Classic Dalmatian Beauty – The Island of Hvar

September 26, 2008

Hvar is a beautiful Croatian island located off the coastal city of Split. There is centuries of history on the island, as the city of Havr is the oldest inhabited city being founded by the ancient Greeks, and is one of the main tourist attractions on the Dalmatian Riviera. The island has many attractions, fantastic food, and many accommodation options. There are gorgeous beaches, a great climate, and no shortages of things to do and see. There are 5 ferries per day from Split to Hvar (2hours travel) and 1 ferry per day from Pescara to Hvar (4hours). Hvar sees the most sun in all of Croatia and they say when it snows on the island accommodations are free. (It never snows!!)

City of Hvar

One of the main attractions on the island is the Napolijun building, named after the French emperor, which is erected on top of the medieval church of St Nicholas. This building has been a lookout point until the war in Yugoslavia in the early 90’s and now it houses the astronomical observatory of the geodesic faculty of Zagreb University. The Pjaca has, maybe, the biggest and most picturesque town square in Croatia. It has a Renaissance arch and nearby is a small port and several vineyards. The Fabrika is a beautiful stone quay along the sea edge of the town square, which was built in the middle of the 16th century. The cathedral of Pope St Stephen is located at the far end of the Pjaca, where 2 parts of the town meet. It was built on the site of a 6th century Christian church and the current cathedral is the remains of a Gothic church from the 14th century. In the town of Havr there is a neo-classical Bishop’s Court, which dates from the 18th and 19th centuries. Here you can see classical columns and Baroque stucco decorations. The once famous Dominican monastery of St Mark was constructed as a small castle-fort, which enabled defense against invaders, above Donji Trg and located opposite The Rector’s Palače.

There are many accommodation options such as private apartments, hotels, and even camping. For the budget traveler private accommodations are the way to go. Camping can be nice as well, but only in the summer and spring months when the weather is warm.

There are many great restaurants in Hvar from places that have general tourist menus to ones that feature local specialties, such as Hvar cakes, especially the pepper cakes from Stari Grad.

Wine from Hvar and other Dalmatian areas were exported to France and then to Hungary from 1870 until around 1894, when phylloxera devastated most of the Dalmatian vineyards. Then, in the first decades of the 20th century large numbers of islanders emigrated to North and South America. People from Hvar became the pioneers of wine growing in California and still participate a great deal in the production of wine in Napa Valley. There are still some smaller wineries on the island and many of the smaller restaurants carry wine from them.

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