Last Updated on June 3, 2023 by Ellen
Omis Croatia is about a 40-minute bus ride south of Croatia’s second largest city, Split. We picked Omis for a month-long stay in the area because it was so stunningly beautiful.
The mountains come right up to the edge of the sea. Our rental was on a rocky land point that jutted out from the cliffs. On one side of our rooftop terrace, there was the Adriatic Sea. From other sides, we saw mountains and fortresses.
Omis used to be a place for pirates to protect stolen loot. Today it’s filled with kind people who are predominantly Christian.
Church bells ring several times a day. It has a romantic feel with all of those bells ringing several time a day. There are about 15,000 people who live here year-round, and there are a half dozen churches in the small town.
There is no stop light in town. Cars actually stop for pedestrians in the walkways.
There is only one main road through town, and it splits the place in two. To the west: the Adriatic Sea, beaches, and the outlet of the Cetina River. To the east: mountains, rock climbers, and upriver into the Cetina River Canyon.
When we first arrived in mid-May, hardly any tourists were around. It was the shoulder season. We felt like we had the beach all to ourselves. I spent time outside reading, taking dips in the cold Adriatic Sea, sunned myself, relaxed after several weeks of our non-stop travel through Western Europe.
In the low season, Omis, Croatia, is the perfect place to find peace and quiet. Some shops and restaurants don’t open up until the high season, when tourists go on the hunt to find paradise once schools let out for the year.
Suddenly – it was June! I saw more tourists on the beaches and in the small village. They started to fill up restaurants and shops. Each day new people arrived for their summer holidays and vacations. We had to share this peaceful, sweet spot on the Adriatic. Locals told me it’s packed in the high season, and prices soar. And those cars that stop for pedestrians? Tourists behind the wheels might not have as much patience as traffic jams clog the town’s only main road.
Aside from sea-based activities and the rock climbing I mentioned, Omis offers hiking, rafting, canoeing, a zip line and other sporting activities. All in a picturesque base from which to start.
Soviet-era high-rise buildings are a reminder in Omis of the not-too-distant socialist past. There are many concrete-socialist buildings in Split away from the tourist zone. But today, Croatia is a democracy and a member of the European Union.
During our visit, people were helpful and kind, and a surprising number of locals know English — even away from the tourist areas. We were once helped by an elderly woman waiting for a local bus in Split where not many tourists go. We were in that area of Split to make a transit connection on a day trip to Trogir, which is larger than Omis. We had a pleasant day trip wandering around the old town of Trogir, but it wasn’t as scenic as Omis. In Omis, you cannot take your eyes of the mountains and fortresses and the gorgeous sea water.
Whether it’s day trips, sporting activities, or lazy days on the beach, Omis is a great place to relax and enjoy time as it slips by.
The pictures on this post give a taste of what it’s like, by my really old iPhone 6 just doesn’t do it justice. Check out the official tourism site here to see more beautiful pictures of beautiful Omis Croatia.
I would absolutely come back here in the future.
🙂
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Wow, that tunnel through the mountain is breathtaking!!!
Beautiful!