I’ve been to Croatia many times and have been lucky enough to see most of the major tourist destinations in that beautiful country, but there are still some places I’m yet to visit. One of the towns that was on that list until recently is Omiš. I drove through it numerous times, and was in awe since the first time I saw it through the car window. The view was just spectacular – a town sandwiched between the sea and the mountains, with River Cetina cutting through a tall mountain, creating a deep valley. Stunning! A few weeks ago, I finally had a chance to visit Omiš. Here’s how I spent an afternoon there.

Getting To Omiš

Omiš is located just south of Split, and one of the major roads running along the Croatian coast goes through the centre of Omiš. That means that it’s easy to get to by car, but you can also use one of the many coaches that go through Omiš. Pretty much all coach services connecting Split with Makarska or Dubrovnik stop in Omiš.

Omiš is around a 20 minute drive from Split, or 45 minutes from Makarska, depending on the traffic. If you’re staying in one of those towns, it’s easy to make an afternoon trip to Omiš.

I stayed in Makarska and didn’t have a car, so we decided to go by coach.

Coffee and Sweet Treats

We got off the coach near the Old Town and naturally, I was craving a coffee. We had a brief stroll through the narrow roads of the Old Town and spotted a crepe cafe that immediately caught our attention, called Shookolat. We sat down for an iced coffee and indulged in delicious crepes with lots of sweet fillings. Yum! My sister chose a KitKat inspired crepe with chocolate and biscuits, and I went for strawberry and cream option. The menu had over 20 different options and it was a truly difficult choice!

Souvenir shopping in the Old Town

Satisfied with the caffeine and sugar, we went on a walk around the Old Town, on a quest to find the best fridge magnets – an obligatory point of every sightseeing trip in my family. The Old Town of Omiš is small but charming, with the limestone alleys filled restaurants, cafes and souvenir shops. We managed to find some good magnets and were ready for the next part of our trip.

Uphill walk to Mirabela Fortress

We went to visit Mirabela Fortress, located on the side of a mountain closest to the Omiš Old Town. There were signs marking the way towards the fortress all around the Old Town, so it wasn’t hard to find. It was a little bit of an uphill walk, but it inly took a few minutes to reach the entrance. There was an entrance fee of €5 per person (cash only). From that point, there was still some distance to the top of the fortress. The final part of getting to the roof of the highest tower required climbing a few flights of stairs and then a steep, metal ladder. Certainly not an accessible viewing terrace, and probably not the best place for those with a fear of heights. But the view from the top was stunning!

The fortress is rather small and there isn’t much beyond multiple viewpoints, but the panoramic views are worth the climb and the entrance fee. If you’re ever in Omiš, I recommend visiting Mirabela Fortress. It’s just a stone’s throw away from the Old Town!

There is another fortress in Omiš – Fortica – located much higher, on top of the tall mountains. I imagine the views from that place must be even better! If I have a chance to go to Omiš again, I will definitely try to go there. We only planned to spend an afternoon in Omiš and didn’t have time for a longer hike. From reading Google reviews, it seems that a walk to the higher fortress is a moderately demanding, hour-long hike.

In the photo below, you can see both fortresses. The one we managed to visit is in the bottom-left, while the higher one is in the top-right.

Sunset on the beach

Next, we went back down to the Old Town and headed towards the beach. It was close to sunset and we wanted to admire it from the seafront. Whilst we were walking there, a huge, colourful parrot flew above our heads. Those majestic birds are not native to Croatia, and we certainly didn’t expect to see one! I wonder if it was an escaped pet? The parrot landed on a tree and started to munch on some fruit or nuts, completely ignoring the small crowd that gathered to observe the unexpected guest.

The sun set behind a hill, painting the sky in all shades of orange. We watched it for a few moments before heading back towards the Old Town.

Omiš Old Town at night

We had about 20 minutes left to spare, but it was plenty enough for the small Old Town in Omiš. I love seeing Croatian towns at night, with the beautiful buildings lit up and the crowds enjoying a cheerful evening over delicious food. We walked towards Mirabela Fortress again, and it was stunning at that time of day.

Time to go back home

Finally, it was time to head to the bus stop and wait for our coach. So let’s talk about public transport in Croatia! There are a few companies providing services between major cities. One of them, Flixbus – a large company with services all around Europe – is well in the 21st century, with online live tracking of your bus. The smaller, regional companies, on the other hand, don’t provide such luxury. And although there’s a timetable, the coaches aren’t perfectly punctual. We had no idea where our bus was, but we knew that it was the last service that day! Waiting for 30 minutes at the bus stop gave us a small adrenaline rush before the delayed coach finally appeared. It was comforting to see that there were others waiting for the coach too, some looking like locals – we kept believing that the bus would eventually turn up, and it did. And some 40 minutes later we were back in Makarska, satisfied with an afternoon well-spent.

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