Croatia Island Hopping: On To Hvar

Our departure from Bol is so cool that we can’t stop smiling. The only boat service from Brac to Hvar is a catamaran which sails in the evening, a bit later than we would like, and with no outside deck to enjoy. But our wonderfully helpful hosts tip us off that one of the excursion boats, the Andrija, is skippered by a guy who lives on Hvar, and so, each afternoon when his excursions for the day are done, he heads home with his boat. If we can catch him, he’ll give us a lift.

And so it is that we find the Andrija, cadge a cheap lift on a classy wooden vessel, and arrive on Hvar island a good two hours ahead of the ferry. For both of us, this is our first ever experience of nautical hitch hiking! 

For our stay on the popular island of Hvar, we’re shunning the main Hvar Town with its party and clubbing reputation, and instead head for the ancient town of Stari Grad (translation: Old Town). Old it certainly is, with a history going back 2,400 years with Greek, Roman and Venetian rulers all part of its history.

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Yet again the setting is sumptuous. Stari Grad sits deep in a narrow sea inlet, which is so narrow that in the town, the harbour looks more like a Venice canal than the reaches of the sea. Around this inlet is a beautiful small town in which cobbled alleys open out into tight piazzas, ancient stone buildings look down on to 300-year old stone walkways, bougainvilleas cascade from balconies and staircases. 

Our apartment sits high above it all, the views from our balcony absolutely stunning, the narrow water inlet backed by spectacularly steep green hillsides beyond. We don’t know how many times we’ve been wowed by Croatia, but Stari Grad has done it again.

So Day 1 here is spent mooching around this amazing place and climbing to the tiny chapel on top of the hill overlooking the town. Day 2 is a bus ride to Hvar Town, where we see no evidence of the glitz and club atmosphere detailed in guide books, just another gorgeous and historic coastal town full of impressive sights. A castle looking over the town and guarding against invasion; one of Europe’s very first baroque theatres (like a miniature Albert Hall); a classic square (St Stephens) and an ancient city quarter built into the steep hillside. And below it all lies the harbour with its playboy reputation where launches equipped with jet ski, power boat and Land Rover are outdone by the really big players who sit anchored outside the harbour with helicopter on deck.

When the bus pulls back into Stari Grad, it’s 5pm, and still 35 degrees. We’re 24 days into this trip and it’s topped 30 every day; we’ve also only seen three short rain showers in that whole time.

For Day 3 we hire a Clio again and take a road trip to explore the island. Two things we haven’t mentioned yet are lavender and the bora. Alongside olives and grapes, lavender is the third crop harvested throughout these islands, and although we’ve missed the colourful flowering season, lavender products are sold everywhere. 

The “bora” is the island wind, which is unerringly reliable as the afternoons unfold. Even on the hottest, stillest of days, a breeze starts to appear around 2/2.30pm, and the baking sun is tempered by it. Some afternoons see restaurant owners taking down the parasols and shopkeepers dismantling stalls; on other days, it remains no more than a pleasant gentle breeze. But in one form or another, the bora arrives, every single day, with total predictability.

The road running along the spine of Hvar island follows the highest ridge, and is at times a little testing on the nerves. Either side of the narrow roadway is a ten foot drop to the olive groves, with no barriers and no extra width to the road: you’re effectively driving along the top of a concrete wall. With S-bends. And oncoming traffic in the middle of the road. Most drivers are respectful of the dangers, but still every now and again there are smashed door mirrors laying in the road, just to unnerve us a little more.

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On the top of the island (Clio really didn’t like the climb!), we call in at Humac, a 200-year old village which has only ever been inhabited at harvest time and lays silent for the rest of the year. As a consequence, buildings from the early 19th century remain untouched. It’s utterly deserted and we meet no one; only cicadas break the silence, but the air is heavy with the delicious sweet scent of wild herbs and lavender.

Vineyards, olive groves and pine forests dominate, but otherwise the island interior is a little devoid of civilisation. The map shows place names in bold type, but in reality there is precious little there and we struggle to even find a shop or a cafe.

Undoubtedly the best places are on the coast, and so our drive brings us finally to yet another simply charming location, Vrboska, sitting at the end of a sea inlet even more narrow than the one here at Stari Grad. So narrow that quaint footbridges link the two sides, while tiny cottages face each other across the water evoking images of Burano, before the village marina parts the pine clad shores and opens out into the Adriatic. Yet another little piece of paradise.

Stari Grad remains our favourite spot on the island, despite the beauty of Vrboska and the verve of Hvar Town. The views from our balcony are just stunning, the town itself is simply another beautiful and charming location, and we are just a little sad to move on.

Fittingly though, our last night in Stari Grad, and the restaurant Pinetta, delivers probably the best meal of this entire trip, and that’s really saying something. We opt for two of Dalmatia’s classic fish preparations: brudet and gregada. Both dishes are absolute wow territory and the quality of the wine just finishes off the whole thing. It’s a fabulous way to end our time in this lovely town.

We’ve always said that, when travelling, it’s good to move on while you still love a place. That is certainly what we’re doing here: Stari Grad is beautiful and we would love to linger. But there’s a whole world out there….

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