A hole in the rock above Brela: hiking to the Biokovo Eye

Above Brela on the Makarska Riviera, an easy trail climbs the flank of Biokovo. It starts in Kričak, the upper part of the village, follows the bends of the old Napoleon's road, passes the Nevistina stina rocks and the Šuplja stina rock arch, known as the Biokovo Eye, and ends at the Pakline shelter. The Brela tourist board gives 5.2 kilometres, three hours of walking on average and a highest point of 840 metres, and rates the tour as easy (TZ Brela). For anyone on the Riviera in autumn it makes a half-day outing with views across to Brač and Hvar.

Napoleon's road at the start

The first stretch is an educational path between dry-stone walls. Information boards tell its story: under French rule at the start of the 19th century, General Auguste Marmont, governor of the Illyrian Provinces, had a road built through all of Dalmatia, from Obrovac near Zadar to the Bay of Kotor in Montenegro (TZ Brela). Above Brela it was meant to link the coast with the road behind Biokovo. When the French left, this section stayed unfinished (Split-Dalmatia Tourist Board). You can still walk its bends today, and since 2017 the road has been listed in the Register of Cultural Property of Croatia.

Bride's rock, pine forest, rock arch

A few minutes after the end of Napoleon's road stands Nevistina stina, the bride's rock. A Brela legend sees a wedding party in the stones, turned to rock at its first sight of the sea. Two trails cross here: one leads to the 16th-century chapel of St Nicholas, the other into the Pakline forest. The black pines gave the forest its name: their resin, paklina in Croatian, was once used to seal ships' hulls. After the forest a ridge opens up with views of Brela, Brač and Hvar. Soon after comes Šuplja stina, a rock with a large hole through which you look down on Brela and the Riviera. From there it is a little under 30 minutes to the Pakline shelter. The Croatian Mountain Rescue Service HGSS flew the wooden hut onto the ridge by helicopter (TZ Brela).

What it means for visitors

• Daylight: After the clocks go back, the sun sets early in Brela: by our calculation at 16:45 on 1 November, 16:29 on 15 November and 16:18 on 30 November. The tour ends at the shelter, so the walk back comes on top of the three hours. Starting from Kričak around 11:00 in November leaves enough margin.
• Supplies: Neither the tourist board nor the nature park mentions anywhere to eat or drink on the way. Pack water, food and a head torch.
• Guided: If you would rather not go alone, local agencies run guided hikes; the Brela tourist board points to them.
• Weather: In bura wind or rain the ridge is unpleasant. The outlook for the month is in our November weather guide.
• Combine: The Skywalk is on the Makarska side of the range; how to get up there is in our Skywalk Biokovo guide. What Brela offers down by the sea is in our Brela guide.

More trails from the Riviera

The Biokovo Nature Park lists 19 marked hiking trails (Park prirode Biokovo). This selection runs from easy to medium, with the climb to Sveti Jure at the bottom for comparison.

Trail 10 on the park's list shares its start with the Pakline tour: it also passes Nevistina stina, but from there continues via Sokolove staje to the chapel of Sveti Nikola.