Holiday Villas in Hvar island to Rent 2024/2025

Hvar island travel guide

Extraordinarily beautiful Hvar town
Fashionable Carpe Diem and Hula Hula night clubs
UNESCO world heritage landscape
Pretty towns and harbours around the island
2800 sunshine hours a year: the most in Croatia
Must visit: The Pakleni islands

A glorious island with history, architecture, night clubs, lavender fields, pretty harbours and bays and the most sunshine days in Croatia

The sunniest island in the Adriatic, incomparably beautiful, best of all worlds - sea, beaches, nightlife, cocktails, foodie paradise, history and culture, pretty towns, lavender country. Hvar island is the longest and the sunniest Croatian island and probably the most famous. It is a part of the central Dalmatian archipelago and has a length of 68 km and a maximum with width of only 10.5 km. Hvar is famed for its benign climate - it has over 2700 sunshine hours a year and its winters are exceptionally mild. The interior of Hvar is planted with olive groves and vineyards. Hvar provides excellent local olive oil. Its red and white wines are delicious, particularly the red called Zlatan Plavac. Hvar is also famous for its great fields of wild lavender which scent the whole island and are of amazing purple colour in June and July and are turned into scented soap and perfume. On the north of Hvar there are sandy beaches, Mina beach in Jelsa, Maslinica beach in Stari Grad, in Sucuraj sandy Cesminica and Mlaska beaches.

The fine pebble beaches are located on the southwest side of the island near the village of Ivan Dolac, Zavala and Milna. Very beautiful beaches are found on Pakleni Islands right opposite the town of Hvar, a short taxi boat ride away, such as Palmizana and St Klement.Sporting activities available on the island include windsurfing, water-skiing, scuba-diving, sailing, swimming, fishing, bicycling along picturesque country roads, walking and climbing. But more than anything Hvar is notable for its gorgeous and historic harbour towns, the most significant being Hvar Town itself. Other lovely towns are Jelsa and Stari Grad, quieter than their illustrious neighbour Hvar town, but also beautiful. Food is good all over Croatia, but in our opinion, the restaurants on Hvar and its smaller off shore islands are easily among the best in the country. It is essential to book in advance of you wish to eat at Macondo and Dalmatino (Hvar town and pricey) or Meneghello and Zori (Palmizana and also pricey). Hvar town is full of good restaurants and they also all look lovely. You will be happy in Fig Cafe, Konoba Menego, Konoba Ringo, Lola Street Food and Bar, Agava, Park restaurant, just to name a few. Hvar island has become a mecca for the rich and famous, and you can easily find that you are rubbing shoulders with royalty and Hollywood stars (Byonce goes!) and the occasional mega yacht. It is a great place for the young people (cocktail bars Carpe Diem and Laganini) and food/culture vultures (oldest theatre in Europe). Prudent economy is best left for the time when you return home. Go to the beaches on the southern coast of Hvar instead - Dubovica and Zarace have breathtaking beauty and hardly anybody else there.
Getting there. Hvar is reached by regular car ferry service from Split to Stari Grad and from Drvenik (on the mainland) to Sucuraj at the eastern end of the island. Catamaran passenger ferries operate to Hvar Town and Jelsa. Croatian Villa Holidays can arrange taxi boat transfers from Split airport directly to the island. Also private excursions by boat to or from neighbouring islands.