Hvar is a see-and-be-seen kind of island. The sort of place an Instagram influencer would kill to visit, filled to the brim with luxurious yachts and gorgeous young girls teetering on ultra-high heels as they navigate Hvar Town’s stone streets. It was the first stop on my two-week visit to Croatia and a perfect place to get over jet lag and enjoy some of Croatia’s consistently sunny summer weather. Read on for 5 can’t-miss things to do in Hvar.
For many, clubbing is one of the top things to do in Hvar. Years ago, I would have been right there with you dancing at one of the island’s famed beach clubs. But as a 40-something with two blissfully child-free weeks on my hands, I had something a bit tamer in mind. Our room at Heraclea Residential Apartments was a short walk away from the town’s harbor, where gazillion-dollar yachts lined the water’s edge, but far enough away to be quiet. Daytimes were for sailing and visits to rocky beaches, and evenings were for dining al fresco in the town’s charming alleyways and strolling around the harbor ice cream cone in hand.
1. Dine alfresco – and don’t forget to make dinner reservations
Alfresco dining at a swanky restaurant is one of the most popular things to do in Hvar. Restaurant reservations were essential throughout our trip. In each city we visited, we watched restaurants turn away disappointed tourists. On our first night, we dined at Bunar, which had especially pleasant and helpful service. In Hvar, the menu prices are similar to those in big American cities, so don’t expect cheap deals like in Central Europe. After dinner, we headed to the popular L’amor per il gelato for ice cream. A huge line stretched down the street. While we enjoyed the ice cream, we found other places in town that were just as good but cheaper and with shorter waits.
On our last evening, we dined at Dalmatino, where we splurged on Gnocchi Istria, black gnocchi with truffles and shrimp, and well-prepared steaks, again with Croatian truffles. We spent more at this restaurant than most of our other meals, but I thought it was worth the high price tag in terms of both food quality and service.
2. Head to the beach (and don’t forget your walking shoes)
We spent our first full day visiting Pokonji dol Beach, a 20-minute walk from Hvar Town. Despite our best efforts to avoid the route that led to a steep final path down to the sea, we still ended up on it. We looked down at the rocky path down to the beach with concerns for our poor ankles, but we managed to navigate it unscathed. It’s not for the faint of heart, and I definitely recommend sturdy shoes and not just flip-flops. You’ll need those anyway because like nearly all Croatian beaches, this one is rocky.
We were able to rent two comfortable chairs and an umbrella for 190 kuna and settled in for people-watching. I will long remember the motley crew next to us who chowed down on corn on the cob throughout their beach day! No concrete slab or rocky stretch of coast is too inhospitable to the Croatian sun-worshipers, so you will see people set up for the day on every available surface near water.
3. Go wine tasting
Exploring the local wines was one of my favorite things to do in Hvar. We enjoyed a wine-tasting tour that brought us to Caric Winery and Plancic Winery. The tour, of course, came with a variety of delicious local wines and local meats and cheeses, but it was also a great opportunity to meet some other travelers, and we enjoyed our evening getting to know our Dutch companions. Pharos Opol, a light and bright rose from Plancic was a particular favorite of the day. We had enough to nibble on throughout that we skipped a formal dinner afterward and instead headed back into Hvar Town for mojitos at one of the many bustling bars.
4. Go Sailing
On our sailing tour of the nearby Pakleni Islands, we anchored in quiet coves and swam in the salty Adriatic, which was perfect for floating with very little actual swimming required to stay afloat. Our skipper offered snorkel gear, but we found there wasn’t much to see in the waters of Croatia. It was enough to just enjoy cooling off and jumping from the boat. A brief pitstop on Palmižana allowed for a relaxing lunch at Bacchus overlooking another pebbly beach. A perfectly prepared red snapper, a salad, and two drinks ran us around $100 USD.
5. Enjoy the glamorous people-watching
The pretty young things in Hvar really are glorious to behold. After dinner, those not heading off to clubs like Hula Hula have cocktails at waterside bars or simply stroll around. Ending each evening with ice cream and people-watching was definitely one of my favorite things to do in Hvar.
On our third morning in Croatia, we departed on a morning ferry to Korcula. We felt that three nights was the perfect amount of time to enjoy this glamorous little slice of Adriatic heaven.
Want to plan your own trip to Hvar or elsewhere in Croatia? Jayway Travel arranged our entire two-week trip and made the entire process so easy. They helped us choose and book everything we did, including all hotels, tours, restaurant reservations, ferry tickets, and private transfers, based on our preferences. More to come on the rest of our trip in future articles, but suffice it to say that if you want to plan a trip to Croatia (or elsewhere in Central or Western Europe), working with Jayway is a life-saver.
Don’t miss the rest of our Croatia tips
View our two-week Croatia itinerary.
Read more about Adventurous Tastes’ tips for Korcula.
Enjoy a traditional Croatian peka dinner at a local’s house in Dubrovnik.
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