If Dubrovnik is the ‘Pearl of the Adriatic’ then Hvar certainly has claim to be the ‘Sparkling Jewel in Croatia’s crown’. It has an elegant 16th century Venetian capital, beautiful adjacent islands, plenty of beaches and supposedly the best weather in the Adriatic. It boasts 2 700 hours of annual sunshine and very few wet days during winter.
The clarity and blue colour of the water, even inside Hvar harbour is astounding and the visibility looking into the dockside depths is quite extraordinary.
Our day’s boat cruise around the Pakleni Islands wasn’t due to start until 11:00 so we had time to wander around central part of Hvar town, billed as one of Dalmatia’s most attractive places.
The harbour, Hvar
Building, Hva
Most of the significant sights are situated close to or around the main square known as Trg Sveti Stjepana. This white marbled piazza is the largest on the Dalmatian coast and runs east-west from the cathedral to the harbour.
In the early 15th century, Hvar became the wealthiest city in Dalmatia then under Venice, as all ships controlled by the republic were required to stop in at the port. Apart from parts of the city walls all of Hvar today is of late 16th century origin as the Turks razed it to the ground in 1571.
The Cathedral dominates the eastern end of the square with its Renaissance trefoil and campanile with an increasing number of windows on each storey.
Other prominent buildings in the piazza region are the Arsenal, a former naval building featuring a theatre upstairs and the Hectorovic Palace, an unfinished Venetian Gothic building. Behind the Palace is the Benedictine Convent and continuing up the street one sees the impressive Spanjol Fortress overlooking the town.
At 11:00 our group and about forty others boarded the MV ‘Joan’ for a seven-hour visit to the nearby Pakleni Islands which are close by just off the western end of Hvar Island.
The first stop was at a small cove at Mlini Island where we swam in the clear blue waters and then warmed ourselves in the mid-day sun before moving around to Vlaka Island where the boat tied up at a small wharf in Palmizana Bay.
Jak jumping into water, Mlini Island , Pakleni Islands
Boat trip to Pakleni Islands
Mlini Island, Pakleni Islands
We walked across the narrow headland to the other side of the island where there was a rocky beach and restaurants. We had a swim and some beers and then spent an hour or two just relaxing, sleeping and just enjoying the scenery and the glorious weather.
Vlaka Island
Swimming at Vlaka Island
Our final destination for the day was at Klement Island where the boat tied up very close to the rocky shore and put a footbridge across to the rocks for people to go ashore. Some of us had another swim but most just sat on the warm rocky ledges and chatted.
MV Joan at Klement Island
Group relaxing at Klement Island
We returned to Hvar town at about 18:00 and after showering we had a very nice meal in a waterside restaurant and then headed home after a very pleasant and enjoyable day on the water.
Harbour area, Hvar
Hvar