Tradition&Heritage
Long before a film crew arrived with cameras and CGI dragons, the cliffs above the Makarska Riviera were already dragon country. Local folklore has echoed these creatures for centuries, in the names carved into the mountain, the shrines built to the dragon slayer, and the heraldic symbols of medieval lords who ruled this coastline long before the tourist season existed.
The Riviera stretches from Brela in the north, through Baška Voda, Makarska, Tučepi, Podgora, Igrane, Živogošće, Drvenik, to Gradac in the south, and dragons have left their mark along every stretch. Here are five places where myth and landscape collide.
1. The ultimate vantage point — Sveti Jure peak, Biokovo (1762 m)
Location: Sveti Jure (St. George) Peak, Mount Biokovo
Nearest towns: Makarska, Tučepi, Podgora
Naming Biokovo’s highest peak after Sveti Jure, St. George, the dragon slayer, was no accident. Local legend tells of a fearless soldier who faced a monstrous dragon terrorizing an ancient city, demanding the sacrifice of its children. When the king’s own daughter was chosen as the next offering, St. George appeared, tamed the beast with his lance, and secured a legendary victory of light over darkness.
Today, the dragon slayer stands as a permanent watchman above the clouds. Local lore says every thunderclap rolling across the Biokovo summit is a celestial battle between the saint and the karst’s untamed spirit, a fight with no final winner.
- Getting there: You can reach the summit via the Biokovo mountain road (Croatia’s highest road), entering the park through the Staza gate above Makarska. You can also reach it on foot via demanding hiking trails from Tučepi and Podgora.
- Essential: Buy tickets online in advance through the Biokovo Nature Park website; entry is time-slotted and cannot be purchased at the gate.
- Weather warning: Storms move in quickly over the peak even when the coast is clear. Check the forecast and our tips for tackling Biokovo before you set out.
2. Shrines of the guardian — Honoring the dragon slayer
Key stops: Tučepi, Brela, Drvenik
In the eternal struggle between coastal communities and the raw forces of nature- the bura wind, the sea, the mountain- the dragon slayer became the Riviera’s ultimate guardian. Along the entire coast, Sveti Jure watches over fishing boats and village squares from stone shrines and hilltop churches.
You will find dedications to St. George in Tučepi (the Church of Sv. Jure), Brela, and Drvenik, three very different towns, each quietly claiming the dragon slayer as its protector.
- Worth combining: The hilltop churches are often integrated into the hiking routes above each town. For Tučepi, the Church of Sv. Jure is within walking distance of the village center. In Drvenik, the walk also passes the medieval Gradina Fortress.
3. Noble symbols — The dragon of Kačić Square, Makarska
Location: Kačić Square, Makarska town center
Not all dragons on the Riviera were monsters to be slain. In Makarska, the dragon symbolized power, sovereignty, and maritime authority. For centuries, the noble Kačić family, medieval lords who shaped this coastline’s early identity, displayed a dragon as the centerpiece of their coat of arms.
Carved into stone and worn on shields, the Kačić dragon embodied the strength of those who commanded the Adriatic Sea. Their legacy lives on in the heart of Makarska, a short walk from the waterfront promenade, surrounded by the same stone that their builders cut centuries ago.
- Best combined with: The Franciscan Monastery and Malacological Museum, both a short walk from Kačić Square, and the Saint Peter Peninsula, where the town’s Roman and Byzantine roots are still visible.
4. The exact Game of Thrones location — Dvori ruins, above Baška Voda
Location: Dvori ruins
Nearest towns: Baška Voda, Brela
Historical period: 17th-century Venetian–Ottoman frontier
In 2014, the Game of Thrones production team surveyed much of the Adriatic coast before settling on the ruins of Dvori, a 17th-century stone settlement above Baška Voda, as the backdrop for Season 4 scenes. The raw, sun-bleached karst, the scale of the ruined walls, and the dramatic mountain air gave the location an atmosphere CGI alone could not manufacture.
Standing at the ruins today and looking up at the Biokovo peaks, it’s easy to imagine dragons breaking through the clouds. It is also only a short drive north to Brela, making it easy to combine with the hiking trails and pebble bays both towns are known for.
- Getting there: You can reach the ruins on foot from Baška Voda via the color-coded Green Trail. The route passes through Promajna and takes about 2–3 hours round trip.
- Tip: Dvori also appears on the Red Route, which loops through Brela, making for a full-day hike for those who want to explore the connection between the two towns.
5. From myth to living symbol — Greben and HRNK Zmaj
Location: Greben ridge, between Baška Voda and Topići
Long before any film crew arrived, the rocky Greben ridge, between Baška Voda and the hillside hamlet of Topići, was the setting for a completely different kind of legend.
Local memory recalls a football match between the neighboring villages of Topići and Bast that lasted three extraordinary days, ending with a score of 97:96. The endurance and fierce spirit of these people also live on in the name of the local club, HRNK Zmaj (Zmaj means Dragon), which carries the dragon as its symbol. It reminds us that on the Riviera, dragons aren’t just mythological creatures or a borrowed television prop: they’re the spirit of the place itself.
- Best combined with: The Red Route hiking trail from Baška Voda through Topići and down to Brela, passing through Greben and the area’s old stone hamlets.
Plan your dragons trail
You can combine all five sites into a two-day itinerary based in Baška Voda or Makarska. Day one covers Dvori, Greben, and the Kačić Square, all manageable before lunch. Day two takes you up to Biokovo and Sveti Jure, with time for the St. George shrines in Tučepi or Drvenik on the way back down.
