Hvar Island

Introduction

Hvar Town wraps around a small bay on the island's west end, with its paved square, cathedral and 16th-century arsenal all within a few minutes' walk. Above it, the Venetian fortress of Fortica looks across to the Pakleni islands, a scatter of coves reachable by taxi boat from the harbor. Lavender was once a major crop, and bunches still dry in village windows; the Stari Grad plain, farmed since Greek colonists divided it in the 4th century BC, is a UNESCO site. Catamarans from Split take 50 to 65 minutes. April to June and September to October are warm without the August crush.