Hidden Beaches and Secret Spots on Hvar: Beyond the Riva

Hvar's main beach is fine. The beaches you get to by boat are extraordinary. This is a guide to the second kind - the coves, inlets and islands that require a little more effort and reward it considerably.

The Pakleni Islands (Paklinski otoci)

The Pakleni Islands are an archipelago of seventeen islands and islets stretching west from Hvar harbour. They are barely 10 minutes by water taxi, uninhabited except for a few restaurants and a handful of villas, and they contain some of the finest swimming water in the Adriatic. The name - Pakleni - comes not from "hell" (pakao) as foreigners assume, but from "paklina," the pine resin used to seal boat hulls. The islands smell of pine. The water is deep, clear, and warm from June to September.

Palmižana

Palmižana is the most accessible Pakleni destination - a 10-minute water taxi from Hvar harbour (runs every 30 minutes in season, €5-8 one way). The small bay has a shingle beach, a famous restaurant and beach club, and a botanical garden behind it. It is busy in July and August. Arrive before 10:00 or after 16:00 for a semblance of quiet.

Zdrilca and Vinogradišće

Further along the archipelago, Zdrilca and Vinogradišće are quieter alternatives with crystal water and very little infrastructure - no restaurants, no sunbed rental, no crowds of a similar magnitude. Reachable by water taxi or by private boat. If you have rented a speedboat for the day, these are worth anchoring off.

Jerolim and Stipanska

The nudist tradition on the Pakleni Islands is long-established. Jerolim island - the closest to Hvar harbour - has been a clothing-optional destination since the 1930s. Stipanska further along is quieter. Both are reachable in 5-15 minutes from Hvar.

Milna - the village beach in a bay

Milna is a small fishing village on the south side of Hvar island, about 10 kilometres west of Hvar Town. It has a pebble beach in a sheltered bay, a couple of traditional restaurants, and a pace that has not changed noticeably since the 1970s. It is reachable by road (taxi or scooter rental) or by boat. In the morning, before the day-trippers arrive, the water is glassy and cold. The lunch at the konoba above the beach costs half what you'll pay on the Riva and tastes better.

Dubovica - the cove that photographs from above

Dubovica is a small cove on Hvar's south coast with an old stone fisherman's house built into the cliff above it. It is one of the most photographed spots on the island and one of the least crowded, because reaching it requires a steep 15-minute descent from the road. The reward is a small pebble beach in a protected bay with very clear water. Swimming from the rocks on either side of the cove is excellent. Bring food and water - there is no infrastructure.

Malo Grablje - the abandoned village

Malo Grablje (Little Grablje) is a stone village in the interior of Hvar, above Milna, that was entirely abandoned in the 1960s when its inhabitants moved to the coast. The buildings are slowly being restored by their descendants, but much of it remains as it was left - doorways open, stone walls crumbling gently into the lavender that has grown unchecked since the last inhabitants left. The walk from the road takes 20 minutes. It is one of the most quietly striking places on the island and virtually nobody goes there.

Getting to the hidden spots: water taxi vs private boat

Water taxis from Hvar harbour serve the main Pakleni Islands regularly in season (typically 07:00-24:00, last return around midnight). For the further islands or a full day of island-hopping without timetables, private speedboat rental gives you complete flexibility. Speedboats are available for daily rental from Hvar harbour - the kind of day that starts at Palmižana, continues to a quiet cove, and ends with an aperitivo somewhere out on the water before dinner back in town.

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