Things to do in Hvar
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Hvar
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Best months: warm sea by June, lavender late June, everything open, prices and crowds below peak.
Best months: September to early October has the warmest sea, harvest and the festival tail.
Shoulder with caveats: April is beautiful and quiet but half the restaurants and boats are still closed and the sea is cold.
Worst for heat, crowds, prices, ferry sell outs and Blue Cave queues, workable only with an early and late strategy.
Winter: many hotels, restaurants and boat operators close entirely and ferries thin out.
What's on
- Hvar Summer Festival June-September
Theatre, ballet, klapa singing and concerts at the Veneranda stage, the Arsenal and historic venues.
- Lavender Festival 3-5 July
Harvest, distillation, lavender products and village music in Velo Grablje at peak bloom.
- Hvar Town Day / Feast of St Stephen Usually late September to early October
Processions, concerts and a local post season mood.
- Grape harvest September
Harvest on the Plain and in the southern vineyards, when wineries are at their most alive.
Best things to do in Hvar
Španjola Fortress
16th century fortress above town with the best harbour and Pakleni views from its ramparts.
Cathedral of St. Stephen
Layered church at the end of Pjaca that anchors a guided first hour through 700 years of town history.
Franciscan Monastery
Serene Renaissance cloister and museum with a famous Last Supper, the calm antidote to harbour noise.
Benedictine Monastery
Nuns here make lace from agave threads, a UNESCO recognised craft and a meaningful local souvenir.
Palmižana
Developed Pakleni bay with botanical gardens, clear swimming and beach restaurants reached by water taxi.
Pokonji Dol Beach
Closest proper pebble beach to town, a 20 minute coastal walk east with a lighthouse islet offshore.
Mekićevica Beach
Quiet double pebble bay on the coastal path beyond Pokonji Dol, with exceptionally clear water.
Robinson Bay
Small cove at the end of the east coastal walk, reached on foot through pine shade or by water taxi.
Where to stay in Hvar
Hvar Town Old Town / Pjaca
first trip, all-round base, car-free trips
Catamaran landing, boat taxis and the best restaurants are within a ten minute walk, but lanes are steep.
West of the centre: Fabrika / Amfora Bay / Podstine
pools, beaches and quiet glamour
Flat pine shaded coastal walk west of the harbour with larger rooms, pools and quieter nights.
Stari Grad
slow travel, families with a car, and value
A real harbour town with cheaper rooms, the car ferry and the Plain to cycle, and low key evenings.
Jelsa and Vrboska
families, repeat visitors and budget trips
Small north coast harbour towns with family beaches and noticeably lower prices than Hvar Town.
Interior villages and vineyard stays (Pitve, Vrbanj, Dol, Svirče)
wine trips and total quiet
Family wineries and farm stays among the vines, magical for wine trips but you drive for every swim.
Think twice about
- Riva / Fabrika harbour front, Hvar Town
Highest prices for the worst sleep in late July and August, with marina, queues and late bars in one strip.
- Hula Hula / harbour-bar corridor
Loud, late and priced for the party it serves, the last place to book a quiet family week at peak season.
- Isolated south-coast villas beyond Zaraće
Beautiful but marooned without a car, with few restaurants walking distance and expensive taxis for dinner.
- Sućuraj and the far east end
The Drvenik ferry port is 75 plus winding kilometres from Hvar Town, a terrible base.
Best restaurants in Hvar
Giaxa
Special occasion dining in a 15th century Gothic palace, modern Dalmatian cooking and a deep wine list.
Gariful
Harbour front fish institution feeding yacht crews and serious fish eaters for decades.
Laganini Lounge Bar & Fish House
Long seafood lunch under the pines on Vinogradisce Bay, arriving by boat and staying all afternoon.
Val Marina
Contemporary tasting format cooking with a marina panorama and a singled out seafood tower for two.
Dalmatino
Family run steak and fish house since 1987 that locals and concierges actually send people to.
Konoba Menego
Traditional konoba on the Fortica steps with a short seasonal Dalmatian menu and house wine.
Macondo
Long running old town restaurant repeat visitors treat as their canteen for grilled fish and black risotto.
