Your home base
Hvar Town is our home harbour and the best starting point for exploring the Croatian islands by boat. Pick up your boat a few steps from the old town and be swimming off the Pakleni Islands within ten minutes, or crossing to Vis, Brač and the Blue Cave on a full-day tour.
Hvar Town sits at the heart of the central Dalmatian archipelago. The Pakleni Islands lie just across the channel, close enough to see from the waterfront, the island of Vis is half an hour to the west by speedboat, and Brač, Šćedro and Korčula are all within a day's reach. From no other harbour on the coast can you reach so many islands, beaches and sea caves without a long crossing first.
The town harbour is deep, sheltered and easy to navigate, and our boats are moored on its south side at Šetalište Put Križa, a five-minute walk from the main square along the waterfront and right next to the ferry landing. Whether you are renting a boat for the day or joining one of our private tours, you are on the water within minutes of arriving, and back at a café table within minutes of tying up.
With over 2,700 hours of sunshine a year, Hvar is officially the sunniest island in Croatia and one of the sunniest places in Europe. The boating season runs from May to October. The sea is warm enough for long swims from June, and September is many locals' favourite month: the water is at its warmest, the crowds have thinned and the afternoon wind is gentler.
Hvar Town itself is the reason most people come to the island: a Venetian-era harbour ringed by a 13th-century old town, with the fortress above, the Arsenal and the main square by the water, and a waterfront promenade, the Riva, that fills with boats and terraces every evening. Renting a boat here means your day starts and ends in the middle of all of it.
We have been running boats out of this harbour since 1987. Our skippers grew up on the island, which is why they know which bay is empty at eleven in the morning and which restaurant to call for a table, and why we can tell you honestly whether a self-drive boat or a skippered tour is the better way to see what you have come for.
From ten-minute island hops to full-day cave adventures, here is what you can reach by boat from our harbour, and how far each one really is.
Ten minutes from the harbour: a chain of pine-covered islets with clear water, hidden beaches and waterfront restaurants. Jerolim, Stipanska, Ždrilca, Mlini and Palmižana are all within a mile or two, which is why the Pakleni Islands are the number one reason to rent a boat from Hvar.
ExploreThe famous Blue Cave on Biševo is a full-day speedboat trip from Hvar, about 25 nautical miles each way, combined with the Green Cave, Stiniva beach and lunch on Vis. Starting from Hvar puts you far closer to the cave than the day boats from Split, and we time the visit for the best light.
ExploreDubovica, the Red Rocks, the Zaraće bays, Milna and Mala Milna: Hvar's south coast has almost no roads, so its cliffs, coves and pebble beaches belong to boats. All of them are within half an hour of the harbour, on a half-day or full-day route.
ExploreSveta Nedjelja and Ivan Dolac grow some of Croatia's finest Plavac Mali reds on terraces that drop straight into the sea. Arrive by boat for cliff-side vineyards, family cellars and a tasting in a cellar dug below sea level.
ExploreCroatia's most remote inhabited island, closed to visitors as a military base until 1989 and still unspoiled: the harbour town of Vis, the fishing village of Komiža, the Budikovac lagoon, Stiniva and the submarine tunnels, all about half an hour away by RIB.
ExploreAn uninhabited island twenty minutes south of Hvar with pristine bays, a ruined monastery and some of the clearest water in the Adriatic. Mostir, Veli Porat and Porterusa are quiet anchorages for a slow day with nobody else in the water.
Explore9 boats available for daily rental, from €100/day.10 Sep 2026: from €100/day
The practical answers first-time renters ask us most, before you pick a boat.
Croatian law requires a valid boat licence for any motorboat, including our smallest. We check it at pick-up, and most national licences and the ICC are accepted. No licence in the group? Every boat in our fleet is available with a local skipper, and our private tours always include one.
Our motorboats and speedboats can be driven yourself, and they cover the Pakleni Islands and the south coast comfortably. Our RIBs and day cruisers come with a professional skipper and are the boats for Vis, the Blue Cave and Brač. If you are unsure which suits you, tell us where you want to go and we will say honestly.
All boats depart from our dock at Šetalište Put Križa 3, next to the ferry landing and the fisherman statue. Handover takes about ten minutes: we walk you through the controls, mark the best bays for the day's wind on the chart and point out where you can tie up for lunch. Skippered boats can also collect you anywhere along the Hvar waterfront.
On the small motorboats fuel is included in the price. Speedboats and RIBs run full to full: you leave with a full tank and pay for what you used when you return. Every boat carries a full safety kit, a bathing ladder and a bimini or T-top for shade, and most have a Bluetooth sound system and a cooler on board.
Summer mornings are calm; the Maestral, a north-westerly wind, picks up most afternoons from around one o'clock and can put a chop on the channel. The Pakleni Islands and the south coast stay sheltered, which is why we recommend leaving early and making the last stop a close one. If the forecast turns, we reschedule or refund; you never pay for a day that cannot go out.
Answers to the questions we hear most often about renting a boat and joining a tour from Hvar Town.
The fastest way is a private boat transfer: about 55 minutes door-to-door, with our speedboat collecting you at the Split waterfront or the airport pier and dropping you at our dock in Hvar. Otherwise, take the Jadrolinija or Krilo catamaran to Hvar Town (about an hour) or the car ferry to Stari Grad (two hours) followed by a 30-minute drive across the island.
In season there is a daily catamaran from Dubrovnik that calls at Korčula on the way, about three and a half hours to Hvar Town. We can also arrange a private speedboat transfer. Most visitors fly into Split, which is much closer and better connected.
We offer private transfers from Vis, Bol on Brač, Korčula and Vela Luka, and from the Split side of the channel. Skip the ferry queues, travel on your own timetable and step straight off the boat onto the Hvar waterfront.
Browse our fleet, check prices, or just send us a message — we'll help you plan the perfect day on the water.
