Split Airport to Makarska
About 65 km southeast of SPU with no direct airport bus; take the shuttle to Split's station and an onward coast bus (~1-1.5 hr), a seasonal Krilo catamaran, or a private transfer straight down the motorway.
Makarska, SplitSKas / Wikimedia, CC BY-SA 4.0Makarska anchors the Makarska Riviera, a strip of pebble beaches below the sheer grey wall of the Biokovo mountains, with a palm-lined promenade and a sheltered harbour bay.
Every way to get there
Our verdict: for Makarska, a private transfer is the easiest door-to-door option (from €90). Travelling light on a budget? The bus is cheapest (from €15) but slower, with a change in the city.
What it costs for your group
The bus is charged per person, while a taxi or private transfer is one price for the whole car — so the more of you there are, the better door-to-door value looks.
| Group | Bus (per person) | Private transfer | Best value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solo · 1 traveller | €15 | €90 | Bus |
| Couple · 2 travellers | €30 | €90 | Bus |
| Family of 4 · 4 travellers | €60 | €90 | Bus |
Which option should you choose?
| If your priority is… | Our pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Lowest price | Bus | From €15, though slower with a change in the city. |
| Speed & comfort | Private transfer | Door-to-door, fixed price, a driver waiting for you. |
| A group of 3–4 | Transfer or taxi | One flat fare splits cheaper than several bus tickets. |
| A late-night arrival | Transfer or taxi | Both run 24/7 when buses and the tram have stopped. |
By transport mode
Bus / shuttle
No single bus does the whole trip. Ride the ~€8-9 shuttle to Split, then a FlixBus, Arriva or Promet Makarska coach down the coast. Total time depends on the connection wait.
Where to catch it: Shuttle bay outside the terminal to Split's main bus station.
Best for solo & budget travellersFerry
A scenic warm-season alternative on the Split–Bol–Makarska–Korčula–Dubrovnik catamaran. Runs roughly April-October only; check krilo.hr for the current timetable.
Where to catch it: Board at Split's ferry port after arriving from the airport; the Dubrovnik-bound Krilo line calls at Makarska.
Best for scenic harbour crossingsTaxi
Direct down the A1 motorway and coast road. Pricey for the distance — agree the fare in advance, as long runs are where street-taxi quotes vary most.
Where to catch it: Taxi rank outside arrivals or via the Bolt app.
Best for small groups in a hurryPrivate transfer
One motorway hour with no changes, priced per vehicle — so four or more travellers split it and it beats juggling two buses with luggage.
Where to catch it: Driver waits in arrivals and loads your bags.
Best for families, groups & late arrivalsCar rental
A good base for the Riviera and Biokovo park, where buses are thin. The coast road is easy driving; Makarska has paid parking near the harbour.
Where to catch it: Terminal rental desks.
Best for travellers who want to exploreMakarska & Split in photos
Buying tickets in Split
Croatia uses the euro. City bus line 37 (Trogir-Split) stops on the main road near the airport and reaches central Split in about 55-60 minutes for roughly €3, paid in cash to the driver, with limited luggage space. Faster is the official Platanus airport shuttle to the city bus/ferry terminal, bookable at the counter or online (Pleso Transport stopped serving Split in early 2026). Have euros ready for the local bus, as the driver sells tickets onboard for cash only.
Taxi scams & safety in Split
Use the official taxi rank; metered fares to the centre usually run about €25-35, but confirm the meter is running or agree the price before departing to avoid an inflated flat quote. Decline drivers soliciting inside the terminal. Croatia allows ride-hailing, so Uber and Bolt operate at Split Airport, with pickup in the parking area in front of the terminal and typical fares around €25-40, often giving a clearer upfront price than a rank taxi. Watch for added luggage fees.
Getting from SPU to Makarska
Makarska is about 65 km southeast of Split Airport, and the catch is what sits between the two: the city of Split itself. Almost every route down to the Riviera funnels through Split's bus and ferry hub before carrying on along the coast, because nothing runs from the airport straight to Makarska. Budget somewhere around an hour and a quarter of moving time for the fast options, and considerably more if you are stitching two buses together with beach kit, a pushchair and a cooler bag. Here is how the choices actually stack up for a family aiming at the strip of pebble beaches below the Biokovo wall.
Sixty-five kilometres, and Split sits in the middle
The single fact that shapes this whole trip is that Makarska lies past Split, not before it. From arrivals you first cover the short hop to the city, then follow the coast road southeast under the mountains. That geography rules out the tidy one-seat airport bus you might find for a closer town. Instead you are choosing between doing the Split leg and the coast leg separately, or paying one driver to do both in a single run down the A1 motorway and back onto the shore road. Everything below is really a version of that decision.
The two-leg bus: shuttle to Split, then a coach down the coast
The cheapest way through is a relay. Take the Platanus shuttle from the bay outside the terminal to Split's main bus station, which runs after each flight and costs roughly €8-9. From there you catch a FlixBus, Arriva or Promet Makarska coach along the Riviera; those run close to hourly and add the rest of the fare, so the whole thing lands in the €15-22 range per person. Reckon on about two and a half hours all in once you count the connection wait, and that wait is the wildcard — miss a coach by ten minutes in the shoulder season and you are sitting at the station for a while. It is the honest budget pick for a couple travelling light. For a family hauling a summer's worth of luggage across two vehicles, the saving starts to feel earned the hard way.
The Krilo catamaran, if you land in summer
Between roughly April and October there is a prettier alternative that skips the coast road entirely. The Krilo (Kapetan Luka) catamaran, the same Split–Bol–Makarska–Korčula–Dubrovnik line that carries island-hoppers, calls at Makarska once or twice a day. You would get from the airport into Split's ferry port first, then board there; the sailing itself takes about 90 minutes and costs somewhere near €15-22. The trade-off is rigidity — one or two departures daily means your flight has to line up with the boat, and outside the warm months it simply is not running. Check the current timetable on krilo.hr before you count on it, but if the times fit, gliding down the coast past the islands beats another bus every time.
One motorway hour, door to door
When you want the two-leg problem to disappear, three options put you in a single vehicle. A private transfer through Welcome Pickups or a local firm is the one that fits a family best: the driver waits in arrivals, loads the bags, and covers the whole 65 km down the motorway in about 65 minutes with no changes and no station hunting — priced per vehicle at roughly €90-120, so four or more travellers split it and it comes out level with, or under, two bus tickets each once you add the shuttle. An airport taxi or a Bolt does the same journey on demand for about €80-110, though long runs are exactly where street quotes drift, so pin the fare down before you pull away rather than trusting the meter over that distance. Renting a car is the other single-vehicle answer and the most useful if you plan to explore: desks at the terminal open for arrivals, the coast drive is easy, and a small car runs about €30-55 a day. The Riviera and the Biokovo park reward having your own wheels, since buses out to the villages and trailheads are thin — just know that Makarska charges for parking near the harbour, so factor that into a long stay.
Short version: land in summer with the timetable on your side and the Krilo catamaran is the memorable way in. Travelling as a family with real luggage, a per-vehicle transfer straight down the motorway saves the most sanity for the least fuss. And if the Biokovo villages are on your list, pick up a hire car at the desk and drive it yourself.
