Hvar Nightlife

Hvar Town sits around a small harbour at the western end of the island, with a long stone waterfront, a main square in front of the cathedral and a Spanish fortress on the hill above. By day it is a handsome old town. On summer evenings the harbour fills with yachts and the waterfront becomes one long row of bars and restaurants.

The evening usually starts with sunset drinks on the waterfront or the terraces above it. Dinner tends to be late. Bars get busy from around ten, and the clubs carry on well past midnight in peak season. Outside July and August the pace is noticeably calmer, and some venues keep shorter hours or close for the season.

Venues, opening hours, age rules and entry policies change from year to year. Check them directly with each venue before you plan a night around one. For more on the town itself, see our Hvar destination guide.

Just off Hvar Town lies a chain of small, pine-covered islands, the Pakleni islands. Several of their coves have beach clubs and restaurants that are busy through the summer afternoons, with music, sunbeds and swimming from rocks and pebble beaches.

Water taxis run between Hvar Town harbour and the islands through the day. If your yacht is anchored or moored nearby, your skipper may take you across by tender, or suggest a stop in one of the bays on the way into town. Our guide to beach clubs on the Dalmatian coast explains how these places usually work.

A night in Hvar Town is a highlight of many central Dalmatian routes, but it is not guaranteed. Harbour space in Hvar is limited in high summer, and the harbour is exposed to some winds. Your skipper may choose to stay in a nearby bay or in another harbour and arrange for you to reach town by water taxi instead.

The skipper also decides when the yacht leaves the next morning. If the weather window means an early start, plan your night accordingly. See weather and route changes for how skippers make these calls, and check the routes page for where each departure is planned to stop.

Hvar Town has introduced fines for some public behaviour in recent years, aimed at keeping the old town pleasant for residents and visitors. Rules have covered things like walking around town in swimwear or without a top, drinking alcohol in public places away from bars, and making excessive noise late at night.

The details and amounts change, so treat this as a general guide and follow the signs and any instructions from local officers. As a simple rule: dress for town when you leave the beach, keep drinks inside bars and terraces, and keep voices down in residential streets after midnight.

The walk or water taxi ride home is where a good night can go wrong. Plan the return before you go out.

• Agree a meeting time and point with the rest of your group
• Save the water taxi number and your skipper's contact details in your phone
• If you need a tender pickup, confirm the arrangement with your skipper in advance
• Walk pontoons and the quay slowly and keep away from the edge
• Use the passerelle one person at a time, with a free hand
• Never swim after drinking, even if the yacht is close

Your skipper's house rules apply when you return, including quiet hours in the harbour. Read alcohol and safety on board and house rules on board before the trip.

Hvar Town is home to people who live there all year. The old streets are narrow and sound carries. Taking rubbish with you, using proper toilets and keeping noise down helps keep the town welcoming for everyone, including the next group of sailors.