Hvar is Croatia’s island paradise. With some of the best beaches in Croatia, a gorgeous port city with a stunning bay and dozens of surrounding smaller islands, it’s the perfect place to host a summer getaway.

As you can see from the map below, Hvar is a long, thin, finger-shaped island. On the far west of the island is the port town of Old Hvar Town. This is absolutely where you should stay on your trip to Hvar. This is the only town in Hvar that has anything going on whatsoever. This is the center of social life on the island. In the center of the island are three smaller towns (Stari Grad, Vrboska and Jelsa) that you will want to visit on your trip to Hvar, but they lack the amenities that you’ll find in Old Hvar Town, while not really making up for it with the increased beauty you might expect from more secluded areas. In our opinion, Hvar’s port town is more beautiful, has more to do, offers more amenities and is more practical than any of the other places to stay on the island.

Where to Stay in Hvar

For us there is only one real option for where to stay when visiting Hvar. Stay in Old Hvar Town and, as long as it fits your budget, stay at the Palace Elisabeth Hotel. It is a newly renovated hotel directly in the port. You literally step off the boat and are only a couple hundred meters from the front door. They have incredibly attentive staff that will pick you up in a golf cart and take you and your bags to the hotel. The hotel itself is beautiful, boasting an incredible pool, spa, bar and one of the islands best restaurants. The beds are fantastically comfortable and the air conditioning works incredibly well. Check their website out below:

Palace Elisabeth Heritage Hotel

Things to Do in Old Hvar Town

Hike Up to Fort Napoljun

Surrounding the port of Old Hvar Town is a mini caldera that forms a semi circular hill. The many tiny streets of the port town run in rows up this hill. Take some time when you get to Hvar to explore these alleyways and the many restaurants, bars, cafes and shops that line the cobblestoned streets.

Looming above you all the while will be Fort Napoljun. Fort Napoljun is simply Croatian for Fort Napoleon. I’ll let your imagination figure out who built it. In fact, there are two forts on the hill above. If you take the winding, well-marked path, up the hill, and through a sparsely wooded area, for what is an easy and relatively short hike, you will first come to the Spanish Fort (the lower of the two forts), which you can go inside to explore. And, if you continue on you will eventually come to the French fort, Fort Napoljun.

The views from this fort are simply stunning. And, they also have some really nice areas set up with hammocks and chairs where you can lay out and enjoy this view. If you continue all the way up to the French Fort, where there is now an observatory, you will get an even better view. If hiking sounds like too much work for you, have no fear there is a road around back that you can drive up to reach both forts.

Scooters/Rent-a-Car and do Beaches, Stari Grad, Lavender Fields, Jelsa, Vrboska, Wine Tastings

While there is plenty of stuff to explore in Hvar’s gorgeous port town, make sure to rent either scooters or a car to go check out some beaches, the other towns at the center of the island, the lavender fields, and a couple vineyards. Typically, I’m all for scooters on these types of trips, but the majority of the driving is on highways and tight roads with a decent amount of cars. So for that reason, I’d recommend just getting a car. There’s plenty of car rental places in the port town, but a really fun alternative is to rent a classic VW Beetle or VW Buggy from Rapidus. Click on the link to the left to check out what they offer

Once your convertible VW Beetle is all stocked up, you’ll head out on the only road out of town and traverse along the southern edge of the island where you’ll pass multiple beaches. The best beaches in this stretch of southern coastline are Dubovica Beach, Pokonji Dol Beach and Milna Beach. For more detailed write ups on each of the beaches in Hvar check out this great blog.

After checking out the beaches make sure to explore the town of Stari Grad. Away from the glitz and glamour of Hvar Town is a quaint and unassuming, historic town called Stari Grad, that is often overlooked by tourists. Built along a deep inlet, filled with bobbing fishing boats, this shy cousin to Hvar is filled with narrow streets studded with cafes and restaurants surrounded by palm trees. The ancient marble alleyways, some dating as far back as 380 BC are lined with white stone houses with bougainvillea trees growing along their edifices. This is the perfect location to spend an afternoon having lunch and drinks in a beautiful setting. But, it is a small town with only a handful of places to go. So don’t plan on spending an inordinate amount of time there.

While in Stari Grad, make sure to stop and check out Tvrdalj Castle. The summer house of aristocratic Croatian poet Petar Hektorovic, Tvrdalj was built for 16th-century. The interior is full of stunning gardens and a sea-water fish pool. Just beware, they have very peculiar hours (10:30am-1:30pm, 6-8:30pm).

If you’re looking for a great place to eat while traveling through Stari Grad, make sure to check out the delicious seafood at Antika.

Stop by Hora Farm for some fantastic wine tasting, good food and Lavender fields. This family run vineyard located on the UNESCO World Heritage Stari Grad Plain, provides an excellent wine tasting, paired with local Dalmatian fare, that you can enjoy on a terrace overlooking their gorgeous vineyard.

In the nearby town of Brusje, you can visit Hvar’s famous Lavender farms. If you really want to see the entire plain covered in deep purple lavender, the best time to go is in late June. And if you happen to be there in late June, make sure you don’t miss their yearly Lavender Harvest Festival in the town of Velo Grablje. If you’re not there in June don’t worry though, you can still visit some of the farms and buy all the lavender products you could ever imagine. The lavender infused honey from Izletiste Family Farm was particularly good.

While checking out the other towns of Vrboska and Jelsa our favorite recommendation is to stop in at two distinctly different yet equally awesome wine tastings. Dubokovik Winery in Jelsa does some of the best wine tastings you’ll ever have. The place is a little hard to find as it appears to be in a single family farm house in a residential neighborhood and the GPS is imprecise. Located directly across from a small abandoned factory, you’ll taste 6 or 7 different wines, 4 types of olive oil and two types of cheese in the most stunning underground wine cellar. Make sure to call in advance to set up your tasting as they work by appointment only.

Right up the street about 3 houses is a small house with a tiny sign in the driveway and wines set up on a long wooden table in the front yard. Here you’ll find an incredibly nice man and his elderly mother who make their own wine, liquors, cheeses, honey and olive oils. You can show up unannounced and sit out in their backyard as they let you try everything they make. This is truly an experience not to be missed.

A final couple wineries that are well worth a stop are Zlatan Otok and Vina Tomić. Check out their websites HERE and HERE.

One final destination to check out with your rental car is Hvar’s “Little Venice”, the small town of Vrboska. Vrboska is a pretty little, relaxing town with a really nice canal running through its center. You can find multiple ice cream shops, wine tasting cellars and a couple bars and restaurants. It’s a nice place to stop in for an hour or two.

Boat Trip to Peklani Islands

One thing you should absolutely do while in Hvar is rent a boat and go check out the Peklani Islands. We were able to rent a private boat with a skipper for the entire day for relatively cheap. Mario Rent has a small shop in the center of St Stephen Square in Hvar Town right across the street from The Plaza Elisabeth. Check out their prices on their website HERE. A full day private tour for up to 4 people for a total of 280EUR is a pretty good deal.

The tour can be personalized however you like and takes you to multiple beaches, caves, islands and even beach side wineries. You’ll also get lunch at one of the best restaurants on the islands. We ended up opting for the whole John Dory fish cooked in a brick oven with vegetables and rice. It was out of this world.