Hvar town is the glamour spot of the Dalmatian coast. Hvar Town harbor is packed from May through September with luxury yachts, private sailing yachts, local motor boats and taxi boats – a charming mix of traditional local lifestyle, glitterati and international trend setters. The town is now famous with bars and restaurants lining the piazza and stretching the length of the quay. Names like Carpe Diem, Hula Hula and Central Park Club have become famous.The back story of Hvar island is behind the glitter – charming, old-world and unspoiled. In villages across the island and along the coast, life continues apace with local wine making, lavender harvest, fishing and every day village concerns. Quaint stone villages are scattered across Hvar among beautiful vineyards, hidden bays and the rocky lavender fields of the interior. Coastal villages such as Jelsa, Vrboska, Sveta Nedilja, Ivan Dolac and Zavala are all well worth a visit. Inland, the villages look much as they always have with stone farm houses, local olive presses and cobblestone streets – Brusje, Grablje, Selca kod Starog Grada, Dol, Rudina, Vrbanj, Svir?e, Vrisnik, Pitve, Humac, Poljica, Zastražis?e, Gdinj, Bogomolje and Selca kod Bogomolja.
Su?uraj is a small harbor and fishing village on the east cape of the island (just 5km from the mainland). It is surrounded by the sea from 3 sides and it has many beautiful beaches and bays. Su?uraj exists more than 2300 years – the first known inhabitants of Su?uraj were the Illyrians; their queen Teuta had a home here in 3rd century BC.
Stari Grad is the island ferry port town and harbour on the north-western part of the island of Hvar. It is the town of the oldest human settlement on the island, and one of the first on all of the Adriatic islands. Chief occupations include farming, wine making, olive oil production, fruit growing and fishing. The Stari Grad plain, a UNESCO Heritage Site, is a cultural landscape that has remained practically intact since it was first colonized by Ionian Greeks from Paros in the 4th century BC. The original agricultural activity of this fertile plain, mainly centring on grapes and olives, has been maintained since Greek times to the present. The site is also a natural reserve with ancient stone walls, small stone shelters, and ancient geometrical system of land division used by the ancient Greeks.
Jelsa is a small harbor town, home to some of the best wineries in Croatia. Situated on the north coast of the island, it has a pretty harbor, great restaurants and friendly people. Catamarans and tour boats sail frequently between Jelsa and Bol on Brac island.
Vrboska is a small village and harbor, which lies in a narrow and deeply indented bay on the central part of the northern coast of the island of Hvar not far from Jelsa. Its quaint cobbled streets, medieval stone bridges, quiet harbor and fully equipped Marina make it a great stop on any sailing itinerary.
