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Hvar Town

The island’s hub and busiest destination, Hvar Town is estimated to draw around 20,000 people a day in the high season. It’s amazing that they can all fit in the small bay town, where 13th-century walls surround beautifully ornamented Gothic palaces and traffic-free marble streets, but fit they do.

Visitors wander along the main square, explore the sights on the winding stone streets, swim at the numerous beaches or pop off to the Pakleni Islands to get into their birthday suits – but most of all they come to party. Hvar's reputation as Croatia's premier party town is well deserved.

There are several good restaurants, bars and hotels here, but thanks to the island’s appeal to well-heeled guests, the prices can be seriously inflated. Don’t be put off if you’re on a more limited budget, though, as private accommodation and multiple hostels cater to a younger, more diverse crowd.

Explore Hvar Town

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Top attractions

These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Hvar Town.

  • Beach

    Dubovica

    This gorgeous grin of beach has a tiny cluster of stone houses and a couple of cafe-bars. The juxtaposition of the white pebbles alongside the brilliant…

  • Fortress

    Fortica

    Looming high above the town and lit with a golden glow at night, this medieval castle occupies the site of an ancient Illyrian settlement dating from…

  • Square

    Trg Sv Stjepana

    Stretching from the harbour to the cathedral, this impressive rectangular square was formed by filling in an inlet that once reached out from the bay. At…

  • Historic Building

    Arsenal

    Mentioned in Venetian documents as ‘the most beautiful and the most useful building in the whole of Dalmatia’, the Arsenal once served as a repair and…

  • Monastery

    Franciscan Monastery

    Overlooking a pretty cove, this 15th-century monastery has an elegant bell tower, built in the 16th century by a well-known family of stonemasons from…

  • Cathedral

    St Stephen's Cathedral

    Providing a grand backdrop to the main square, this baroque cathedral was built in the 16th and 17th centuries at the height of the Dalmatian Renaissance…

  • Convent

    Benedictine Convent

    Playwright and poet Hanibal Lucić was born here in 1485, but this town house has been home to a community of Benedictine nuns since 1664. Over the…

  • Museum

    Episcopal Museum

    Adjoining the cathedral, this treasury houses silver vessels, embroidered liturgical robes, numerous Madonnas, a 13th-century icon, an elaborately carved…

  • Beach

    Mekićevica

    A 25-minute walk via a scenic but rocky path from Pokonji Dol will bring you to this secluded, pebbly beach. It's a pretty spot, but its isolation means…

  • Beach

    Pokonji Dol

    This large pebbly beach is literally at the end of the road if you're following the coast east from Hvar Town. There's a large restaurant here.

  • Beach

    Zaraće

    This little rocky and pebbly cove is just off the highway east of Hvar Town.

  • Beach

    Milna

    A small pebbly beach set beside a village, east of Hvar Town.

Top experiences

Whether it’s a guided tour of a historic landmark, private tasting of local delicacies, or an off-road adventure — explore the best experiences in Hvar Town.

  • Activities