Soline Harbour

Why it is worth your time

Soline harbour is Brela's heart in the sense the beaches never were: a small port with a dozen boats, a stone waterfront and a row of cafés in which the town sits all year, not only in July. The name comes from the former salt pans, tiny basins in the rock in which sea salt dried before tourism became the main business; the salt left long ago, but the name and a few hollows in the stone remained. Here one sees how Brela works out of season: fishermen mend their nets, pensioners hold their tables, and kids jump off the pier.

For the visitor this is the best introduction to the town, with taverns offering fish from this very shore and a view of Brac across the channel. In summer the excursion boats leave from here for Bol, Hvar and the Zlatni Rat, and the mooring is the departure point for speedboat rental. Sit with a coffee at nine in the morning, before the beaches wake: half an hour at Soline shows you Brela without the postcard.