Brela

“Combining good looks with a bit of jet-set style, Brela’s been a favourite of the rich and famous since the swinging Sixties.”

Brela

The sleepy, popular town of Brela can be found on Dalmatia’s Adriatic Coast. It’s set in the foothills of the pine-cloaked Biokovo Mountain. Drive for about an hour from here, and you’ll reach Croatia’s second-largest city, Split.

Forbes front-runner

Pan your eyes down past the leafy forest that blankets Brela, and you’ll spot its famous coastline. The area boasts 6 kilometres of sand-and-pebble beaches. Brela’s best one, Punta Rata, once came in at number 6 in American magazine Forbes’ countdown of the world’s most attractive.

Island daytrips

Brela’s a good starting point for daytrips to some of the other thousand-plus Croatian islands. Take a boat across to Hvar, for instance, and you’ll come across the pretty Renaissance buildings and lavender fields that have earned this island its nickname of the ‘Croatian Madeira’.

A taste of Dalmatia

Brela’s sea-facing taverns plate up seafood straight from the Adriatic Sea – baked octopus and squid-ink risotto are both local favourites. It’s not all about the fish, though – you’re likely to see pršut at the top of every menu. It’s a smoked ham, a lot like Italy’s prosciutto.