Hvar Day Trip from Split

Croatia's Most Glamorous Island — A Day from Split

Hvar has a reputation as Croatia's party island, and while that's part of the story, it represents a fraction of what makes Hvar extraordinary. The old town is one of Dalmatia's most complete medieval and Renaissance townscapes — the Arsenal building houses the oldest municipal theatre in the world still in its original location (built 1612), and the main square is the largest piazza in Dalmatia. The Spanish Fortress above the town offers views across the entire island and the Adriatic that rival anything in Croatia.

Our Hvar day trip from Split departs on the 8am fast catamaran (1 hour crossing) and meets a licensed Hvar guide in Hvar Town for a 2.5-hour private tour of the old town — the main square, the Arsenal Theatre, the Franciscan Monastery, the Cathedral of St Stephen and the walk up to the Spanish Fortress. After the guided section, a water taxi takes you across to the Pakleni Islands for the afternoon.

The Pakleni Islands (Paklinski otoci) are a string of nine wooded islands directly off Hvar's western tip — with some of the clearest and calmest water on the Dalmatian coast. Our taxi drops at Palmižana on the island of Sveti Klement — a natural bay with a beach bar, restaurants and snorkelling among the sea grass and rocks. Return water taxi to Hvar Town for the evening catamaran back to Split, or extend with a night on the island. Combine with a sailing charter from Hvar harbour for a longer island experience.