Guide to Taking the Ferry Between Hvar Island and Split – Croatia

In late 2020 I explored the beautiful Adriatic coastal nation of Croatia for three full months. One of my very favorite places in Croatia was the fabulous island of Hvar, located just off the coast from Split, which most people reach by the Split to Hvar ferries.

The fact that I ended up loving Hvar really surprised me. After reading and hearing about Hvar’s fame as Croatia’s most popular party tourist island, I wasn’t expecting to like it too much. I pictured a tacky, highly over-developed, over-tourist-ed, crowded, noisy and obnoxious place. Not my scene at all.

In fact, I might have skipped Hvar altogether if I didn’t have an assignment to visit several hotels in historic Hvar town. But because of that assignment I headed out there in early October to visit the hotels and, in so doing, I discovered that Hvar is very diferernt from the picture settled in my head.

Much to my delight, historic Hvar town is absolutely adorable, with only very tasteful, low-key tourist development. The gorgeous island is full of dramatic jagged mountains, cliffs and pine forests. And outside the handful of tourist enclaves Hvar island is practically untouched.

I was almost immediately smitten with Hvar. I wrote in detail about the island in this article.

I liked Hvar so much that I returned in November to stay one full month while writing up my hotel reviews, exploring the island and hiking the pine-forested mountain trails. I wrote about those adventures here.

The Split-Hvar Island Ferry Experience

In addition to the beautiful island, wonderful little Hvar town and other famous delights of the island, another wonderful part of visiting Hvar Island is taking the ferries to & from Split.

As you leave Split on a ferry, you first get to enjoy panoramic seaside views of the stunning historic city and its splendid waterfront. Those views become gradually more expansive and dramatic, with the rugged mountain range framing Split from behind, as the ferry moves further and further out to sea (great photo opps, btw).

Then as you approach the islands, details of their sheer beauty gradually unfold. Whereas from the Croatian coast the islands look like soft, tame rounded hilly lumps covered in vegetation, as you get closer to their shores, you begin to discover that the coastal impression was just an illusion. In fact, the islands are quite rough, rugged and dramatic.

To reach Hvar Island, the ferries first pass Brac and Solta islands, running through a narrow channel between the two islands. Next the ferries run parallel to hefty Brac Island for some distance before finally approaching Hvar.

As you begin approaching these islands, you first start to discover their jagged rocky shorelines, in some places featuring soaring cliffs plunging into the Adriatic. You hear gulls screeching. You observe local fishermen in their small colorful boats puttering along the coast or heading across open water between the islands.

As you get even closer, you begin to realize that the islands are considerably more mountainous and rough than they appeared from the mainland. And when you take a bus on the island between Hvar town and Stari Grad town, you find out up close just how very high and dramatic those mountains really are.

When you return by ferry from Hvar to Split, you get to observe all the sights in reverse. First, as you glide further and further from the islands, they gradually take on a ‘overall’ view, while you fondly remember the great times you enjoyed on the island.

Then as you approach Split, you get to enjoy exciting views of the beautiful stone city grow larger and larger before your eyes…right up until you dock at the ferry terminal (have your camera ready).

In addition to the scenic views of Split and the islands, if you catch a ferry at sunrise or sunset, you’re treated to a stunning natural color display unfolding over the islands and sea as your boat traverses the waters. And possibly you’ll catch a ferry during a dramatic thunderstorm or heavy rain, making the trip even more exciting.

Split-Hvar Ferry Options

There are two main companies operating regular ferries between Split and Hvar, namely Jadrolinia and Krilo. Both have small booking offices at Split ferry terminal, which is situated on the eastern side of Split’s huge waterfront. This is also where all ships depart from and arrive to.

On Hvar Island, both companies have offices in Hvar town at the waterfront promenade. Jadrolinia also has an office at the large ferry terminal situated outside Stari Grad town. Of course, you can also book your ferry tickets for both companies online.

Besides the regular ferries, you can also charter various private boats to/from Hvar, though they are quite expensive.

Jadrolinia Ferries and Catamarans

Jadrolinia is the largest passenger & car ferry company in Croatia, operating dozens of huge ferries between several coastal cities in Croatia as well as internationally to Italy and Montenegro.

Between Split and Hvar, Jadrolinia offers two types of ferries. The huge passenger/vehicle ships are called ‘ferries’ while the large passenger-only ships are called ‘catamarans’ due to their boat design.

