Sandy beaches, historic villages, Marco Polo’s house, fortresses and a blue cave are just some of the sights to see on the islands around Split.
Hvar
An island that is 23 nautical miles by ferry from Split and 182 square miles in size and includes Hvar Town and Stari Grad.
Hvar Town
You can take a ferry directly from Split to go to this town. Here you will find a fortress along with many cafes, shops and restaurants. The main square in town is Trg Sveti Stjepan and is backed by a 16th century cathedral.
Franjevački samostan Hvar (Franciscan Monastery)
The monastery has a museum that includes collections of Greek, Roman, Venetian, Liturgical, Atlas of Ancient Cartographer Ptolemy and rare examples of amphora, as well as paintings by Venetian painters Francesco Santacroce and Palma Mladja. The monastery is famous for the magnificent painting of the Last Supper with a u-shaped table.
Hours: Monday- Saturday, 9 am – 3 pm and 5 pm – 7 pm, closed Sunday, usually closed Nov. – April, but you can contact the local Tourism Office and see if they let you in during the off season.
Admission: 35 kunas
Address: Šetalište put Križa, Hvar, Croatia
Fortica Hvar (Hvar Fortress)
It is a 30-minute walk uphill on the street of Groda and offers you sensational views at the top. The fortification was built from the 13th and 14th centuries. In 1571 villagers came here for protection due to an invasion by the Ottomans. Here you can see a prison, a café and a marine archeological collection. There is another fortress on a higher hill built by Napoleon now used for seismographic study.
Hours: Daily June-Sept., 8 am – 10 pm, Easter- May and mid-Sept. – Oct., 8:30 am – 8 pm, Nov.- Easter much shorter hours and sometimes closed.
Admission: 40 kunas
Address: D116, 21450, Hvar, Croatia
Other Sites around Hvar: Katedrala Sveti Stjepan (Cathedral of St. Stephen) and Benediktinski Samostan (Benedictine Convent and Lace Museum).
How to get there: Take a Jadrolinija catamaran from Split that stops in Hvar Town. The catamaran takes about an hour the ferryboat takes two hours. You can also take a Jadrolinija ferry from Split to Stari Grad (23 nautical miles) and the take a local bus across the island.
Stari Grad
It is one of the oldest towns in Europe and was founded in 384 BC as a Greek settlement.
Tvrdalj Petra Hektorovića (Tvrdaj Castle)
Fortified summer home of Petar Hektorovic, Croatian poet. During the 16th century, the island of Hvar came under attack from the Ottoman Turks. Hektorović, one of the local nobles, undertook to fortify his house so that it could act as shelter for the local citizens. The interior courtyard contains a seawater fishpool, enclosed by a vaulted and arcaded terrace. Behind the main buildings is a walled garden where Hektorović cultivated herbs and medicinal plants.
Hours: Wednesday- Tuesday, 10 am – 1 pm, 5:30 pm – 8:30 pm.
Admission: 20 kuna per person
Address: Priko b.b., 21460, Stari Grad, Croatia
Other Sites: Fantazam Gallery, Church of St. Stephen and Church of St. John.
How to get there: You can take a ferry directly from Split and again you can visit Hvar Town from there by bus. Note—the ferry terminal is outside the old town area.
If you have a car you can go exploring on the island:
Jelsa – St. Mary’s Church and has a tower built by ancient Greeks and the nearby Galesnik fortress.
Vrboska—historic village with the Crkva – tvrđava sv. Marije od Milosrđa (Fortress- Church of St. Mary) and the Church of St. Lawrence.
Korčula
The sixth largest island in Croatia and is 20 miles long and rather narrow. It is 40 nautical miles northwest of Dubrovnik and 57 nautical miles southeast of Split by ferry. The island has dense forest and harbored an early Greek settlement.
Korčula Town
The main settlement on the island and sometimes people refer to it as “Little Dubrovnik” since it has many medieval squares, churches, palaces and houses.
Gradski Muzej Korčula (Town Museum)
The museum is in a 16th century Gabrielis palace located in St. Mark’s Square facing Cathedral Sveti Marko. It covers the town’s history and culture from ancient times to the present. This includes excavated items from shipwrecked Greek and Roman boats.
Hours: Oct., Nov., Dec., Jan., Feb., March, 10 am – 1 pm; April, May and June, 10 am – 2 pm; July Aug. and Sept., 9 am – 9 pm
Admission: Adults 20 kunas and children 8 kunas.
Address: Trg Svetog Marka 2, 20260, Korčula, Croatia
Sveti Marko (Cathedral of Saint Mark)
Built in the Gothic-Renaissance style and completed in the 15th century. The facade is decorated with the fluted rose and various relief and statues, while the main door portal is framed by statues of Adam and Eve and figures of lions. Inside the cathedral you will find two paintings attributed to Venetian artist Tintoretto.
Hours: May–Sept Mon–Sat 9am–7pm; Oct Mon–Sat 9am–4pm
Admission: Cathedral 15 kunas and Bell Tower 20 kunas
Address: 20260, Korčula, Croatia
Kula Morska Vrata (Tower of Sea Gate)
The tower is leaning against the east side of the town walls. It has two cannon holes and two doors in the shape of the letter L, one on north and another on the east façade of the tower. The tower features a Venetian plaque of the winged lion of St Mark. The tower houses an art gallery.
Address: 20260, Korčula, Croatia
Kuca Marca Pola (Marco Polo House)
This is the house that Marco Polo is said to be born in. The house is in ruins, but the tower next door has a modest exhibition about him.
Hours: Daily 11 am – 9 pm
Admission: 20 kunas
Address: 20260, Korčula, Croatia
Marco Polo Museum
A multimedia and multistory exhibition on Marco Polo’s life starting from sailing from Korcula through meeting Kublai Khan and returning home.
Hours: May- Oct. 9:30 am – 10 pm
Admission: 60 kunas
Address: Ul. Plokata 19. travnja 1921. 24, 20260, Korčula, Croatia
Other Sights: Bishop’s Treasury, Great Land Gate (Veliki Revelin), Ulica Korculanskog Statua 1214 (Street of the Korculan Statue of 1214), Zbirka Ikona (Icon Museum) and explore the Old Town Walls along the nearby beaches.
How to get there: You can take a Jadrolinija ferry from Dubrovnik as it stops in Korčula Town en route to Rijeka.
Also, a ferry goes from Split serving the port of Vela Luka on the western tip of the island, running daily as a ferry or catamaran service on its way to Lastovo.
You can take daily bus service from Dubrovnik to Korčula. The bus gets here by boarding a ferry at Orebic for a short crossing to Korčula.
Vis
it was originally closed to foreigners until 1989 due to its military strategic location, it is slowly becoming a popular tourist destination. It is 34 nautical miles southwest of Split. Here you can see Tito’s Cave, check out small beaches, restaurants and shops. It is not as developed since it was closed off for so long.
How to get there: A fast ferry from Split on the SEM Marina fast catamaran or take a 2 and half hour Jadrolinija ferry ride to Vis Town.
Biševo
(Easy Boat Tour from Vis): The main attraction here is Modra špilja (Blue Cave): You can explore this cave by swimming into it. The sunlight coming through the small opening on the top of the cave causes the water to have a blue glow. The best time to see this phenomenon is between 11 am to 12 pm on a sunny day. The best way to visit is through a tour arranged on the mainland in Split, Hvar or from Vis.
