Hvar: the back story

About Hvar: the back story

By the ULTIMATE Zagreb Editorial Team

Hvar is the sunniest and most glamorous of the Dalmatian islands, famous for its stylish harbour town, but also for a history that goes back to the ancient Greeks, fields of lavender and vineyards.

The Greeks

In the 4th century BC, Greek settlers founded Pharos, today’s Stari Grad, and divided the plain behind it into fields with stone walls. That landscape, still farmed with vines and olives, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Stari Grad Plain.

Venetian Hvar

Under Venice, Hvar Town became an important port, with a cathedral, palaces and a fortress above the harbour. Its Arsenal, where galleys were repaired, has above it a theatre opened in 1612, one of the oldest public theatres in Europe.

Greek settlers laid out the fields of Stari Grad more than 2,300 years ago, and they are still farmed today.

Islands and lavender

Just off Hvar Town lie the Pakleni islands, with coves, beaches and restaurants reached by water taxi. Inland, the hills were once covered with lavender, and in early summer some fields still bloom purple.

Our advice: catamarans from Split reach Hvar Town, and car ferries go to Stari Grad. Book ahead in July and August, climb to the fortress for the view, take a boat to the Pakleni islands, and visit Stari Grad for a quieter, older Hvar.

Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with Hvar: the back story before you go.