Hvar sits fifty minutes south of Split by passenger catamaran, anchored by a sixteenth-century Venetian harbour and ancient limestone alleys. The island is known for sun-cured Plavac Mali reds, olive oil mills, and quiet maritime coves. Hvar is worth visiting if you want to drink dry island wine over wood-grilled sea bream after walking sixteenth-century fortress ramparts. Look elsewhere if you need soft sandy beaches, budget rail connections, or flat terrain that spares your knees.
Last updated 20 Sept 2026
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The Bed
Which part of town to book, and what each one costs you in walking, noise or quiet.
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The blogs, boards, guides and operators worth bookmarking.
Life in Hvar Town centres on the smooth paving stones of Saint Stephen Square and the harbour quayside. Mornings belong to espresso at the corner cafe and wooden skiffs leaving for the Pakleni islets, while evenings draw walkers up the stepped alleys of Groda for carafes of Pošip. It suits independent walkers, history lovers, and anyone who prefers honest grilled fish over frantic sightseeing checklists.
Start with morning coffee on the main square before climbing the pine switchbacks to Fortica for the panoramic view. After noon, grab a bowl of peka or gregada at a shaded back-alley konoba, then take a twenty-minute coastal walk out to Pokonji Dol for an afternoon swim off the rocks. Finish on the waterfront with a glass of Plavac Mali. Select 1 Day above to see it.
Day two calls for a fifteen-minute taxi into the island interior. Walk the ancient stone lanes of Stari Grad and explore the agricultural fields of the Greek chora. For dinner, head into the abandoned stone ruins of Malo Grablje to eat lamb slow-roasted under an iron bell at Konoba Stori Komin. Choose 2 Days to expand the plan.
A third day lets you rent a small boat from the harbour to potter through the islets of Sveti Klement and Marinkovac. Drop anchor in quiet coves away from the beach clubs, swim in clear water, and settle into a terrace table in Palmižana for fresh squid and wild greens.
Order gregada, the classic fisherman broth of white fish, potato, garlic, and local olive oil simmered slowly in shallow pans along the Riva.
Taste bold Plavac Mali reds and crisp Bogdanuša whites in cellar taverns carved directly into limestone around Svirče and Jelsa.
Walk the 1612 Public Theatre inside the Arsenal and climb the 1579 Spanish Fortress overlooking the Pakleni islands channel.
Step inside Saint Stephen Cathedral on the main square and inspect the Renaissance polyptychs in the 1461 Franciscan Monastery cloister.
Follow the shaded pine path south past Pokonji Dol bay for clean swims off flat limestone slabs into deep, cold turquoise water.
Explore the UNESCO-listed Stari Grad Plain, where ancient Greek stone parcels still yield olives, figs, and dried lavender.
Book ahead for octopus or veal peka, baked under a heavy iron bell buried beneath glowing wood embers in hilltop konobas.
Hire a small wooden skiff from the harbour to reach quiet pebble coves and pine-shaded taverns across the Pakleni archipelago.
Arrive at the morning market beside the bus station early for wild sage honey, salted anchovies, and fresh local figs from nearby groves.
Climb the steep rocky trail to Sveti Nikola, the island highest peak at 628 metres, for views across Korčula and Vis.
Wander the abandoned stone hamlet of Malo Grablje, deserted in the 1960s, where one family still fires up an old konoba hearth.
Visit the Benedictine Convent in Hvar Town to see delicate lace woven by nuns using sun-dried threads of wild agave leaves.