Excursions

Island of Hvar offers a many different places to visit and things to see. Those who long for the sea and the peace have the opportunity to enjoy in one of its secluded coves that can be reached by car, by bicycle or simply on foot or enjoy seeing the lavander fields, the olive trees and other plants characteristic for the island. If you are interested in spending a day or just half a day somewhere else you can choose among excursions to the following destinations:

Paklinski islands also known as Hell’s islands is an archipelago of twentyish islets and cliffs near the city of Hvar that is one of the most significant beauties of the Hvar island. Once bareand gentle islets, today form a popular tourist resort. A chain of wooded islets immersed in the clear sea, several bathing places, resorts and numerous small hidden beaches, rocky terraces and deserted coves is a must to visit if you are staying on Hvar.

Humac is an uninhabited hamlet 7 km far from Jelsa, on the island of Hvar, located 350 m above sea level. The island and its area was inhabited in early Stone Age, the evidence is Grapceva cave – one of the oldest and the most important arceological findings on the Hvar island and the whole Adriatic dating back to the 4000-5000 years B.C. In 1964. the cave was declared a protected monument of nature. The houses on Humac are made of stone, well-preserved, simple and belong to a unique rural type of architecture and are therefore considered as being an ethnographic monument.

Stari Grad Plain is about 6 km long and it covers an area from the bay Vrbovska till the bay of Stari Grad. It is the biggest and the most fertile field on the Hvar island and other Adriatic islands. It is well-known due to its division into plots that dates back to the period of Greek colonization 2400 years ago. From 2008. Stari Grad Plain is on the UNESCO’s list of protected world’s heritage due to its plantations of vineyards and olive trees in its original form and due to its geometrical system of dividing parcels as used by the ancient Greeks.

St. Nicholas is the highest peak on Hvar island, and third highest island peak in Croatia. There is a picturesque St. Nicholas chapel from the 15th century and the big stone cross at the top. Baseline of the island’s relief is a mountain ridge on the south side of the island along with the steep rocky slopes. Enjoy a beautiful view on the whole island, island of Brac and its highest peak Vidova Gora, island of Korčula, Vis and the coast nearby from the top.

Tor is a Greek-Illyrian tower situated on a mountain plateue southeast from Jelsa. It was bulit of large stone blocks during the rise of Illyrian Imperium in 4th millenium B.C. The Greek Tower of Tor (230 m above sea level) dominates the picturesque valley from Stari Grad to Jelsa up to Vrboska as well as over the channels of Hvar and the Makarska coastline. Around the Tor tower there are ruins of unfinished walls with several natural and man-made terraces, indicating that once there were inhabited quarters.

Near Tor, situated 210 m above sea level there are remains of a mediavel town Galešnik. It is 20 m wide, surrounded by walls 80 m long, 4 m high and 50 – 60 cm thick. The walled-in area is 1,520 square meters. The rectangular building, measuring approximately 40 square meters, is partially preserved.

Stari Grad is the oldest town in Croatia founded in 384. B.C. when settlers from the Greek island of Paros on Aegean Sea founded the polis or city-state of Faros. The old part of the town has preserved its traditional architecture that is of a great tourist value, so that the locals in their stone houses offer a modern accommodation in its original spirit. There is a great connection between the tradition and modern times. Stari Grad was a home to a famous poet Petar Hektorović whose villa – Tvrđalj is a trademark of Stari Grad.

City of Hvar is a unique fusion of gorgeous Mediterranean nature, rich and multi-layered cultural and historic heritage and fashionable tourist contemporariness. It seems to be a town-monument. The centuries , epochs and especially the Renaissance were carving its walls giving it a proper shape. In this city everyone can find something for themselves. The young ones are attracted to its great nightlife, while the older ones can enjoy in its sights: fortress Fortica, Cathedral od Hvar, Hvar Theater (and Arsenal) founded in 1612. being the oldest one in Europe, Franciscan Monastery ecc. Hvar is well-known as the one of the most popular tourist resorts on Adriatic.

Jelsa is situated on the northern and southern coast of the central part of the island of Hvar. It covers a land area of 121.2 km2. The area of the Municipality of Jelsa along with the entire island has a richly developed coastline with many coves, islets and islands. Jelsa borders with the two highest peaks on the island – St. Nicholas on the west and Hum on the east.  Jelsa is a pleasant small town with many restaurants and different services. The most important sights are St. Mary’s church and Our Lady of Health church.

Vrboska is the smallest town on the island of Hvar, situated in a long, picturesque and shady bay whose shores are connected by three tiny Venetian-like stone bridges due to which is often called ”small Venice”. Vrboska consists of two parts: Pjaca with churches, narrow streets, remnants of Municipal Loggia and houses with Renaissance and Gothic details and Podve which is a mixture of Renaissance and Baroque houses lined up along the shore. Some of the points of interest of the area include the Fortress-Church of Our Lady of Mercy, Pjaca (the square), Church of St. Lovrinac, St. Peter’s Church, St. Roko’s Church, Podve, Mirje (the largest ancient farm) and the Fisherman’s Museum.

These villages managed to preserve their centuries-old rural architecture – small village squares, narrow streets and households that consisted of a house with a courtyard, a well and a small shed for cattle. It is worth taking the 12 km trip to these villages that offer an original and unforgettable experience.

Many people swear that the half-kilometer long peninsula has one of the nicest pebble beaches in Croatia. The wind and sea currents are always magically changing the shape of Zlatni Rat, which protects swimmers and sunbathers against stronger winds. There are daily boat excursions from Jelsa and Vrboska to Zlatni Rat and Bol (on the Island of Brac).