Makarska is one of the oldest cities in the Croatian part of the Adriatic. At the foot of the Biokovo massif (1762 m), life has been organized since prehistoric times. Among the archaeological sites, the oldest cave Bubnjavača, located above the shrine of Vepric, was inhabited as early as 6000 BC, the inhabitants belonged to the Mediterranean race and were engaged in hunting, fishing and animal husbandry. It was here that archaeologists found pottery with decoration elements corresponding to the Impresso culture of the Neolithic era.

Archaeological excavations, in particular burials in stone mounds, confirm the presence of life in the villages of Makra and Kotišina in the Bronze Age (2200 - 800 BC)

Ceramics of the Hellenistic era of the 3rd - 1st centuries BC. e. found on the peninsula of St. Peter.

At the moment of the greatest development of the Roman city, the Byzantine-Gothic war (535 - 555 AD) began, especially fierce in the Adriatic.

Makarska is mentioned in the 14th and 15th centuries during the reign of the Kacic royal family.

Makarska from the end of the 15th century until 1684 was under the rule of the Ottoman Empire, using the city for port trade. As a frontier town, it was often attacked by both the Venetian and the Ottoman sides, depending on who held it under control. Today, a part of the defensive wall built by the Venetians on the peninsula of St. Peter and the Great Citadel in Kotišine have been preserved.

Makarska met the end of Ottoman rule as a poor and weak city. In 1695, only 171 inhabitants lived in it, the number of which increased to 1000 already in 1703. Under the rule of Venice (1684 - 1797), the city received a distinctive architectural outline, which it has retained to this day. The baroque St. Mark's Cathedral was built on the central square of the city in 1700-1758 according to the designs of the leading Venetian military engineers. It also houses an altarpiece for the patron saint of the city, St. Clement, whose body was transferred from Rome in 1725.

After the fall of the Venetian Republic in 1797, Makarska was annexed to Austria, however, her power was short-lived, as already in 1806 Makarska was occupied by the French army. The Franco-Russian conflict in the middle of 1807 led to the fact that Makarska was bombarded by a Russian ship for several days, during which the city received significant damage. The short-lived French rule in Makarska was marked by a monumental monument to the French army in the form of a stone pyramid. It was installed in 1809. near the Franciscan monastery, later in 1881 it was moved to the western entrance to the city. The building was nicknamed the monument to Napoleon, as it is called today.

In the spring of 1815, an epidemic of plague came to Makarska, the population of which then amounted to 1575 people, as a result of a three-month epidemic, it decreased by more than a third. Demographic recovery to the level of an epidemic occurs only by the middle of the 19th century.

At the council of the community on October 24, 1865, a decision was made to introduce the Croatian language into official use. This date is also considered the Day of the City of Makarska.

In the center of the square under the cathedral, a bronze statue of the poet Andrija Kacic Miosic, by Ivan Rendic, was laid in the 1890s.

Since 1963, the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.

The malacological museum in the monastery was founded in 1963, the Botanical Garden in Kotiszyn was founded in 1984.

Today Makarska is a modern resort town with a developed infrastructure - shops, a bus station, a fish and fruit and vegetable market, banks, a post office, a hospital, a large playground, children's attractions, restaurants, cafes, fishermen and butchers.

There are many hotels in the city, night discos work, young people from neighboring cities come here for a fun pastime, along the promenade there are many cute shops, souvenir shops, Mediterranean restaurants and cozy cafes, as well as a sports center, a tennis center with professional courts, a diving center.

There are also naturist beaches (away from the main beaches) where bathing suits are optional, as well as beaches for dogs.

The beaches of Makarska Riviera are the best in Croatia.

There are many interesting hiking trails in the area of ​​the city - flat ones along the coast and mountainous ones along the Biokovo massif. On Biokovo Mountain (1460 m) there is a rather large climbing camp, so climbing enthusiasts can find here an exciting opportunity to conquer a new peak. In the Biokovo Alpine Park, at an elevation of 1762 m, there is an observation platform, from the height of which unusually picturesque landscapes appear.

The climate in Makarska is very mild, the number of sunny days is greater than anywhere else in Croatia, and the beaches are considered among the best on the Croatian coast. From the city of Makarska it is convenient to visit Split (60 km), Trogir (80 km), Sibenik (160 km), Dubrovnik (150 km), Krka National Park (210 km), Omiš (25 km).