Velo ZaraćeHvar Island

Zaraće is two bays and a rock. The rock is a long, pointed spine of grey limestone that runs out into the sea between them, its layers tilted and weathered into ridges that look, from the water, like the scales along a dragon's back, and it has become one of the most photographed pieces of coast on Hvar. Velo Zaraće is the eastern and larger of the two bays, about four nautical miles from Hvar Town along the south coast; Malo Zaraće, its small emerald twin, is just round the spine to the west.

The bay is pebble, backed by a handful of old stone houses and terraces, with deep, very clear water that turns from turquoise at the shore to ink blue a few metres out. It is the easier of the two bays for boats: wider, deeper and simpler to anchor in than tiny Malo Zaraće, with room for the larger boats in our fleet to lie comfortably while everyone swims. The rocky walls on both sides are excellent for snorkelling, and the stone piers themselves are the place to sunbathe and jump from.

A small restaurant sits above the beach, serving grilled fish and simple Dalmatian food with a view straight down the bay, and it is one of the few places on this stretch of coast where you can eat without moving the boat. The hamlet is also reachable by a steep road from the main Hvar road above, so a few people arrive by car, but from mid-morning most of the traffic is boats.

Velo Zaraće sits in the middle of the best swimming coast on the island. Dubovica is a mile east, Milna and Mala Milna a mile or two west, and the Red Rocks and Sveta Nedjelja lie further along. Our South Coast & Hidden Beaches tour swims here on its way east, and the bay is a natural lunch stop on any south-coast day, with Malo Zaraće next door for a second, quieter swim before you move on.

If you are renting a boat yourself, Velo Zaraće is the south-coast bay we recommend first: close enough to reach in twenty minutes, easy to anchor, a restaurant if you want one, and the dragon's back to photograph on the way in.