Why Hvar for Charter Sailors
Hvar is 68 kilometres long and never more than 10 kilometres wide. From a sailing perspective, that geometry is useful: a wall of limestone running east–west gives you shelter from the Bora on the north-facing coast while the south coast catches the Maestral in the afternoon. Most charter routes from Split pass along the northern shore, turn at Hvar Town, and return via the Pakleni Islands. That circuit alone can fill a comfortable week.
What actually draws people back to Hvar is the combination of easy sailing conditions, genuinely sheltered anchorages, and a nightlife scene that rivals anywhere in the Mediterranean. Hvar Town is the epicentre. Arrive by midday in July and you will be rafted four deep on the town quay by evening. Arrive in May and you might have a buoy in Paklinski Channel to yourself.
The insider rule: Hvar Town is for dinner and one night maximum. The real sailing happens among the Pakleni Islands five minutes to the west.
The Pakleni Islands
The Pakleni (Paklinski) Islands are a scattering of 14 pine-covered islets that form a natural breakwater southwest of Hvar Town. The main stops are Marinkovac (Palmizana bay), Sveti Klement (largest island, has a restaurant and buoys), and the small bays on the southern side of Jerolim and Zecevo. The whole area is a nature park, which means anchoring is restricted — use the mooring buoys where available and pay the nightly fee.
Palmizana is the most famous stop. A bay on Sveti Klement, it has a restaurant, a gallery, and a botanical garden planted in the 1930s. Buoys fill by early afternoon in July and August. The alternative is the less-visited south side of the same island where there is less swell and more privacy.
Pakleni Islands Quick Reference
| Bay / Islet | Depth (m) | Mooring | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Palmizana, Sveti Klement | 4–12 | Buoys + anchor | Restaurant, gallery; busy July–Aug |
| Vinogradisce, Sveti Klement | 3–8 | Anchor | Quieter south-facing bay, good Maestral shelter |
| Vlaka, Marinkovac | 5–10 | Buoys | Naturist beach on Jerolim nearby |
| Stipanska, Sveti Klement | 4–8 | Anchor | Remote, north coast, Bora can whistle through |
| Carstvo, Zecevo | 6–14 | Anchor | Deepest option; restaurant in season |
Best Anchorages on Hvar Island
Beyond the Pakleni Islands, the north coast of Hvar offers a series of coves that are progressively less visited as you move east toward Sucuraj. The best of the sheltered bays are on the southern side, which faces open sea and catches afternoon breeze — perfect for an overnight stop after sailing from Korcula or Vis.
- Milna (north coast, near Hvar Town): Small village bay, good holding in 4–7 m, taverna on the quay. Best alternative if Hvar Town is full.
- Dubovica (south coast): Pebble beach, anchorage in 6–10 m, no facilities but the water is exceptional. Susceptible to southwest swell.
- Jagodna (south coast): Narrow inlet with good shelter, 4–8 m, small settlement. Peaceful overnight stop if heading toward Korcula.
- Uvala Basina near Jelsa (north coast): Protected cove east of Jelsa, anchor in 4–8 m sand. Good holding and a restaurant close by.
- Stari Grad Bay: The largest and most sheltered natural harbour on the island — useful in bad weather or as a meal stop. Town quay has limited berths; anchor further in.
Marinas and ACI Hvar
The ACI Marina Hvar sits right in Hvar Town harbour. It has 160 berths and the full range of charter services — fuel, water, showers, and a repair yard. It is the obvious overnight stop for one night in town. Book ahead from late June. The marina office can usually point you toward a mooring buoy in the town bay if marina berths are full.
Jelsa on the north coast has a small town marina with around 90 berths. It is far less visited than Hvar Town, the konobas are excellent, and it makes a quieter base if you are sailing the central island section. Stari Grad has a town quay — free to anchor, small fee for quayside stern-to mooring — and the old town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site worth an afternoon.
Stari Grad and the Stari Grad Plain
Stari Grad (literally "old town") is the oldest settlement in Croatia, founded by Greek colonists around 385 BC. The Stari Grad Plain behind the town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site — a 2,400-year-old agricultural landscape of stone walls and vineyards that has barely changed since antiquity. If you are spending more than one night near Hvar, a morning walk or cycle here is worth planning around.
From a sailing perspective, Stari Grad Bay is the best natural harbour on the island. The bay runs 5 kilometres inland, protected from almost every wind direction. It is a sensible place to shelter if a Bora or Jugo forecast makes the outer coast unappealing.
When to Go
Hvar is Croatia's sunniest island — over 2,700 hours of sunshine per year according to Croatian Meteorological Institute records, more than the Canaries. That sun comes with crowds. July and August are intense: Hvar Town quay is a party, Pakleni buoys are gone by noon, and berths in ACI Marina require booking weeks in advance.
May and early June are the best months for sailing. The Maestral is well-established, water temperature reaches 18–20°C, lavender is still in flower on the hillsides above Stari Grad, and anchorages have space. September is the next best option — crowds thin noticeably after the first week, water is warmest (24–26°C), and light is extraordinary.
Lavender season: The fields above Velo Grablje and Brusje peak in late June. If you time a walk ashore on a passage day, the smell from the boat is noticeable half a mile offshore on a downwind run.
Chartering from Hvar
Most charter companies base their fleets in Split (Kastela marina or Split ACI Marina) rather than Hvar itself. Hvar Town is typically a first- or second-night stop on a Split-based circuit. A standard one-week loop from Split runs: Split → Hvar/Pakleni → Vis → Korcula → Lastovo → back north via Brac. That covers the best of central Dalmatia and can be done in either direction depending on forecast.
If you want Hvar as a proper base rather than a waypoint, some operators offer pick-up and drop-off in Hvar Town itself. The selection of boats is smaller, but it saves a full day of sailing from Split and lets you focus on the south-facing islands.
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