Croatia

Vis is one of the islands furthest from the mainland. It is a former Yugoslavian military base and has only recently been opened to tourism. Consequently, it is unspoilt and there are fewer tourists there than many of the other islands. There are two main towns - Vis Town and Komiza - one on either side of the island. The island is only about 18km across so it is easy to visit both.

Arrive

Ferries run from Split to Vis Town. The ferries to Vis are not as frequent as ferries to many of the other islands so it is worthwhile checking the timetables in advance. We went on Jadrolinija Ferries but there are also a couple of other companies. We were there in September and the most we booked ahead was one day. If you are going in June/July/August it would be advisable to book a bit further in advance.

Explore

The Beaches - While Vis Town is pretty, the beaches closest to town are not particularly attractive. To really see the island the best idea is to hire a car or a scooter. There are several hire places on the foreshore and they will also give you a map. (We asked them to mark the best beaches on it.)

Our favourite place was a sandy beach called Milna. You can drive most of the way there and then have to walk for about 10 mins around the coast. Another interesting place to go is Stinuva. It is a dramatic rocky bay with a small channel out to the sea. Be warned though: you pratically have to abseil down a cliff to get there.

One thing to note is that most of Croatia's beaches are nudist beaches. Don't be surprised if the person on the next beach towel is stark naked.

Darko's Place - Dark's place is one of the best restaurants I have ever eaten at. We found a brochure advertising a restaurant in one of the little 5 house towns in the middle of Vis. We drove up there to find out that it was really Darko's house, there is no menu and that Darko just cooks you whatever fish he has caught the previous night. We had squid cooked in Darko's smoke room accompanied by homemade wine and bread. Fantastic. I can't remember the name of the village where the restaurant was - I think it started with "P" and it was in the middle of the island.

Rest

We were offered accomodation in Vis town by a woman who met us off the ferry. As it was September, we seemed to have quite a lot of bargaining power and managed to reduce the price a bit.

Hvar is quite close to the Croatian mainland and has a bit of a party reputation. The waterfront is filled with flash launches and yachts and is lined with restaurants and bars but if you walk two streets up the hill you will get lost in the winding alleyways of the ancient township.

Arrive

We took a catamaran from Vis to Hvar. As Hvar is one of the most popular Dalmation islands there are lots of ferry links between Hvar, the mainland and other islands.

Explore

The Citadel - The old Venetian citadel still perches on the hill overlooking the Hvar township. There is a walking track from the centre of town - make sure you take plenty of water if walking up in summer because I don't think there was a shop at the top. There is a small enty fee to explore the citadel and a small museum. There are specatular views from the ramparts over Hvar township and out in the Adriatic.

Cruises/Tours - A number of cruises run from the Hvar marina to various islands. The fishing trip we wanted to go on was cancelled through lack of interest so we went on a cruise to a nearby island. We had a good day out but the beach we went to was nowhere near as good as the ones we had been to on Vis.

Rest

Again, we were met off the boat by touts and found a nice room just up the hill from the harbour. Unfortunately we managed to break one of the bed legs after and over enthusiatic card game (honestly!) and had to leave very early the next morning. Apologies to the man in Hvar for your broken bed!

Unique walled city.

Arrive

We took a bus from Split to Dubrovnik, which took about 4 hours. There seemed to be quite a few leaving each day. There are also buses from Mostar and ferries from several islands and Italy.

Explore

Walled City - Fantastically preserved. All stone.

Walking round the walls - Quite a walk to get up there but good views once you do.

Swimming off the rocks - Under the sign saying cold drinks - bar and place to jump in.

Rest

Lady met us at the bus station and we stayed across the road. Very nice place. Was a bit out of the walled town and we had to take a bus. Staying in the walled town seemed ridiculously expensive.