island of hvar tour from split

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After the meeting we will take the ferry or the catamaran to the island of Hvar. The ferry departs at 8.30 am and it takes 2 hours to the port of Stari Grad meanwhile the catamaran fast line departs at 10.30 and arrives at the port of the city of Hvar at 11.35 a.m. Return to Split is from the port of Stari Grad with ferry (at 8 pm or at 11 pm).

 

The island of Hvar is rated among the 10 most beautiful islands in the World. On our tour we will visit 2 most important destinations on the island: the city of Hvar and the village of Stari Grad with its ancient cultural landscape, UNESCO World heritage site.

 

With more than 2.760 sunny days per year, the town of Hvar is among the sunniest places in the Europe and one of the top touristic destinations in the Mediterranean area.

 

Inhabited already in the prehistoric period, the town reached its most important development in the 13th century and later on during the Venetian government. The first attraction to visit on our Hvar walking tour will be the fortress of Fortica, also known as Spagnola fort.  Located on the hill of St. Nicholas above the old town of Hvar, Fortica offers a great panorama over the roofs of the old town, the port of Hvar and Paklinski islands, the stunning archipelago on south-west from the city of Hvar. Underneath the fort, we will walk through the narrow streets of the Hvar old town, rich of suggestive Renaissance and Gothic palaces to reach the main city square (pjaca), among the most beautiful ones in Dalmatia.

 

On the Eastern end of the square, we will see the cathedral of St. Stephen with the bell tower and the Bishop's Palace. We will walk by the Duke’s Palace (14th century), the town loggia with clock tower from 16th century and reach the small harbour and the Arsenal, at the bottom of the piazza. The Arsenal of Hvar is one of the best-preserved arsenals in the Mediterranean area: It was built in the 16th century with the development of the port, in the period when Hvar was one of the most important harbours for merchant ships in Adriatic. On the first floor of the Arsenal building, we will visit the theatre of Hvar, the oldest public theatre in Europe, founded in 17th century.

 

Outside the old town and the main square attractions, we will see the summer residence of the poet Hanibal Lucic (16th century), one of the most important renaissance palaces in Croatia and the Franciscan monastery from 15th century with the church of Our Lady of Mercy. In the courtyard in front of the church, you will notice the famous cypress that grows horizontally and not vertically as other species of its kind. From the monastery back to the centre of the city, we will follow the Stations of the Cross with 14 chapels built in the 18th century. At the end of the Hvar city tour, we will visit the Benedictine monastery, famous for the agave lace. The lace, hand made by the nuns since the 17th century, is today UNESCO world cultural heritage and probably the most original souvenir from the island of Hvar. Next, after the lunch break and free time for swimming or just relaxing, we will take the ride to the village of Stari Grad.

 

The picturesque town of Stari Grad is the oldest settlement on the island of Hvar. The antique city of Pharos (Faros) has been founded in the 4th century B.C. by the Greeks from the Ionian island of Paros. The ancient fortified city that had more than 1.000 inhabitants is today best known for the Stari Grad Plain or Chora Pharou, UNESCO World heritage site. The Stari Grad Plain is one of the best-preserved antique land divisions in the Mediterranean area: More than 70 geometrical parcels of agricultural land with dry stone wall boundaries, known as chora, remained intact for more than 24 centuries today. The original agricultural activity of this cultural landscape, based mainly on grapes and olives, has been preserved since the first Greek colonisation.

 

Afterward, we will reach the centre of the village to visit the suggestive Renaissance palace Hektorovic also known as Tvrdalj or Fort, as it has been fortified in the 16th century during the Turkish invasion of the area. We will continue then our tour of the old town of Stari Grad walking along the promenade and through the narrow streets to reach the main picturesque square of Skor, hidden among the historical palaces inside the old village. Finally, we will see some of the most interesting attractions of Stari Grad including the Parish church of St. Stephen with the bell tower built at the place where once stood the entrance to the antique village. At the end of the tour we will visit the Dominican monastery and the church of St. Peter (15th century) as well as the early Christian church of St. John, the most important monument on the island of Hvar.

 

Our Hvar tour ends here; nevertheless, if you are in the mood to spend some more time on the island, you might decide to stay a little bit longer as you will have plenty of time to enjoy your dinner until the last ferry departs from Stari Grad to Split.