If you’ve been following along my travel journey this past summer, you know we went to 3 different locations in Croatia. Our first stop was in Dubrovnik. See travel guide here. From Dubrovnik we were able to take a 3 hour ferry to Hvar which was amazing because no one had to drive and no airports with kiddos. The ferries made it very easy to get to multiple cities throughout Croatia. Plus there are bathrooms and a coffee/snack bar just in case. Since we left early in the morning to catch our ferry, the boys were tired and napped most of the way which was real nice and relaxing. Easy breezy! We booked our ferries through here.
Oh Hvar….another AMAZING and stunning city. Seriously, just when I thought it couldn’t get any prettier, it was. Hvar was more of a lively city compared to the other locations we visited (Dubrovnik and Split) especially in the evenings after the kids were all asleep and my mother-in-law stayed back with them. We got to go out to the bars kid free each night with my brother-in-law and his cousins. It was so nice being able to enjoy that time with everyone without having to chase after the kids.
When you arrive by ferry, the dock is right in the heart of the town center. All the restaurants, bars, and views were all there. I couldn’t get over all the alleys with cobblestones where all the restaurants and bars were all along. It was so pretty. No cars could get into the little town by the ferry, so you do have to walk maybe 5 min outside the town/port to grab a cab to get to your airbnb. Our airbnb was literally right up the hill (2 min drive) but not doable with luggage and kids LOL.
Now let’s get into the details…
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Airbnb: This family that we rented from were the nicest family ever! They have 2 boys a little older than Cristiano so they had their crib, high chair, cartoons and toys accessible for the boys. There were 2 bathrooms both upgraded and super nice, everyone had their own bedroom, and had a beautiful view of the water. They also had a beautiful terrace where we could sit outside and eat, drink, let the kids kick a soccer ball. Plus it was only about an 8 min walk downhill to town. The walk uphill wasn’t that bad either with a stroller although on hot days, we just cabbed it back. Here is where we stayed at and recommend it if you’re traveling in a large group.
There was a nice beach as we enter the town/square/promenade. We were there a few times and the kids enjoyed it. We ended up buying them water shoes to play in the water because again, it was rocky. They had people selling towels and water shoes, toys, and ice cream along the beach so if you forget water shoes, fear not LOL.
Where To Eat
Divino’s: really great restaurant with an amazing view and right on the water. Their truffle pasta was amazing! Make reservations in advanced.
La Cucina Restaurant:Sooo yummy. Had delicious pasta. I am not a beer person at all but seriously, get their local beer. Soooo good and refreshing. We ate here the day we arrived for lunch and we got drinks the second night and the server remembered us and were giving us free shots. He was super awesome.
Smoothies/Juice Bars: These were EVERYWHERE in Croatia. Since my youngest son hates veggies, he and Cristiano seriously had fresh juice and smoothies twice a day. Luckily for me he LOVES them and has no idea there are veggies inside so he gobbles them up. Everything was so fresh and delicious there.
Things to do:
Eat, Beach, Shop, Repeat! Seriously though…it was so nice being able to have a few days with nothing planned and just relax to do things on our own pace with the kiddos.
Walk around Hvar, take in the beauty, and shop. They had parks for kids to run around at and beaches, which is what we did a lot and the kids loved. If you don’t have kids, I would totally go to Hula Hula which is a party bar on the beach. We got lucky and were there during the World Cup, so we watched a Croatia game and bar hopped in the evenings. My mother-in-law was kind enough to watch the kids so e can have adult time at night.
Beware, most beaches in Hvar are rocky so bring water shoes. If you forget, they do sell them but if you have them, bring them.
We also did a Blue Caves Tour. It was an all day tour where we did a couple of different things. We were on the boat which the boys loved and my youngest even took a nice long nap on. We stopped first at a small hidden enclosed area where we got to swim. Water was a little cold, I am not going to lie but it was so pretty and secluded so it was just us for about 15 min. Then we all got into a smaller boat and saw the green caves which was cool but super short and not worth paying for. It used to be free but then recently they started charging because more and more tourists were going to see it. Then we got back on our main speedboat and went to another island where we got to sail the blue caves. It was AMAZING!!! There is a very small hole to get into the cave which made it scary and exciting. Everyone on the boat had to duck to fit through but once inside, it was stunning. From there the private tour guide took us to another island where we had lunch and spent a few hours a sandy beach. FINALLY a sandy beach!!! We were in need of a sandy beach and the water was a little warmer. It was such a cool area with lounge chairs and again drink service. All beaches need to have this. Then we drove back around 5:30pm. It’s all day but so worth it and so much fun. I recommend it.
The next day we were headed to Split…
Xo,
Natalie