Difficulty: Easy, Departure: 9 AM

The sun always shines in Hvar, the sunniest island in Adriatic and we will bask in its rays from the moment of arrival.

Hvar’s location at the center of the Adriatic sailing routes has long made this island an important base for commanding trade up and down the Adriatic, across to Italy and throughout the wider Mediterranean.

It has been inhabited since prehistoric times, originally by Neolithic people whose distinctive pottery gave  rise to the term Hvar culture, and later by the Illyrians. The ancient Greeks founded the colony of Pharos in 384 BC on the site of today’s Stari Grad, making it one of the oldest towns in Europe. They were also  responsible for setting out the agricultural field divisions of the Stari Grad Plain, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In medieval times, Hvar (city) rose to importance within the Venetian Empire as a major naval  base.

Prosperity brought culture and the arts, with one of the first public theatres in Europe, nobles’ palaces, and many fine communal buildings, making Hvar the perfect setting for a magical walking tour. We
will walk the alleys with magical marble-paved buildings, most of which were built during the Venetian period, with the large square (the famous Italian piazza), the bell tower, the bishop's house and a number
of other historical buildings.

From here we will go up by bus to the fortress that protected the city and for a great view of the harbor and the surrounding islands.

The port and fortress built in the Middle Ages, built by the Venetians, was partially destroyed and rebuilt in the hands of the Turks and Austrians who held it until the 19th century.

We will conclude our island tours and sail the fast catamaran back to our hotel.