Americans would probably refer to them as vehicle ferries and passenger ferries, rather than by their boat design. But in Croatia, be sure to say ‘catamaran’ if you mean passenger-only ferry. If you say ‘ferry’, Croatians will be thinking of the huge passenger/vehicle ships.

One important thing to note about Jadrolinia’s ships is their specific arrival/departure points on Hvar Island. Ferries arrive & depart from a huge ferry terminal situated a few km / miles outside Stari Grad town. Catamarans arrive/depart directly at Hvar town’s waterfront promenade.

If you take a ferry, after arriving on the island you’ll need to take a bus (or taxi) to your final destination. If you’re heading to Stari Grad town, just take a quick bus or taxi into town and you’re all set. You could even walk into town along the coast, a 2+ km / 1.5 mile walk that takes about 30 minutes.

Buses also run from the ferry port to two other quaint towns on the Stari Grad side of the island, namely, Vrboska and Jelsa. Small hotels, guest houses and AirBnB options are found in all those towns.

If you’re heading to Hvar town, you must catch the local bus from the ferry port over the mountains to the other side of the island. It’s a spectacular winding ride through rugged mountains, cliffs, deep valleys, pine forests, then along the jagged coast into town. Some buses are timed to meet the ferries, while other buses are not. So you might be able to catch a bus quickly or you might have to wait up to one hour. You can also take a taxi, but it’s expensive.

Ferry and catamarn schedules vary significantly during different months of the year, depending almost entirely on tourist seasons. In very low season (winter months) there’s only one ferry and one catamaran per day. In spring that increases to 3-4 per day and in the peak tourist months of July and August there are 5-6 ferries and catamarans per day. Ferries even run late at night in July and August.

Jadrolinia’s huge ferries take two hours to cross between Split and the ferry port on Hvar Island. They are extremely sturdy, stable ships that run in all types of weather, including heavy rain, storms and high seas. They are almost never cancelled.

Jadrolinia’s catamarans take about one hour from Split directly to Hvar town and visa versa. Although the catamarans are also very large ships, they are not completely stable in incliment weather, so they tend to be cancelled easily if there’s heavy rain, storms or sea swells in the forcast. This usually only happens in winter months, from November through February.

Jadrolinia’s ferries and catamarans to Hvar Island are both quite inexpensive and cost nearly the same price for passengers. Fares change slightly during high and low season.

Krilo Catamarans

Krilo runs only catamaran-style ships between Split and Hvar Island. Like the other catamarans, these passenger ferries run directly between Split and Hvar town.

Krilo’s catamarans take 50 minutes for the crossing, making them the fastest public trip between Split and Hvar town. But they cost more than double the price of Jadrolinia’s ships.

The schedule of Krilo’s ships is also seasonal. As the tourist season gets underway in April and May, there are just two ships per day in each direction. In high season, from June to early October, there are three ships per day. Then they decrease to two per day and finally to just one per day in winter.

Palace Elisabeth Hotel – Hvar town promenade

More Notes on the Catamaran Ferries

Although I mentioned some of this information above, I’d like to highlight these points again because it’s not necessarily made clear at the ferry offices or online.

* The catamaran ferries from both companies run directly to Hvar town, docking right on Hvar’s beautiful stone waterfront promenade.

* Note well that the catamarans from both companies are quickly cancelled for any questionable weather. That could mean heavy rain, storms, but particularly for heavy sea swells and waves. Catamarans are too unstable in such rolling sea conditions.

So if the weather forecast looks questionable, don’t count on catamarans running. Sometimes the ferry companies know one or two days in advance if a particular catamaran is definitely cancelled. But most times, you can only find out for sure on the morning of scheduled departure, or sometimes just 1-2 hours before the scheduled sailing time.

* Luckily, if you’ve already bought a ticket for a catamaran that gets cancelled, you can get a refund or else transfer the ticket to a different date (for the same company boat).

Summary

Hvar Island was one of my favorite places in Croatia. I ended up visiting twice, staying an entire month the second time.

Hvar is surprisingly little developed, despite its fame as a high-end party island. It offers adorable historic coastal towns, beautiful rugged nature, pebble beaches and other attractions unique to the island.

Taking the ferries between Hvar and Split is a big part of the great experience of visiting Hvar.

I hope you get to visit one day! It’s a fantastic place.

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15 Interesting Facts about Croatia

Introduction to Croatia

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