Makarska with Kids: What Works, What Is Too Long, and What to Check First

The short answer

Makarska works for families, with two caveats. The beaches are pebble, and many of the best activities have age or weight limits that the listings do not state. Give your children a beach morning, one short activity and a rest in the afternoon, and book the long trips only if you know your child can sit still for five hours.

What the age limits are, and are not

We have not found a minimum age in the listings for the zipline, the quad tours, the parasailing or the speedboat trips. The operators set them, and they appear in the “not suitable for” and participant information on each booking page. We do not give a figure, because any figure we gave would be a guess. Check before you plan the day around a child.

Short and easy

• The semi-submarine. Makarska: Semi-Submarine Tour with Views of the Seabed costs €14, lasts 30 minutes and has 4.3 stars from 57 reviews. The listing calls it a family ride: you look for sea life through underwater windows while circling the St. Peter Peninsula. It is the cheapest and shortest boat trip in our range, which suits a toddler’s patience.
• The beach. Tučepi has a gentle entry into the sea, and Punta Rata in Brela has pine shade. The full comparison is in the beach guide. Take water shoes.

Adventure, with conditions

• The zipline. The Tučepi zipline has 6 cables totalling 1,000 metres, takes about 2 hours and costs €70 per person, rated 5.0 from 397 reviews. For children, that is €70 each, and the limits are on the booking page.
• The Skywalk. The Biokovo Skywalk is a viewpoint high above the coast, reached by transfer or by tuk-tuk, quad or buggy. The transfer trip costs €45 and takes about 3 hours.
• Parasailing. See the parasailing guide and check the weight limits.

When it is a bad idea

• Boat trips of five to six hours. The shorter island speedboat trips cost €63 to €100 per person and take 5 to 6 hours. For small children that is long, with swim stops in open bays. For babies and toddlers, choose the 30-minute semi-submarine instead. See the speedboat comparison.
• Ten-hour day trips. Mostar takes 10 hours and a border crossing, Dubrovnik 9.5 to 10 hours. A child who dislikes coaches will have a hard day. Split, at 8 to 9 hours, is the lightest of the three, as the Dubrovnik or Split comparison shows.
• The middle of the day in summer. Pebbles are hot and shade is rare outside the pine woods. Put outings in the morning.
• Seasickness. If a child is prone to it, ask your pharmacist or paediatrician before you travel.

A sample day

Beach until lunch, a rest, then the semi-submarine in the afternoon. The next day, a morning on the mountain. The day after that, whatever the weather allows. Leave the 5-hour boat for the day when everyone is rested.

What a family budget looks like

Four people on the zipline is €280. Four on the semi-submarine is €56. Four on a €63 speedboat trip is €252. Those are listing prices per person, and children’s prices, where they exist, are on the booking page.

Our recommendation

For most families with young children, the semi-submarine plus a beach day is the easy yes. For older children, the zipline is the highlight; check its limits first. The longer outings are in the overview of day trips.