Hvar Travel Forum

My boyfriend and I are in Croatia in early September and we would like to spend 7 nights on Hvar and also maybe Brac or another island.

We are in our 30s, we love nature, the sea, snorkelling, and eating out. We're thinking Hvar town sounds a bit too "party" for us (we don't want a holiday centered on clubs, yachts and cocktails) but we'd like somewhere that is beautiful, interesting and has at least 2 or 3 restaurants and shops (ie minimarkets). We will be hiring a car to explore the rest of the island. (We stayed in Sali on Dugi Otok last year and we loved it, to give you an idea of our kind of place.) Zavala looks like it could be the place but I'm wondering if it is too sleepy?

Also wondering whether we should spend half the week Hvar and half the week on Brac, or somewhere else like Vis. Really want to see Brac but we would have to get the car ferry back to Split then to Brac again and we want to have a nice relaxing week. If we took a day trip on the catamaran from Hvar to Brac is it easy to get around without a car? And where on Brac would you suggest heading for (quite fancy Zlatni Rat but I bet it's v touristy?)

I know I have asked a lot of questions here but I would really appreciate any advice or suggestions you can give.

Thank you
Amber

Havr is not what I'd call a party town . It's really tiny and so so beautiful .Pretty quiet .There are a couple of restaurants and its easy to reach by ferry from Split. There are buses that come to meet the ferry and will take you into town. Once there everything is reachable on foot. 7 nights might be too many. Not sure about Brac. Split is worth a couple of nights and I think.

I don't know when eastern trekker was in Hvar Town. I was there last October 19 -- 22 and things were really winding down, although still a number of tourists. They were just about to close the big hotels.

But as you heard and is confirmed in the 2009 Fodor's, it is "a very "in" spot, "crowded and expensive through peak season", the "next Ibiza" and popular with the rich and famous. There are a couple of really big resort hotels just outside the town.

I would imagine it is not as crowded in September, but someone who has actually been there at that time could tell you better.

The least developed Island is Lastovo.

I didn't go to Brac, but again, Fodor's says "extensive tourist development along the coast and a stark, wild interior".

PS You should check out the Hvar travel pages here. I just read a tip that confirms that Hvar gets 50,000 visitors each month May -- August and recommends late September -- October for visiting. I assume she meant the entire Island, not that Hvar Town itself gets 50,000.

Thanks for the info, I have got the Rough Guide and another guidebook and have been researching the web thoroughly including VT but as you say it would be good to get the lowdown from someone who has been there recently. We're not planning to stay in Split but we are planning to spend a day in the Krka National Park and spend a day wandering around Split. We are most interested in veering off the typical tourist path and finding beautiful spots for snorkelling and walking...

Last September we spent a very pleasant time on the island of Murter. This is not far from Split (at a guess 50/60 miles)on the Sibenik archipelago. The main activities there are sailing & sea related and there are excursions out to the National Park Islands from the harbour - or you can hire your own motor/sailboad if you wish. You can drive to nearby beaches. Water quality excellent with fantastic visability however I thought fish life all over Croatia to be very depleted. (ha - just look at the number of cheap fish restaurants!).
Easily driven to, there is a drawbridge giving access on to the island and I would recommend that you then drive to Murter town.
We arrived from Plitovice National Park ( a must see especially the hike around the lake - driveable from Murter) hungry and late at night and went in to the restaurant opposite the supermarket (to distinguish it, it has an upstairs serving area and a bar through a door on one side). This had excellent food (We dined there every night) with very friendly "family" atmosphere. When we told them we had no accommodation one of the daughters interrupted a table of elderly local ladies (also dining) and found us two double rooms - at approx E25 each in a new complex about 100 metres away.
While we were there (late Sept) they had a gala night on the harbourfront to celebrate the end of the sailing season - this was great fun with bands and contests of different sorts. Have fun,
Hugh

We've just returned from staying on Brac (we rent a litle house in Bol) for the fourth year running. A couple of years ago we divided our time between Hvar and Brac as you are suggesting. Both islands have their charms. If you have a car, I would suggest you might like to stay in Vrboska on Hvar - about 30km from Hvar Town, but only 12 km or so from Stari Grad (the ferry port) - a very pretty little place with a few restaurants and the sort of food shops that can keep you going for a week. Stari Grad and Jelsa (5km away) have nice small fresh markets.

The daily Hvar-Brac-Split catamaran goes at 6am on Monday to Saturday and 7am on Sunday from Jelsa to Bol on Brac (it takes 20 minutes) and then on to Split. It leaves from Bol at 10 past 5 in the afternoon, every day except Friday when it's half an hour later. It's always absolutely on time - we heard it every morning - Jadrolinija's ferry services are very reliable. It's very much a ferry service for locals who want to spend the day in Split.

We love Zlatni Rat and although it does get very busy in high summer, things are quietening down in September and it is realy lovely. It's about a 2 km walk along a beautiful tree-lined avenue from Bol to Zlatni Rat. If you're up to an early start you could spend a really nice day in Bol.

Another option if you have a car, want to divide your time more evenly and are a bit more adventurous, could be to go first to Brac, taking the ferry from Split to Supetar (the main town) but leaving from Sumartin at the other end of the island and arriving at Makarska on the mainland - the crossing takes about half an hour. From Makarska drive south a little bit - about 25km - to Drvenik and take the ferry (20 minute crossing)from there to Sucuraj on Hvar. It's a 50km drive right along the island to Vrboska.

Check the Jadrolinija ferry website for ferry sailings

www.jadrolinija.hr

and there are more details of the ferry crossings on pages I have written about Otok Brac and Hvar here on VT.

bookmarked for a visit soon - 4 weeks and counting.

Can anyone confirm the prices? I fancied a day trip to Brac from Split or Makarska. The jadro website states €140 for a car, €30 per person. Too expensive for a day trip - have I got it right?

It's kuna not euros - 1 euro equals 7.3 kuna, so less than 4 euro for a passenger, and 19.20 euro for the car. Does that help?

Wow, thanks for the suggestions and info... Hmmm I will do some thinking! Torn between having a relaxing week and spending time on both islands...

Prices in Kuna!!! - thanks to the camel