ITINERARY: THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO HVAR ISLAND, CROATIA
My #1 can’t-miss destination in Croatia is Hvar Island, and lucky for us all, it’s easy to get to! Hvar is the perfect stop to discover the Croatian islands, swim in crystal-clear waters, and experience the nightlife of Croatia. Check out my guide for how to spend your time on Hvar Island, with my main focus being on staying in and around Hvar Town.
Looking for more inspiration for your trip to Croatia? Check out these blogs:
This guide is focused on Hvar Town and seeing as much as you can in two full days.
Hvar is an island about an hour’s ferry ride from Split, and has become very popular in recent years for its beautiful crystal-clear waters and great party scene.
Pictured: The view of Hvar Town from the fortress at the top of the island
Hvar is one of the main islands to travel to in Croatia, so it’s pretty easy to get to as long as you’re coming from the coast. From Split, it’s only an hour-long ferry ride and ships leave multiple times per day. From Dubrovnik, it’s the same but a 4.5-hour-long journey. I highly recommend traveling via ferry whenever possible in Croatia as it’s the most beautiful way to see the country. You can book your tickets here via DirectFerries or you can book them in person at the ferry terminal in town.
Pictured: Some of the beautiful stone homes in Hvar Town.
The populated and visited parts of Hvar Island are fairly close to each other, so you probably won’t need any transportation while you’re on the island as long as you’ve booked accommodation in or near town. If you want to explore some areas that are further out (more details on that below) you can rent a scooter or four-wheeler from town. I recommend renting the scooter for only one day, as you’ll be able to see the whole island in that amount of time.
A few popular scooter rental spots are:
- Dino Rent: One-day rental starting at 50€
- Antonio Rent: One-day rental starting at 40€ in low season
- Rent4Fun: One-day rental starting at 40€
Pictured: One of the alleyways in Hvar Town.
This blog is mostly about what to do, see, and eat around Hvar Town on Hvar Island. However, there’s a whole other main town on Hvar called Stari Grad, as well as a ton of other smaller villages to check out, too. Below is an overview of where I recommend staying in each place for 2 people.
Notes:
- Noise Levels: There’s a noise ordinance in Hvar requiring outdoor businesses & parties to close after the sun sets, so while you usually can’t sleep well at ‘party hostels’ on other islands, you’ll sleep just fine on Hvar. Even though I’ve vowed to never stay at a party hostel again, I made an exception for Hvar.
- Price: Croatia is generally expensive so paying 50€ for a dorm bed in a hostel is standard and hotels will be more expensive.
Hvar Town
If you’re only on Hvar for a couple of nights and want to experience the island’s nightlife, stay in Hvar Town.
- Hostel $: Dink’s Place – This is where I personally stayed on my trip to Hvar and loved it.
- Airbnb $$: Studio “Top View”
- Hotel $$$: Amfora Hvar Grand Beach Resort
Stari Grad
Stari Grad, being less touristy than Hvar Town, is also generally cheaper.
Smaller Villages
I recommend staying in smaller villages if you’re traveling with a bigger group, including children, and you plan to rent a vehicle for your time on the island.
- Hostel: N/A
- Airbnb $$: Penthouse East
- Hotel $$: Apartments Toro
Pictured: One of the alleyways in Hvar Town.
Below is an overview of some of my favorite things to do on Hvar. From exploring the rocky coastline to boating to nearby islands to relaxing on the beaches, there’s no shortage of activities to do on Hvar.
One of my favorite things about Croatia is the stunning rocky coastline that extends throughout the country, which is best seen on display on Hvar Island. While there are many beaches to check out there as well, people will often just find a good rock along the coast and set up shop for an afternoon. You’ll find that the rocky areas are less crowded than the beaches and also have easy access to swimming in crystal-clear waters as well!
To find these rocks, head down Šetalište Tonija Petrića, which is the main walking street around the island. To find this, you can type in Amfora Hvar Grand Beach Resort into your maps and stop at any of the walkways that you see leading up to it. My favorite spots were about 450m (a 5-minute walk) before you hit the hotel beach chairs on the water.
Pictured: Some of the rocks found around Hvar Town.
Looking for beaches over rocky coastlines? There are plenty of sandy beaches and alcoves to check out on Hvar as well.
Below are a few of my favorites:
- Pokonji dol Beach: About a 30-minute walk along the coast from Hvar town is Pokonji dol Beach, a small beach with crystal-clear water and plenty of room for sunbathing. This is a great beach to check out if you want something less crowded than those in town but not too far away as well. The walk over to the beach is equally as exciting as the beach itself, so even if you don’t have enough time to relax on the beach, I’d recommend taking a stroll over to it regardless.
- Strand Mekićevica Beach: Another 15-minute walk past Pokonji dol is Strand Mekićevica, a much more secluded beach that’s equally (if not more) beautiful than Pokonji dol. This beach is a favorite amongst locals (that’s who I found out about it from) and they highly recommend stopping at Pachamama, a bar and restaurant right before you hit the beach. Because it’s further out and less well-known than Pokonji dol, there’s a good chance you won’t run into even one other tourist during your time there.
