Hvar Town

Hvar Town is renowned as one of the world's best cruising destinations, so was high on our list of places to visit.

We sailed from Korcula on Monday and, after spending an evening at a quiet anchorage on the north side of Scedro Island, we cruised into Hvar Town. The pilot book said it could become quite crowded, so we made a point to arrive not long after midday to avoid the rush. Already, most of the slots on the town quay were filled. But when we tried to tie up there the harbor master told us strong swell from southeast winds were forecast. He said it wouldn't be safe overnight and advised us to seek a slip at nearby Palmizana marina.

Though it postponed our exploration of Hvar Town, we happily obliged.. We had heard good things about Palmizana and wanted to check it out. We weren't disappointed, as it offered a calm cove on a beautiful island. An interesting combination of natural flora and cultivated grounds was managed by the many restaurants and resorts there. Somehow, despite the development, they haven't messed this place up.

The next day, we sailed to Stari Grad on the north side of Hvar and  by 2 p.m. took a mooring ball right in the center of the harbor. The second largest town on the island (after Hvar Town), Stari Grad is a big ferry port. But the ferry dock is a mile out of town, and the old harbor area is quite charming. The old town buildings and adjacent pedestrian-only streets wraps around the harbor, making the waterfront the town's main attraction. We watched with amusement as one by one all the spots on the town quay filled up with charter boats.


Separating Stari Grad from Hvar Town is a 350 meter (~1,000 foot) ridge. Having had a good experience with our Backroads-style biking adventure on Korcula, we decided to give it another go on Hvar. We would bike the 20-kilometer route, one highly recommended by several sources, including Backroads Trip Leader John Hoopes. But this time, we would invent our own sag wagon, taking the bus back from Hvar Town at the end of the day.


After a good sleep, we broke out the bikes Wednesday morning to ride over the top of the island. We  stopped to check the bus schedule on the way out of town and, as luck would have it, the first bus of the morning was ready to pull out. The driver said he would drop us as Brusje, the village on the top of the ridge. From there, we could glide down into Hvar Town. We grinned big guilty grins as we looked down from our bus windows on other bikers sweating up the steep climb to the ridge. But we didn't feel guilty for long. The ridge ride and descent into Hvar Town were a touring cyclist's dream.

Once down, we were ready to start our exploration. But first, we entertained ourselves with some people watching over cappuccino and pastries.

As on Mljet and Korcula, several different tongues were all within earshot. And the mouths holding these tongues were all well cared for. No poor dental work here, these were the mouths of healthy, happy people from the rich world. Other than perhaps a few of the local folk serving them, most of whom didn't seem to be doing too badly BTW, there were no down-and-outs within view in Hvar Town. And like many tourist centers that also bill themselves as party towns, there was a bit of aimless decadence in the air. You could feel it by the way the alcohol, tobacco, and pulsing music wafted around the place, even before Noon.

Re-reading John's email guide, we noted reference to a cool spot just east of town called Milna. We decided to pedal over there to seek out some people he said knew. We weren't able to find them there, but the ride was worth it as we discovered an azure cove with beautiful beaches and interesting gardens.

Returning to Hvar Town, we visited the fort at the top of the hill behind town. Dating from the 16th century, it has a storied past, including August 9, 1571, when all the townspeople took refuge there from an attack by Turks who plundered the town and set fire on it.


Our history lesson complete, we returned to the town's labyrinthian streets and found a bistro for a late lunch. As our time in Hvar Town expired, we hopped the last bus back to Stari Grad and our peaceful mooring.

Tomorrow, we take the ferry to Split.