Starigrad is a 15th-century pirate fortress located near Omis, Dalmatia. Starigrad fortress fortification is sited on a 262 meters above the sea level.
The fortress was built during the Croatian-Ottoman wars as main defense against the Ottoman Empire. In the event of an attack, the fortress could be used as a shelter for local inhabitants.
The pirate fortress is located at the very top of the mountain, so climbing there is quite difficult. If you are in the city for only 1 day, it is better to visit the city itself and the second fortress, which is located much lower. But if you have a lot of free time, it is definitely worth to visit it. There are very beautiful views from the top of the mountain.
There are 2 trails to the top of the fortress. One is from the city side, second is from the opposite side. Regardless of which road you choose, you need to wear comfortable shoes. There will be a lot of stones on the way. In some cases, the ascent / descent will be quite slippy.
Expect that you need at least an hour to reach the top and an hour to get back.
It is also worth considering that it is necessary to take a sufficient amount of water with you, but keep in mind that there is no toilet in the fortress.
Entry price and opening hours
Entrance price: 20 kuna. Only cash is accepted .
Opening hours: 7:00 - 20:00
Upstairs you will be met by an employee who will ask you to pay for entry.
Fortress climbing routes
There are two options in total - from the city side and from the river. Both are heavy enough if you're not used to climbing mountains.
The beginning of both routes is shown on the map below:
The picture below shows the routes (from the point of the city beach). The fortress is marked in green. The first route is conditionally shown in red, because it is located behind the mountain and is actually not visible in the photo.
First route
The first route (marked in red) is from the river side. This route starts from the free parking behind the tunnel.
Pros: there is a shadow almost on the whole rise, while on the other route is full of sun. Here the sun will only be at the very last stage of the rise.
Cons: it is more rarely used, the last stage is quite difficult - you have to climb at large stones. If this route is suitable for rising up, we do not recommend it for descent - stones can slip from under your feet, it will be harder to descend than to climb. When climbing this route, do not expect many beautiful landscapes, there will be a lot of trees aruond. Only at the last stage there will be a beautiful views.
Route example photos:
The last stage looks something like this:
The red arrow hints in which direction to continue:
Views at the last stage of the climb:
Second route
The second route (blue on the map) is a route that starts from the city side. Although it looks shorter on the map, you still need to add a piece to get from the center of Omis, so they are approximately equal in time.
Pros: it’s easier to go, there are no noticeably quite difficult sections (compared to the first route, where the last stage is quite difficult). It’s easier to go down (there are stones too, comfortable shoes are also obligatorily, but overall the descent is easier). The views are more interesting.
Cons: on a summer day there is a sun and there is no shadow, it is very hot. It is better to go either early in the morning or in the late afternoon.
Photos from this route:
If you do not like to walk the same route several times, then a good decision would be to climb along one side of the slope, and go down along the other. In this case, it is best to climb along route 1, and to descend along the second.
Photos of the fortress itself and the views from it are shown below:
Photos