- Plaža Malo Zaraće: Continuing on the Coastal Walk in the same direction for about an hour, you’ll come upon Plaža Malo Zaraće. If you’re not interested in walking the long distance from town, I’d recommend visiting Zaraće on the day you rent your scooter. Zaraće is similar to the two beaches listed above but because it’s further removed from Hvar Town it’s even more secluded than Strand Mekićevica.
- Plaža Dubovica: The furthest beach on this list, and therefore the most secluded and likely rid of tourists, is Plaža Dubovica, located past Zaraće and is most easily accessible by scooter rather than foot.
Pictured: A beautiful view of the small beach, Križa, near Hvar Town.
Beyond relaxing on the beaches and swimming in crystal-clear waters, watching the sunset at the fortress was my favorite activity I did on Hvar. Atop the hill above Hvar Town is the Fortica Fortress, which is a medieval fortress whose construction began in the 12th century. While you can enter the fortress to find a small museum, instead I recommend finding a seat on one of the benches outside and enjoying the gorgeous view of the sunset over Hvar below you.
Getting There
The walk to Fortica Fortress takes about 15 minutes from the Port of Hvar downtown and is basically a straight walk uphill. Head to Kroz Grodu, a walking street in town, to find the stairs to start your journey. After about a 5-minute walk uphill, the path will dead-end and you’ll walk through a wrought-iron gate to a curving path leading up to the fortress.
Pictured: The view of sunset from the Fortica Fortress.
Stari Grad is the other main town on Hvar Island besides Hvar Town itself. While I didn’t get a chance to go there on my two-day trip to the island, I hear it’s a can’t-miss destination.
The Basics
Stari Grad is the less touristy town on Hvar Island, so it will be less crowded and less expensive than Hvar Town.
Getting There
Stari Grad is easily accessible and you can actually get there via ferry on your initial trip to Hvar or via a couple of different methods once you’re already on the island.
- Via Ferry: When you grab your ferry in Split or another main coastal town, you can opt to land in Hvar Town or in Stari Grad. Through this method, you can start or end your journey to Hvar in Stari Grad or you can just take a day trip through the options below.
- Scooter: Via rented scooter (rental options listed above in this blog post) it takes about 30-45 minutes to get to Stari Grad. I’d recommend combining your trip to Stari Grad with a few stops at the beaches that are further away from Hvar Town as well.
- Taxi: If scootering isn’t your thing (although it’s highly recommended), you can also get to Stari Grad and around Hvar Island via taxi. The taxi ride to Stari Grad should cost around $35 USD and you can find one near the port in Hvar Town.
Hvar is known for its party scene and I was equally impressed by the food there as well. Check out a few of my favorite places to eat & drink while exploring Hvar Island.
This was my favorite restaurant I ate at on Hvar! Serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner options, Fig has a wide variety of foods and is located in a quaint alleyway removed from the bustling area of downtown. No reservations required.
Pictured: Delicious dinner at Fig Restaurant in Hvar Town.
During my study abroad semester in Budapest, Hungary, I was awarded by my classmates with the superlative “most likely to be spotted at the kebab shop”. As such, it’s important to me to find the best kebab shop in every city I visit. On Hvar, that’s Kebab Factory.
Tip: Grab your kebab and take it up to the Fortica Fortress for sunset.
Pictured: A kebab with a view at Fortica Fortress.
The best bakery on the island and a great spot to stop after a long night out (which you’ll have plenty of on Hvar).
Tip: Try the burek, which is a local pastry made of meat or cheese with yogurt.
In case you weren’t already aware, Hvar is a party island. While you totally can have a great time on Hvar without partying, in recent years it has begun attracting a crowd of young travelers looking for a great party and it has delivered on their ask. Below is an overview of the best party spots on the island.
The first recommendation I have for anyone looking to party on Hvar Island is to join a bar crawl hosted by many of the hostels on the island. I stayed at Dink’s Place Hostel and they organized it for us with a lot of other hostels in the area.
Hula Hula was my favorite bar I went to on Hvar! It’s an entirely outdoor bar that’s within walking distance from downtown. It’s only open until 10 PM because Hvar has a city-wide noise ordinance that outdoor bars can’t be open past then. Don’t worry though, there are plenty of other great places to check out until the wee hours of the morning, but Hula Hula is the perfect place to start your night.
Carpe Diem is the most iconic bar on Hvar and probably the one you’ll hear about most during your time there. In fact, it’s also where the bar crawls end their nights, so you can kill two birds with one stone. The reason it’s so iconic is that it’s only accessible by boat because it’s actually located on one of the smaller islands nearby! Taxi boats leave from Hvar’s main port every 20 minutes throughout the day and then start leaving Carpe Diem at midnight to head back to Hvar.
