“Hvar is the stop everyone asks for, and for good reason: it is for the guests who want one iconic Croatian town in their week and do not mind sharing it with the crowd.”
Hvar is Croatia’s glamour island, and by yacht it is a different place from the one the ferry crowd sees. The stone town climbs from a tight harbour to the Spanish fortress, yachts line the promenade in season, and the Pakleni Islands sit ten minutes off the quay with the beach clubs and the clearest water on the route. It is one short leg from Split, about two and a half hours by motor yacht.
Hvar Town on the south-west tip is the night out. Stari Grad, at the head of the long bay on the north side, is the quiet harbour and the old one, with the UNESCO-listed plain behind it that Greek settlers from Paros laid out in the 4th century BC. Jelsa and Vrboska are the small harbours further east, and the south coast from Dubovica to Zavala is where the swim stops are.
For a charter week Hvar is the first or second night: Split to Milna or straight across, the fortress and dinner, then on to Vis, Korčula or a night at anchor in the Pakleni. The town quay cannot be booked, so the plan is to anchor off the Pakleni and tender in unless your captain wins a spot.
Must-dos on Hvar
- Tender in from the Pakleni and walk the promenade in the last hour of light.
- Climb to the Spanish fortress for the view over the harbour and the islands.
- A lazy day at anchor off Palmižana, with lunch at Laganini or Zori on the beach.
- A quiet night on the quay in Stari Grad, the oldest town in Croatia.
- Wine and lavender inland: a tour to the vineyards on the Stari Grad Plain.
From our visits to Hvar
I have been to Hvar twice: by ferry in March 2024, when the town was empty and beautiful, and in October 2025 on the FLORAMYE fam trip, which is the version worth paying for.
We left Split and went straight to Hvar, arrived as one of the first yachts, and got the best spot on the dock: right on the promenade, steps from the square, with a perfect view up to the fortress. We walked the town, up to the fortress and around the narrow back streets, and ate our first dinner on board with a straight view of the concert playing on the square. A true VIP version of Hvar; arriving by ferry does not compare in the slightest.
Two days later we came round to the island’s other side and docked in Stari Grad for waterfront drinks and another dinner on board, and watched the sunset from the foredeck. Stari Grad is the quiet one, and after Hvar Town it is exactly what you want.
Klara Jakobsen, Yacht Reviewer at DMA Yachting, October 2025
Hvar Town: the harbour, the fortress and the town quay
Hvar Town is built for arrivals by sea. The harbour is a tight horseshoe, the promenade runs along it, and behind the quay opens St Stephen’s Square, one of the largest in Dalmatia, with the cathedral at the top and the 17th-century Arsenal and theatre at the bottom. Above it all sits the Spanish fortress, a twenty-minute walk up through the lanes, with the view of the harbour and the Pakleni that every Hvar photo is taken from.
Dinner is the point of the stop. Gariful on the waterfront for seafood, Menego up the steps for the family-run konoba, Black Pepper in an alley for the modern version. The old beach-club nights on Stipanska ended in 2024, so the town is louder on the riva than on the water now, and quieter overall than its reputation.
The town quay
The public quay takes no reservations, not even two years ahead. It is tiny, priority goes to the bigger boat that turns up, and in high season even a captain with connections crosses their fingers. So we plan Hvar as an anchorage in the Pakleni with the tender running you ashore in ten minutes, and treat a berth on the promenade as the bonus it was for us in October.
The Pakleni Islands: Palmižana, Laganini and the anchorages
The Pakleni Islands are a chain of twenty islets off Hvar Town, and they are where the yacht spends the day. Palmižana, on Sveti Klement, is the hub: a marina with moorings in the bay on the north side, and Vinogradišće on the south side, a sandy anchorage with the Laganini lounge bar and Zori’s tables on the beach. Stipanska has the old Carpe Diem beach, Jerolim is the naturist island, and the channels between them are the best snorkelling near town.
Anchor here for lunch and the swim, tender into Hvar for the evening, and sleep back at anchor with the town lights across the water. It is the version of Hvar the ferry cannot give you.
Stari Grad, Jelsa and Vrboska: the north side
Stari Grad sits at the head of a long, sheltered bay on the north coast, and it is the oldest town in Croatia: Greek settlers from Paros founded it as Pharos in 384 BC, and the field system they laid out behind it, the Stari Grad Plain, is still farmed and UNESCO-listed. The town quay has moorings, the waterfront has cafes rather than clubs, and the ferry from Split comes in here, not into Hvar Town.
Further east, Jelsa is the small family harbour with the island’s wine on its doorstep, and Vrboska is the fishing village with canals and a fortified church. This side of the island is where a group that has done its town night goes for the quiet one.
The south coast: Dubovica, Zavala and the swim stops
The south coast is the swim side, cliffs and coves under the vineyards. Dubovica is the pebble cove with the stone house at the back, Zavala looks across the channel to Šćedro island, and the anchorages along here are calm in a Bora and empty by comparison with the Pakleni. Sveta Nedjelja, under the island’s highest ridge, is where the best Plavac Mali on Hvar is made, and a wine stop there is the land excursion the captains suggest when the group has already seen the fortress.
Fitting Hvar into the week
Hvar is the first or second night out of Split. The classic loop is Split to Milna on Brač or straight to Hvar, the town and the fortress on the first evening, a Pakleni day, then Vis or Korčula. Give it a night at anchor in the Pakleni and an evening in town; the mistake is trying to berth on the quay in August and building the day around it.
Passage times as we sail them:
- Split to Hvar Town: about 23 nautical miles, two and a half hours on a motor yacht, four under sail.
- Milna on Brač to Hvar Town: about an hour and a half.
- Hvar Town to Palmižana: about 15 minutes.
- Hvar Town to Stari Grad, round the west cape: about an hour and a half.
- Hvar to Vis: about two hours.
People also ask about Hvar
Can our yacht dock in Hvar Town?
Sometimes, never by reservation. The public quay takes no bookings and the bigger boat gets priority, so we plan an anchorage in the Pakleni Islands with a ten-minute tender into town, and treat a berth on the promenade as a bonus.
Is Hvar still a party island?
Less than its reputation. The beach-club night parties on Stipanska ended in 2024. The riva bars are lively in season, and a group that wants quiet sleeps at anchor in the Pakleni or in Stari Grad.
Hvar Town or Stari Grad for the night?
Hvar Town for the evening out and the fortress, Stari Grad for the quiet quay and the old town. On a week that has both, do Hvar Town first and Stari Grad on the way back.
Where do yachts anchor near Hvar?
Off Palmižana in the Pakleni Islands, in Vinogradišće bay on the south side or on the marina moorings on the north side, and in the channels between the islets for a lunch stop.
How far is Hvar from Split?
About 23 nautical miles: two and a half hours on a motor yacht, four under sail, or an hour and a half from Milna on Brač.
Is Hvar good for families?
Yes. Anchor in the Pakleni for the swimming, walk up to the fortress in the late afternoon, and eat early on the square. The nightlife stays on the riva and does not reach a yacht at anchor.
