Hvar is a small island located on the Dalmatian coast in Croatia. It’s known for great food and amazing swimming spots! I just spent a week there, this is my 3rd visit to Hvar and love it more each time I return.

Getting there:
The easiest way to get to Hvar is a fast ferry from Split and takes 1 hour. If you want to bring a car, you need to take a big ferry that comes into Stari Grad. There is a bus from Stari Grad to Hvar town. There are 3 companies that run ferries from Split to Hvar, Kapetan Luka, Jadrolinija and Krilo. 

Transport:
If you stay in Hvar town, everything you need is in walking distance. You can hire cars, quad bikes or scooters on the island. There is a bus station in Hvar town and loads of taxis.

Where to stay:
Hvar town is the place to be. Cute alleyways and shops, amazing food and a port that provides day trips to swimming spots and neighbouring islands. There is a mix of air bnb, hostels and hotels here. Other places you could stay include Stari Grad or Jelsa. Cute small towns with restaurants but I recommend coding on day trips and staying in Hvar. 

What to do:

SWIM! Croatia is known for it’s amazing clear water so get to the beach. By land, I recommend Pokonji Beach which is walking distance from Hvar town. There are restaurants and sun beds available. If you have a car, visit Dubovica Beach which has a small beach bar. You can get a water taxi for 50 kn return to close by islands Jerolim, Carpe Diem beach or Milni. 

Boat day: I highly recommend hiring a boat with HvarBoats and seeing the island! We visited the red rocks, hidden underwater caves and had lunch on a gorgeous island. The itinerary was organised by HvarBoats based on what we wanted to do. We loved it so much we booked again for 2 days later and explored the island of Vis. Again we were treated to see some exclusive swimming spots and a submarine tunnel. The company was so professional and responsive, I cannot recommend them highly enough. 

Wineries: Hvar has some amazing wineries. We visited Duboković Winery in Jelsa and had a tasting of 11 wines with olive oil for 150 kn each. It has a really cool atmosphere. Some other wineries that were recommended were Wine Tomic, Bilo Idro and Hora Hvar. 

I would recommend having a car one day to drive and see Jelsa. It’s a cute port village where a lot of the wineries are based. There are lots of great restaurants in this area and on the way to Jelsa too. 

Restaurants: We were never disappointed with any meal in Hvar. Every restaurant had amazing food and great service. Hvar is known for amazing seafood (lobster, tuna steak and mussels) and cevapi which are mixed meat sausages. Some of our favourite restaurants in Hvar town included Dva ribara (who gave us 20% off for being Aussie), La Bocca and Fig for breakfast (this is a must)! Kava 37 has great coffee. 

We went to Palmižana on our boat day and ate at Laganini Lounge bar & Fish house. It was fancy AF but worth every cent. We were hoping to get to Zori restaurant on Palmižana island for dinner but the water was too choppy. I’ve heard great things though. 

Going out: Carpe Diem Beach is usually the place to be. To get there, you take a taxi boat from the main port which is 50 kn return. During covid it was open but not the usual vibe. We spent time at Hula Hula bar for sunset then headed to Carpe Diem Bar which was loads of fun. If you have a group, definitely invest in a bottle and private table. Was well worth it. 

We ended up meeting up with some other Conscious Travel Community members and spending majority of the week with them! Amazing how the universe aligns!