Bosnia and Herzegovina
With the Osoje border crossing about an hour away, a day trip to Mostar or Međugorje is possible with a car, but it is a long day. Bring your passport, and make sure to turn off data roaming, otherwise you are in for an expensive surprise.
Brela or Makarska: which should you choose?
This is the question I get asked most about this part of the coast, so here is my honest answer. Choose Brela if you want beaches, shade, a quiet evening and a holiday where nothing much happens, in a good way. Choose Makarska if you want restaurants, bars, shops and a town around you. Many people stay in Brela and drive to Makarska for an evening, and that is a very good combination.
My verdict on Brela
I have said it in earlier videos, and this visit confirmed it: in my opinion, Brela has the best beaches in Croatia. The pine shade is a gift on a hot day, and the promenade is one of the best coastal walks in Dalmatia.
It is a perfect place if you are looking for a beach holiday where the beach, swimming and a relaxed atmosphere are your main priorities. Brela is also great for younger kids: there are plenty of water sports activities along the beaches, and they will for sure love it here.
Be aware that parking is expensive, so try to get an apartment within walking distance of the beach. Also keep in mind that some beaches in Brela get really crowded in July and August. If you can, come in June or September.
Don’t go to Brela if you are looking for historic towns, international cuisine and a rich nightlife; consider Makarska, Split, Dubrovnik or Zadar instead.
