Ferries from Hvar

No car has ever driven off a ferry in Hvar Town, and that single fact explains the place. The harbour takes passenger catamarans only; vehicles land at Stari Grad on the other side of the island. What is left is a waterfront that was never rebuilt around a vehicle ramp — a Venetian square opening straight onto the water, with the boats tying up at the edge of it.

What ties up here

• Split — about 55 minutes, 3 sailings, on Krilo and Jadrolinija fast craft.
• Korčula — about 70 minutes, 3 sailings. The link down the island chain.
• Dubrovnik — roughly 3 h 20 m, a single seasonal sailing.

All passenger services. The car ferry to Stari Grad is a different route to a different harbour, and the Hvar guide covers which one you need.

⚠ The harbour is the town square

That is charming and it is also the practical problem. There is no terminal building, no marshalling area and very little shelter; boarding happens on the quay in whatever weather there is, and in July the queue for a catamaran shares the space with restaurant tables.

Arrive earlier than a fifty-five-minute crossing suggests. Seats are limited on the fast craft and there is nowhere to wait comfortably if you miss one.

Wind is the operational risk

Catamarans are suspended in conditions that conventional ferries handle, and this harbour has nothing but catamarans. When the bura blows, Hvar Town's connections stop while the car ferry to Stari Grad keeps running.

The fallback, if you are stuck, is the bus across the island to Stari Grad and the vehicle ferry from there — worth knowing before you need it.

Beyond the harbour

Water taxis run from the same waterfront to the Pakleni islands just offshore, which is where most of the town's beach traffic goes. Those are private boats on demand rather than scheduled services, and they are not in any timetable.

The Spanish Fortress above the town gives the view over the harbour and the islands, and is a twenty-minute climb from the quay.