Podgora

Podgora is a small town situated on the most beautiful part of the Adriatic coast – the Makarska Riviera. Life here has always been and remains dedicated to the sea, the same sea you can view as you walk on the long promenade stretching along the most beautiful Adriatic beaches. The experience of Podgora is felt simply by coming to this town.

The approximately 1,500 people who live in this town still live for the sea, while along with maritime affairs and fishing, tourism has been booming here for the past 50 years. The bora from Biokovo, which protects this place, takes care of the bright and sunny weather, and allows you to enjoy the spectacular sunsets you will love to share with your loved ones.

This small, vivid town can offer you far more than you could have ever expected. Enjoy the traditional ambience with all the benefits of a modern approach to tourism that we offer.

Many people agree that this town, located at the very centre of the Croatian coast, is the most beautiful place on the Makarska Riviera. The sea in Podgora is crystal clear, and the beaches are ecologically clean. There is, of course, a well-known Mediterranean gastronomic offering, and there is modern accommodation and numerous entertainment and sports venues that can make your vacation even more fun.

The uniqueness of the Podgora beaches, stretching over some 5.5 kilometres of coastline, is the result of a special connection between Biokovo and the sea. For thousands of years, the most beautiful pebble beaches of this part of the coast have been created by various natural processes.

In the greater Podgora area, there is an unknown, very large number of fresh water springs, and many of them have been nicely fixed up and walled off. The water wealth in this area was one of the reasons this area was populated very early. In the early 20th century, the streams that sprang out of them powered up to 24 mills, and the traces and cracks caused by the earthquake are still seen today.

Once the symbol of Podgora, the so-called Passage of Happiness was located on Sutikla. A rocky arch used to surge over the passage along the sea until an earthquake in 1962. Unfortunately, the earthquake demolished it, but the locals still call it the Road of Happiness.

In the ruins of many older houses in Podgora, you will easily find copper coins, which are part of our beautiful history. Since the time of the Venetians, the locals traditionally laid copper coins under the thresholds of new houses, which, according to tradition, brought happiness to that house, and the custom was maintained until the mid-20th century.

One of the most famous local legends tells the tragic story of Tekla. While at sea, a girl named Tekla died on a sailboat, and her father, broken by the loss of his only daughter, refused to throw her in the sea according to tradition. Sailing in the vicinity of Podgora, he found a spot that resembled a ship, its cypresses resembling a mast, which is where he buried his daughter, and it was, according to tradition, the first grave in the town that is today called Punta of St. Tekla.

There are many other local legends and remains of the ancient times, some of which you can still enjoy today. There is never a lack of stories in Podgora.