An easy day trip to Hvar Island from Split offers breathtaking coastal views and historic charm, perfect for a one day getaway.

With crystal-clear waters, quaint villages, and leisurely exploration, Hvar is an unforgettable escape just a short ferry ride away from Split, Croatia.

While you could easily spend more than one day on this island, if your Croatia itinerary is limited on time like ours was, it is still worth taking the ferry over for one full day.

My husband and I took a two week trip to Croatia in April 2024 (see below for our entire itinerary). And while the weather in mid April is not beach going weather – we had perfect exploring by foot weather :).

This post will help you plan your own perfect day trip to Hvar ;).

In a rush?

How to Get to Hvar Island

To reach Hvar Island from Split, you can take Jadrolinija ferry or Krilo catamaran, with regular departures throughout the day from Split’s ferry port.

The journey takes about 1 to 2 hours, depending on the service, offering scenic views of the Adriatic Sea along the way.

We took the 8:30am Jadrolinija ferry from Split to Stari Grad on Hvar Island on Thursday, April 25th and got on the 5:30pm return ferry to Split.

Our roundtrip tickets were less than $25 for both of us – our hotel concierge helped us buy our tickets online the night before but you can also do so yourself here.

The thing to be aware of if you take this ferry is that the small town of Stari Grad is on the opposite side of the island from the more popular Hvar Town and you will have to either take a taxi or a bus to get to the other side of the island and back.

This is not a big deal and, as you will read more about below, we loved Stari Grad way more than Hvar Town for our spring visit!

The quiet laneways and ancient white-stone streets of Stari Grad are much more slow paced and friendly than the more party-scene oriented, young crowds of Hvar Town.

We decided to sit outside on the deck for the entire two hours to the island and enjoyed the fresh sea air and warm sun on our faces :).

However there is plenty of indoor seating as well as a snack bar if you choose to go that route. This ferry carries vehicles (semi trucks even!) and carries as many as 1800 passengers ;0.

Another unique aspect of taking the Jadrolinija ferry was entering and exiting the boat from the car dock ;0.

The option of the Krilo catamaran will bring you to the Hvar Town side of the island. You can learn more about this option here.

These seems to be a less common method of getting to the island of Hvar as our concierge did not mention it nor have I read about it on many blog posts however it is a viable and slightly faster option :).

Time Needed on Hvar Island

As mentioned above, our day trip to Hvar was the last week of April 2024, and as you can see from the photos above, not sitting on a beach weather which is a common activity on the island.

Taking the 8:30am ferry and arriving into the Stari Grad port around 10:30am, we spent a couple hours wandering the streets of Stari Grad (most shops were closed that day) before taking a taxi to Hvar Town for another couple of hours before returning back to Stari Grad around 4pm to get on the 5:30pm ferry.

If you are visiting in the warmer months, you can take a later ferry back to Split to allow a couple hours for relaxing on the beach :).

Stari Grad

If you take the Jadrolinija ferry as mentioned above, you will arrive a short 10 minute walk from Stari Grad town centre.

Stari Grad is known as one of the oldest towns in all of Europe.

While many visitors to Hvar Island will skip going to Stari Grad and go straight to Hvar Town, my husband and I loved strolling the narrow cobblestone streets of Stari Grad way more than Hvar Town.

Having visited at the end of April, the crowds were minimal making us feel like the only two people wandering the streets of Stari Grad.

Here are a few of the sights we enjoyed seeing around the town centre:

Srinjo kola

Srinjo kola (Middle Street) is the epicenter of Stari Grad with quaint cafes and traditional souvenir shops. Having visited about two weeks before most businesses open for the season, we had the oldest street on the island all to ourselves.

The hip gourmet shop, Za Pod Zub, is on this narrow laneway and lucky for us was open when we were there which gave us the opportunity to talk to the French owners and learn a little more about their Croatian home.

Church of St Stephen

Archeological Site Faros (UNESCO Heritage Site)

Skor Square

Siberija

Tvrdalj of Petar Hektorovic

Dominican Monastery of St Peter Martyr

After Srinjo Kola, visiting the peaceful and serene Dominican Monastery was our favorite sight in Stari Grad.

Stari Grad Riva

A stroll along the palm lined waterfront is one of the best things to do in Stari Grad.

In the “busy” season (I have heard even in peak tourist season, Stari Grad is still a sedate town), the seafront promenade here is the perfect place for people watching with its myriad of fishing boats and locals enjoying coffee at the cafes.

Hvar Town

After wandering the picturesque streets of Stari Grad, we asked the friendly owner of a waterfront coffee shop to call a taxi for us to take us to Hvar Town. You can contact the company Hvar Transfer from their website here.

The ride is about 30 minutes and we paid around $50 in cash each way. Funny story – we had forgotten to get Euros out of a bank in Split before leaving for Hvar Island, and our taxi driver was perfectly fine accepting US dollars as payment!!

Another method of transportation to Hvar Town is the public bus – learn more about the schedules here.

Having read quite a few reviews and blog posts about this more popular capital city on Hvar Island, I knew just spending a couple of hours in the party oriented, younger crowd town would be plenty for us.

And I was right.