Fig Hvar
Casual fusion brunch and dinner in a stone alley courtyard, where vegetarians eat properly too.
Outdoor things to do in Hvar
Blue Cave
Signature grotto where mid morning light turns the water electric silver blue, entered by tender.
Kayak & SUP Hvar
Guided half day paddle to the Pakleni lagoons for swimming and snorkelling, with traffic judgement handled.
Hvar Adventure
Shared yacht sailing to two Pakleni coves for swimming, snorkelling and paddleboarding with a skipper.
Red Rocks
Layered red limestone cliffs slanting into clear water, reached only by private boat for swimming and snorkelling.
HvarBoats
Small self drive boat rental for plotting your own Pakleni and south coast loop, no licence needed.
Saint Nicholas Summit
The island highest peak at 628 m, climbing through vineyards to a chapel with views both ways.
Stari Grad Plain
Flat UNESCO plain lanes between vineyards, the island best cycling terrain toward Vrboska and Jelsa.
Diving Center Viking
Family run PADI centre since 2003 diving Pakleni walls and caves, plus discover scuba for beginners.
Best hotels in Hvar
Palace Elisabeth, Hvar Heritage Hotel
Grand heritage palace directly on the main square and harbour, with spa, indoor pool and famous terrace.
Adriana Hvar Spa Hotel
Polished spa hotel across the harbour with a rooftop pool and bar facing the old town.
Maslina Resort
Quiet luxury design resort in pine and olive groves with two pools, a large spa and its own beach.
Moeesy Blue & Green Oasis
Adults only boutique retreat in gardens above the coastal path, with infinity pool and sea access.
Heritage Hotel Park Hvar
16th century origin hotel with a flower filled terrace in one of the prettiest old town settings.
Riva Marina Hotel
Historic waterfront building reborn as a design hotel, steps from the catamaran landing.
Pharos Hvar Bayhill Hotel
Lively pool centred mid range hotel a short walk uphill from Hvar Town harbour.
PLACES Hvar by Valamar
Younger flexible digital first resort format a few minutes from Stari Grad old town.
Is Hvar expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | €85 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | €190 a person |
| Splurge | €420 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Vino Duboković: weeks ahead
- Tomić - Bastijana: weeks ahead
- Blue Cave: weeks ahead
- Kayak & SUP Hvar: a few days ahead
- Hvar Adventure: a few days ahead
- Red Rocks: a few days ahead
- HvarBoats: a few days ahead
- Diving Center Viking: a few days ahead
- Ferries, any July or August hotel, and Giaxa, Gariful, Laganini and Blue Doors.
- Dubokovic and Tomic tastings, peka hours to a day ahead by phone, and Blue Cave, boat and sailing trips.
Is Hvar safe?
- On the spot fines up to about 600 EUR for swimwear in town and 700 EUR for drinking, eating or sleeping in public.
- Outdoor noise is capped at 85 dB since 2025, with fines for businesses and individuals.
- Sea urchins live on every pebble beach, water shoes are safety kit.
- Heat and no water on interior hikes cause most rescues, start at dawn and carry 2 litres.
- Bora and jugo winds cancel caves and small boats at short notice.
Hvar travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Day tripping from Split gets Hvar at its worst hours at peak prices.
- Riva front restaurants with touts, photo menus and no fish price per kilo.
- Expensive beach club sunbeds when the same sea 200 m away is free.
- Pakleni lunch stops chosen by a boat captain on commission, ask where lunch is before booking.
- Lavender sold as Hvar lavender but made elsewhere, buy from Velo Grablje or Brusje producers.
Getting around Hvar: public transport and more
- Fast catamarans from Split to Hvar Town take about 1 hour for foot passengers and sell out in summer.
- Car ferries from Split to Stari Grad take about 2 hours, and Split Airport to the port needs a 30 to 45 minute buffer.
- Island bus Hvar Town to Stari Grad is 20 to 30 minutes and about 3 EUR, only a few times daily.
- Taxis Hvar Town to Stari Grad are quoted 30 to 55 EUR, agree the fare first.
- Water taxis from Hvar harbour to the Pakleni and Robinson run about 10 EUR return.
Who Hvar suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Great |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | Great |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | Great |
Make Hvar your trip
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