Vis

The main town and port of the island of the same name actually consists of two small settlements connected by the sprawling shore road: in the west lies Luka, in the east Kuta. In between a few cafes, restaurants and numerous boat jetties at which the house owners' boats bob. The lanes behind them are for the most part purely residential areas. Here one finds only isolated boutiques and restaurants. Life in Vis would be correspondingly quiet if the numerous cyclists did not now and then provide a small shot of adrenaline with shrill bells and breakneck speed. For since the entire coastal strip is largely closed to cars, the bicycle is here, despite - and because of - the Mediterranean heat, the most practical means of getting about. In the high season, however, when guests and locals gather on the promenade - partly because the ferry harbour is here, partly to enjoy the fresh breeze - cyclists come off worse: on these days one often sees them only pushing. Anyone wanting to get out of their way can visit four defence towers and two churches from the 16th and 17th centuries, or the archaeological museum (Tue-Sun: 9-13, 17-19), which works through the history of the town and among whose exhibits there are also remains of the Roman theatre found here and of thermal baths adorned with mosaics from the 1st century, which stood on the nearby Prirovo peninsula. Anyone who prefers to see architectural witnesses of the past in their natural surroundings can take a little walk to and along the town wall. You will find it if you go from the bay in a north-westerly direction.