The lovely coastal town Omiš is about thirty to forty minutes south of Split on the Croatian Dalmatian coast. There are fortresses, the mountaintop Mila Gojsalić statue, river adventures, a charming stone old town and beautiful pebble beaches to explore.
We exited Split and went south taking the back road on the far side of a mountain south to county road 70, then instead of going down the mountain into Omiš, we took the road up the mountain to the Mila Gojsalić statue. Views of both the meandering river and the sea are stunning as a backdrop for the statue which symbolizes bravery.
The Mila Gojsalić statue is five kilometers above Omiš, to hike it would be a lot of uphill; it’s best to drive. In the year 1530 the Ottomans were threatening the area. Legend has it that the beautiful Mila sneaked into the tent of the Ottoman leader Ahmed Pasha to seduce him. When he fell asleep she set fire to the Ottoman camp. Some of the Ottomans saw her and chased her, she ran from them and jumped over the cliff to her death. The villagers restored by her bravery, attacked the remaining Ottomans pushing their troops out of the region for good. Her sculpture remains as a symbol of bravery.
After enjoying the spectacular views of the river valley and sea we drove down into the town and took the Put Borka road up the mountain to the Starigrad Fortress; it’s possible to walk from the city center, but it’s a long walk up lots of steps. We drove as far as we could then hiked the rocky rough trails to the fortress. The ticket price to enter the fortress was 20 Kuna per person. There is a room to the far side of the fortress with steps to the top with amazing views. The sights on the fortress are worth the hour-long hike. It took us twenty minutes to hike down to where the car was parked.
Onawa was exhausted
After our hike we drove down the mountain to the beach for a swim and picnic. The Beach Bar Fortica has the coolest atmosphere for a break after swimming. When we were properly relaxed we walked into the center. We left the car parked by the beach because parking is hard to find in Omiš. We walked through the charming old town and then next to the old church where walked up the steps to the Mirabella Fortress. The fortress costs 30 Kuna per person. The steps lead all the way to the top room where there is a ladder then bars to pull up to the top.
There are a lot of cute shops and lovely restaurants to explore in the old town. Omiš also has a lovely river with rafting adventures. We didn’t do a rafting trip, but next time I’m around I plan to raft, or kayak- it looks like a lot of fun.
Tips:
I would recommend going to Starigrad early in the morning because it gets really hot and bring plenty of water. It isn’t a hard trail, but it’s steep and there are no trees covering the trail, just the sun beating down. Allow for two hours, one up, time to take pictures and then twenty, to thirty minutes to hike down.
Take the seaside road back to Split, or wherever you’re going, it’s a lovely drive.
I thought this was pretty cool, it’s a rental pirate boat
There is also a third smaller fortress on the other side of the tunnel from Omiš.
