Gradac is a small coastal settlement located under Mount Rilic in the southeastern area of the Makarska Riviera. It belongs to the Split-Dalmatia County. It lies halfway between Dubrovnik and Split.
The town of Makarska is about 40 km north, the town of Ploce is 12 km south of Graz. The municipality consists of the settlements of Drvenik, Podaca, Zaostrog, Brist and Gradac and represents the end of the Makarska Riviera. The Graz area was already inhabited in prehistoric times. Stone mounds from the Bronze and Early Iron Ages were found in this area. During the reign of the Romans, Gradac probably belonged to the colony of Narona, which was an important Roman base on Croatian territory. The medieval town of Labinac or Lapcan was located on the territory of the current settlement. The Byzantine emperor Constantine mentions it under the name Labineca in the middle of the 10th century. Gradac was mentioned under its current name in 1649. It got its name from the fort, which was located on the hill above the present-day church of Saint Michael and was built during the Cretan War in 1645 as a defense under the Ottoman Empire. In the area called Crkvine, near the sea, there are remains of the Roman wall. On the hillside above the settlement, a quadrangular defense tower with firing lines has been preserved. Gradac has a small port. In it vessels with a draft of up to three meters can be moored to the long breakwater. On the opposite side, there is a pier with a sea depth of 3.5 meters. There is a safe anchorage in the bay Bosac in case of a strong southerly or gale. The largest local attractions are the partially preserved baroque church of St. Michael with an old cemetery, Franc Jozef I. Well, the Fountain of Croatia in the EU and a monument dedicated to fishermen and sailors.
Around the old settlement on the peninsula, a larger tourist settlement arose. Below it, along the coast, there are well-kept beaches. To the south of the port lies the pebble beach of Gornja Vala, which is the most beautiful and largest beach in the Makarska Riviera.