There are more selfie sticks, massive yachts, bass pumping bars, and backpackers on tight budgets in Hvar Town than there are in the small fishing village of Stari Grad.

But nonetheless, seeing the main sights of Hvar Town and sitting on the riva looking at the crystal clear Mediterranean waters while eating a burek will still be one of the highlights of your Croatian adventures :).

We had our taxi driver drop us off at the Tvrdava Fortica so that we would not have to make the all uphill trek if dropped off in town and therefore started our exploring of the western side of the island from there.

Here is the list of the sights we enjoyed in the two hours we spent in Hvar Town:

Hvar Fortress

Home of the most panoramic and stunning view of the Mediterranean waters and red roofs and white washed walls of Hvar far below, getting dropped off first at Hvar Fortress was one of the best decisions we made on this day trip to Hvar :).

While the 10 Euro entrance fee (April 2024 prices) is more than I think it should be for what little you get, the views will make you forget about that cost (learn more here).

Hvar Old Town

If you hopefully follow our suggestion to get dropped off at the fortress, after spending about 25 -30 minutes there enjoying the views, you will head downhill and through the narrow cobblestone streets of Hvar Old Town to the main square.

St Stephen’s Square

The largest old square in all of Dalmatia, St Stephen’s square is the center of public and social life in Hvar. The Cathedral of St Stephen’s can be found in this square (it was surprisingly closed for our visit).

While mainly filled with tourists and some tourist trap souvenir shops and restaurants, the square is a fun place to take a breather and do some people watching on your Hvar day trip :).

Franciscan Monastery

Located on the prettiest little cove just a short walk from the Hvar Riva, the Franciscan Monastery exudes peace and calm.

While the monastery was actually closed on the day of our day trip, we were still able to enter the gates and enjoy the tranquility of the surrounding property.

Hvar Riva

Filled with massive yachts, energetic bars, and touristy restaurants, having visited mid day in late April, we thankfully did not experience the party scene that Hvar’s riva is world famous for.

What we did experience at the end of the riva was a peaceful place to sit and eat our first burek’s of the trip with views of the bluest waters I have ever seen ;0!

Also – being that this was already our 8th day in Croatia – I cannot believe we didn’t know about the popular Croatian treat of bureks earlier!!!

A burek is a delicious and savory pastry popular as a light meal or hearty snack made from thin, flaky layers of dough.

There is a popular Croatian bakery right on the riva where you can quickly get your burek to enjoy while sitting in the Mediterranean sun :).

What to Wear in Spring on Hvar Island

The temperature for our day trip to Hvar Island never went above 60ºF however when sitting on the Hvar riva, the warm Mediterranean sun made us grateful for the layers we wore for the day.

And as always – especially with all the old cobblestone streets, walking shoes are essential! If there is any rain or drizzle for your Hvar day trip, the walkways will be slippery so make sure you are prepared for that too!

Our April 2024 Croatia Itinerary Day to Day Overview

DAY 1 | Fly from San Diego to Zagreb via London on British Airways

DAY 2 | Arrive in Zagreb 8pm

DAY 3 | Zagreb: wander streets, take Funicular to top, explore Saint Mark’s Square, lunch at Konoba Didov San, Museum of Broken Relationships, Stone Gate

DAY 4 | Zagreb: explore August Cesarec neighborhood, Tunel Gric, Gornjogradska Gimnazija viewpoint, Zagreb City Museum, dinner at Le Premier Boutique Hotel

DAY 5 | Get rental car and drive 2 hours to Plitvice Lakes National Park

DAY 6 | Plitvice Lakes National Park

DAY 7 | Drive 3 hours to Split (return car at airport), dinner at Portas Pizzeria

DAY 8 | Split: Diocletian’s Palace, Stari Pazar market, Split port, Marjan park and viewpoint, Varos neighborhood, dinner at Konoba Dujkin Dvor, sunset at People’s Square

DAY 9 | Split: Cathedral of St Domnius and belltower, Ethnographic Museum, Game of Thrones Museum, shop on Diocletian’s Street, Temple of Jupiter, Treasury, dinner at Chops Grill

DAY 10 | Day trip from Split to Hvar Island: Stari Grad and Hvar Town

DAY 11 | Used Daytrip company to drive us from Split to Dubrovnik with stops at Rizman Winery and Ston

DAY 12 | Dubrovnik: 7am Flytographer photo shoot, Fort Lovrijenac, shop on Placa and Ulica od Puca (Street of the Wells), Old Town and Wall, Franciscan Monastery, Dubrovnik Cable Car to Fort Imperial viewpoint, St Blaise’s Church, dinner at Bura Bistro

DAY 13 | Dubrovnik: day at the beach, Buza Bar, Jesuit Stairs, Dubrovnik Cathedral, snack at Holy Burek, dinner at Taj Mahal,

DAY 14 | Flight from Dubrovnik to London Gatwick (2.5 hour flight), overnight in London

DAY 15 | Fly to San Diego from London on British Airways

I hope you found this post helpful in planning your day trip to Hvar Island from Split.

A day trip to Hvar Island from Split offers the perfect blend of relaxation and adventure, making it an unforgettable experience for any traveler seeking a taste of Croatia’s coastal beauty.

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