Excursion destinations around the island of Hvar

Hvar is connected by a taxi boat with the Pakleni Otoci archipelago, which consists of 9 small islands, of which only three are inhabited, and then only seasonally. Even so, things are lively here: the strong currents keep challenging experienced sport sailors, and the beautiful karst landscape attracts those who want to become them. The reefs between the islands delight divers, and the land invites you to short hikes in almost untouched nature.

The village of Bol is connected with the famous golden horn by a regularly shuttling little train that is fun not only for children. The route goes through a pine forest, past cosy hotels and entertaining souvenir sellers towards the beach. The first sight of it is a fresh surprise every time, for the golden horn is the only gravel beach in the world that changes its shape depending on the season and the time of day as well as on the current and the tides. Only the swimming and sunbathing experience itself remains equally recommendable at all times!

From the year 1331 the island of Šćedro was used exclusively as pasture, until the shepherds realised that they did not want to leave such a beautiful place to their sheep and goats alone. The two deep bays, the proximity to the island of Hvar (only 2.7 km!) and the pleasant flora mark Šćedro out as a bathing paradise. Yet instead of establishing a new tourism mecca here, only a few houses have so far been set on the small island, so that most visitors are day guests who take a small picnic on the beach in the midday shade but drive home again in the evening.

One of the most popular Croatian cities lies in the middle of the Dalmatian coast, and in its own middle in turn lies a single building that alone would be worth any journey: the Palace of Diocletian forms the city centre and the origin of today's Split. When it was built by the Roman Caesar as a retirement residence, only pastures, sea and the last spurs of a mountain range surrounded it. Today streets and lanes, hotel complexes and front gardens, small private houses and the harbour promenade twine around the centre of Split. And yet, within the walls of the palace and by means of the other splendid buildings, one can without difficulty sense the flair of that time.

2,000 people live on the island of Vis, and almost as many are drawn here weekly during the high season, at least for a short visit. For unlike the other islands of the Dalmatian Adriatic coast, Vis has only been accessible to tourism for a few years; before that there was a military restricted area here. The one positive effect of that period is that divers around Vis can explore not only the marine flora and fauna but dozens of shipwrecks as well.