The Sunniest Island: A Walking Tour of Hvar’s Historical Old Town

(48 reviews)

Hvar audio tour: The Sunniest Island: A Walking Tour of Hvar’s Historical Old Town

This is a 0.7mi walking tour

It takes an average of 60 mins to complete.

Hvar

Croatia

$11.99

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About the Tour

Hvar’s Old Town is filled with breathtaking landscapes and Croatian peculiarities. On this walking tour, you’ll learn about the historical sights and unique traditions in the island town.

Our tour starts on Saint Stephen’s Square, the largest square in Dalmatia. I’ll share the area’s medieval history as I guide you through picturesque neighbourhoods, including Grode and Burak. As you stroll, I’ll tell you why Hvar is known as the sunniest island in Croatia.

Along the way, you’ll find out what the area was like under Venetian, French, Austrian-Hungarian, and Yugoslavian rule throughout centuries of conquest. After visiting the alleys of the Old Town, I’ll show you Riva, the seaside promenade where you can enjoy views of Pakleni islands and Hvar’s port. The tour ends on the terrace-viewpoint of Hvar Theatre where you can take in the Old Town.

On this hour-long tour, you’ll have a chance to:

Appreciate well-preserved medieval architecture
Get to the bottom of the 500-year-old Holy Thursday tradition that involves a 25-kilometer procession around the island
Hear about the unusual destinies of Villa Marchi’s owners
See Hvar Arsenal, a medieval shipyard with various functions throughout history
Take in the Church of St Anthony and the Benedictine Convent, where nuns make Hvar lace, which is on UNESCO’s ‘Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity’ list
Become familiar with iconic Hvar dishes and local products
Gaze upon Fortica Fortress, now a museum

By the end of this tour, you’ll have a better understanding of the rich history, local lifestyle, and quirky details that make Hvar so unique. You’ll also get recommendations on what to do and see after the tour.

Tour Producer

Sanja

11 tours

Hello traveller!

I’m Sanja, a licensed tour guide and foreign language teacher. My love for languages and travel began at an early age and, over time, grew into a lifelong profession. I earned my Master’s degree in Linguistics and Literature and have been working as a teacher and guide since 2011.

Fluent in English, Italian, French and Spanish, and conversational in Portuguese, I enjoy connecting with visitors from around the world and sharing the stories of the places I know best. My expertise spans Dalmatia, Croatia and Montenegro.

Through my VoiceMap tours, I explore local history, architecture, culture, gastronomy and everyday life—along with the fascinating details and peculiarities that make each location unique. I’m delighted to guide you through these remarkable places and hope my tours help you experience them with curiosity, insight and joy.

Welcome!

Preview Location

Location 1

Start: Saint Stephen's square - Pjaca

Hello dear traveller! Welcome!

My name is Sanja and I will guide you today through the town of Hvar.

Right now, you should be standing at the beginning of a big square. We'll spend a few moments here.

This is Saint Stephen's square, the largest square in Dalmatia with... Hello dear traveller! Welcome!

My name is Sanja and I will guide you today through the town of Hvar.

Right now, you should be standing at the beginning of a big square. We'll spend a few moments here.

This is Saint Stephen's square, the largest square in Dalmatia with the surface of 4500 m2 or 1.2 acres. The locals call this square ''Pjaca'', which is an Italian word that is part of the local dialect and it simply means ''square''. The square was created by filling a deep marshy bay with sand and stone over centuries. It was finally paved in 1780 with high-quality limestone from the quarries of the island of Brač. The square separates the two old town's neighbourhoods. Grode neighbourhood stretches uphill on the left side and it is protected with town fortifications, while Burak neighbourhood follows the seaside on the right side with no fortifications. Evidently, the fortified neighbourhood was for the wealthier population, while the poorer population lived unprotected in case of an enemy attack. Originally, the square was even bigger, but due to lack of space in the neighbourhood on the left side, houses were built in front of the town fortifications thus covering the walls from view and making the square smaller.

Please turn around to face the sea and the little port behind you.

This fenced off port is called Mandrač. It was a coastal mooring for boats, or a small protected shallow port built in the 1400s with little decorative steeples at corners that were added in the 1700s. These days, the little wall by the sea is the best place to sit on and observe the daily commotion by watching people go by.

Let me give you some basic information about the town you are visiting today. You may sit on the little wall by the sea while you are listening.

