3 Days in Hvar Croatia – Relaxing and Romantic

In our recent honeymoon trip to Croatia, we spent 3 days in Hvar Croatia! Although Hvar is known to be a party island where the world’s high end yachts meet up, we ended up having a very relaxing time. If you want to dive deeper and explore more than just the surface, read on for this detailed Hvar, Croatia travel guide!

Best Beaches on Hvar

Our Croatia trip included Dubrovnik, Split and Hvar. Out of these 3 destinations, we wanted to spend beach time on Hvar Island and we were not disappointed! You’ll need a car to visit the beaches I’m going to recommend as unfortunately there’s no Uber or public transportation that’s easily available on the island.

1, Dubovica Beach

Dubovica is the highest rated beach on Hvar Island. While it is comparatively accessible, it does still take a bit of effort to get to. After parking on the side of the road, it’s about a 10 minute walk down a dirt path to the beach. What makes Dubovica Beach unique is an ancient monastery that sits on the right side of the beach. There are no facilities like beach chairs or umbrellas, but there is a beach bar called Duba Beach Bar. You can also find a few shady spots if you come early. After visiting other beaches on Hvar, Dubovica Beach is also the biggest and provides the most expansive view.

2. Malo Zarace Beach

I am shocked that more Hvar travel guides do not recommend this beach. With 3 days in Hvar, you must visit Malo Zarace Beach! Parking is easy but there are a limited number of spots so best to come early. There’s also plenty of spots with shade which I love. But what makes this beach my favorite is the stunning green and blue colors that meld together to create something dream like. Before you descend down the beach, check out the views from the rock cliffs. The water is crystal clear and shallow, but very rocky so definitely bring your water shoes! We easily spent 3-4 hours here.

What to See in Hvar

1. Spanjola Fortress

The most stunning views in Hvar is definitely the steps going up to Spanjola Fortress. It’s a pretty easy walk and you can find signs leading to Tvrdava Fortica from old town. Here are some views you can see. The Fortress itself has an admission fee which we did not enter but the hike is free to do!

2. Franciscan Monastery

Enjoy a scenic walk along the water to Francsican Monastery. It is really beautiful especially close to sunset.

3. Lacman Winery

As big wine lovers (we got married at a winery), we were really excited to check out the wine scene on Hvar island. Since we rented a car, we drove ourselves to Lacman Winery and tasted 4 of their wines. The ambiance is amazing with the view of the valley and Stari Grad below. You can also pay for a tasting experience and order food as well! Their orange wines were so delicious, we even picked up a bottle to go. Each of the decanters is 5 euros for the self guided tasting.

4. TOMIC WINERY

The other winery we got a chance to visit during our 3 days in Hvar is Tomic Winery. The tasting and the wine is a totally different vibe than Lacman. It’s more traditional and classy. The tasting is underground in a cellar which actually looked nicer in person than photos, it was also a great way to escape the heat! We chose to do a self guided tasting as well and their program is a prepaid wine card which you can use to select wines from their dispensers. Their Plavac Mali is very delicious but it is on the pricier side of things.

5. Hvar Riva

Grab a gelato and sit on the benches along the Riva to people watch and imagine your life as the rich and famous. Tons of super yachts dock here and people dress fabulous for the evenings.

6. Stari Grad

I’d recommend renting a car if you are spending 3 days in Hvar. On one of those days, enjoy a few hours in the town of Stari Grad. We had a delicious meal at Antika and also stumbled on a fabulous small wine shop.

7. Jelsa

30 minutes east from Stari Grad is another town called Jelsa. Several wineries are located in this area including Tomic which I shared earlier in the post. These towns are all really cute and very quiet.

Best Restaurants in Hvar

There are no shortages of restaurants in Hvar but that’s what makes it challenging to find a good one. After this trip, I’d say that Google reviews seem inflated in Hvar so I’d trust 4.7 or above only! Here are our review of our meals from best to worst!

Konoba Maestro – Elevated classics that’s fresh and modern. This was easily our favorite meal in Hvar! The fire grilled octopus was to die for and they have a nice natural wine program. Instagram.

Antika – A close second is Antika. This restaurant is located in Stari Grad so if you’re headed there, this is a must try. Instagram.

Giaxa – Another high quality restaurant with beautiful ambiance. The flavors of all the dishes were great but I’m placing it a bit lower as the quantity of food was so little and it wasn’t as good value. Website.

Gego – Seafood by the Beach. There’s only one restaurant in Zarace and it just so happens to be on the beach. We had a delicious octopus salad and an average mussel dish. Good if you’re hungry in Zarace but would not go out of your way for this. 40 euros for lunch.

Pizzeria Toni – Frozen Dough? Would not recommend this spot. The topping on my pizza was great but the dough tasted like it was frozen pizza and not even the premium kind. This is rated 4.7 on Google Maps so I’m a bit confused!

The food list is so short because we had the BEST breakfast every single morning at Mansion Hvar. Keep reading for the best place to stay in Hvar!

Where to Stay in Hvar

A Hvar Croatia travel guide would not be complete without an accommodation recommendation. We stayed at Mansion Hvar and absolutely loved the calming decor and luxurious finishes. The infinity pool felt very private and intimate as there are only four rooms on site. The breakfast was also next level and I’ll be raving about this for years. The only downside is that it’s located about a 10 minute drive from Hvar Town.

I really wanted a hotel with a pool and this stay was excellent value and provided the relaxation and luxury we were looking for.

How Much to Budget For 3 Days in Hvar

I’m not going to sugar coat it, Hvar is an expensive island. We also skipped out on a boat tour (mainly as we wanted to enjoy the beaches and wineries more)

• Accommodation – Mansion Hvar $1200 for 3 nights
• Car Rental – $370 for 3 days for the lowest class automatic vehicle
• Activities – $70 for two wine tastings
• Food: $350 for 3 lunches and 2 dinners

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For more European summer adventures, check out my Greece travel guides and Spain travel guides!