The town of Hvar is a small town with the total population of about 3500 people, and the island of Hvar has the total population of about 11000 people. The locals mostly live off tourism, as well as agriculture and fishing. Agriculture used to flourish on Hvar. Olive oil, wine, fruit and vegetables were produced in large quantities. The lavender fields were among the largest in Europe. At the end of the 1950s, agriculture was slowly being replaced by tourism which is now the dominant economic activity. Lavender is still produced on the island, even though in smaller quantities than before, and it is the product the island is known for. The people of Hvar began cultivating lavender when they couldn't produce wine anymore due to the disease of the grapevine called ''phylloxera''. That disease caused a difficult economic situation because wine production was the major source of revenue on the island in the 1800s and many families lived off their vineyards. As a result, some of those families had to emigrate to the North and South Americas where they continued producing wine with much success. Others who decided to stay on the island, turned to lavender which adapted very well to the local climate. This plant thrives best in hot, dry summers, and Hvar has just that kind of climate. Actually, Hvar is nicknamed ''the sunniest island in Croatia'' with over 2700 hours of sunshine a year! The lavender fields are in bloom at the end of June and the beginning of July, so that is the best time of year to admire the views of the fields and enjoy the scent. As a typical souvenir from the island, you might consider a lavender-based product.

Wine production has recovered from the grapevine disease in the meantime, so up to 50000 hectoliters or 42000 barrels of wine are produced each year. These days, some of the best wines in Croatia are made on the island of Hvar, for example, the red wine called Plavac and the white wine called Bogdanuša, which goes very well with Gregada, a famous local dish that is a kind of a fish stew. If you have the chance, do try some of these local delicacies.

Before we get going, let me briefly explain how VoiceMap works.

It uses your location to play audio automatically, at the right time and place. Don't worry if I'm silent at times, when I'm not giving directions or telling stories. There's a map on your screen if you ever feel lost, and if you do get way off track without noticing, VoiceMap will let you know. That means that you can put your phone away.

Now, let's start walking.

Facing the sea and the little port of Mandrač, turn right and start walking, following the stone wall around the port until you reach a clear space with a flagpole on the right side. Read More

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How VoiceMap Works

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Major Landmarks

Trg svetog Stjepana (Pjaca)
City Lodge / Loggia
Palace Elisabeth (Hvar Heritage Hotel)
Leroj Hvar
Hvar City Walls
Fortica Fortress
Hike to Fortica
Villa Porta Maestra
Hektorovic house
Benedictine Convent
Marije Maričić
St. Stephen's Cathedral
Kroz Burak
Church of the Annunciation of Mary
Villa Marchi
Franciscan Monastery
Riva
Hvar Port
Gališnik
Pakleni Islands Palmižana
Saint Clement
Hvar Arsenal
Hvar Theatre
Stupac Štandarac
Church of St. Anthony

View all

Getting There

Route Overview

VoiceMap tours follow a route from a set starting point. It’s how we give turn-by-turn directions and tell a story greater than the sum of its parts.

Start location
Trg svetog Stjepana 32, 21450, Hvar, Croatia
Total distance

1km
Final location
Trg svetog Stjepana 44, 21450, Hvar, Croatia
Distance back to start location

26.55m

Directions to Starting Point

Start: Saint Stephen's square - Pjaca, Hvar town

The tour starts at the beginning of the main square of the town, by the seaside.

Show Directions

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Tips

Places to stop along the way

This tour does not require entering any museums or sites (with entrance fees). However, the sites will be suggested for visiting after the tour. The listener may also pause the audio tour to visit the sites when they are mentioned and explained on the recording, and continue listening upon leaving the site.
If you want to sit down for a while during the tour, it can be pleasant to sit at the cafe on the main square with the Cathedral while you listen to the recording about that site.

Best time of day

It is possible to do the tour all year long, every day of the week including holidays because there is no entry to museums or other sites that operate on a schedule. However, you should bear in mind that if you are visiting from May to October, the busier part of the year, the streets might be crowded with people and there might be background noise. My suggestion is to do the tour early in the morning or later in the afternoon to avoid the crowds. Also, if you are visiting in winter, from November to February, note that it gets dark already by 4 or 5 pm, so make sure you finish the tour before that time. Summer months can be very hot, with scorching sun, and winter days can be rainy and/ or windy.

Precautions

I suggest wearing comfortable walking shoes. The tour is not suited for people who have difficulties climbing or descending steps.

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App Store Review

“Great app. walk around at your own pace, stop where you want, move on or speed up when you want. Read the script before you go or during the commentary, speed it up or replay it. Repeat the tour whenever you like.”