Best Souvenirs to Bring Back Home from Croatia, Hvar

If you are looking for Hvar island souvenirs probably you want to have something that will remind you on your memorable moments from this fabulous island.

I can guarantee you that Hvar island isn’t a place to fall into the ‘souvenir trap’ shopping for junk souvenirs that have little to no meaning.

The fact is that the most of local products on the island are exclusively related to its nature and Mediterranean position. That’s way any souvenir have a tight connections with natural environment.

I’ll give you a few tips how to purchase not just only a piece of traditional souvenir but something that will mark your stay on Hvar island giving you a chance to relive it every time.

Hvar is an island of sunshine, lavender, palm trees, figs, agave, vineyards, pine trees, wine, olives and rosemary.

Hvar Island Souvenirs From The Lavender Island

There is an old saying ‘rose is the scent of heart, lavender is the scent of soul’. In June and July the island turns purple just like the color of lavender blooms.

Driving from Stari Grad through Selca and Brusje villages all the way to the town of Hvar you can enjoy the lavender fields on the hills slopes, breathing the lavender scent.

The two most popular are lavender oil, sold in small, stylish bottles, and fragrance bags of Lavandula Croatica, filled with dried lavender flowers.

The practicality of souvenirs are the best reflected in these small practical products, useful and should have its place everywhere: in cars, in offices, in apartments, in wardrobes or by pillows for a good night sleep.

Lavender production is an important factor of the island of Hvar, which proves the lavender festival, which is held every year in a small village, Velo Grablje near Hvar town.

Honey With Scents Of Rosemary And Lavender

Lavender is a favorite among beekeepers. It blooms in June and July, the color of its honey is light and the smell is extremely aromatic. Lavender honey is especially recommended for pregnant women and is known for its calming effect.

Honey has a long production tradition on Hvar island. Honey and bees were mentioned in 1331. The famous poet Petar Hektorovic has mentioned honey in his work ‘Fishing and Fishermen talking’ in 1566.

Hvar island is an aromatic garden of herbs ideal for keeping honeybees. The best honey quality comes from sage, rosemary and lavender plants. Rosemary honey is clear and bright, pleasant taste and is one of the best types of honey.

Sage honey is pale slightly greenish and smells like flower plants. It has long been held in liquid form used in the treatment of respiratory diseases. Lavender is the bee’s favorite plant. Lavender honey has a strong smell and is one of the best quality.

Beekeepers Association ‘Levanda’ from Stari Grad each year organize ‘Honey Days of Hvar island‘ from July 23 to July 31. This is the best opportunity to buy a small jar of honey, as the most prominent among Hvar island souvenirs.

Hvar island Souvenirs Idea – Wines and Liqueurs

Hvar island has a long wine growing tradition particularly in some parts of the island.

  • Central part with picturesque villages Svirce, Vrisnik, Vrbanj, Pitve and Dol
  • In the fields of the Stari Grad plain, where the island’s wine story really has started.
  • South-facing slopes of the Hvar island with the settlements of Ivan Dolac and Sv Nedelja with ‘vineyards facing the sea’.

For wine lovers there are some top location for growing Plavac Mali wines. Among Hvar island souvenirs I suggest wines from the Plenkovic winery in Sveta Nedelja, the only Croatian Grand Cru and winner of several international awards in 2003.

Ivan Dolac location is top quality dry red wine environmentally controlled origin, which is produced from Plavac Mali from remote location on the southern slopes of the island. This noble wine has a dark ruby color, slightly tart flavor, rich bouquet and aroma.

Andro Tomic, the owner of winery in Jelsa is one of the most popular tasting destinations. Beside traditional wines he has introduced to visitors to an unusual rose and award-winning prosek (a sweeter dessert wine made from dried wine grapes).

If you spend more than a few days on Hvar, you will inevitably be offered a schnapps of some sort, either by your host or in one of the island’s restaurants before or after the meal.

There is a wide choice of local bandy drinks on Hvar (rakija), made from herbs. The range of quality is as broad as the range of ingredients, and I have sampled some rather unusual and very delicious schnapps, called rakija . Rakija from figs, walnut, olives, just to name few.

In Jelsa there is a shop with wide range of Hvar schnapps located at the end of the waterfront of the old town, close to restaurant Paradiso.

Hvar Island Souvenirs Shopping Guide

Hvar town has been always a fashionable center of Hvar island with its historical town center and tiny streets, filled with small boutiques, jewelry shops, art galleries and shops selling local Hvar island souvenirs handicraft.

If you are searching for some shops that are not traditional souvenirs boutique, I recommend two with some particular offers:

The Coral Shop is much more than a ordinary souvenir shop. It has become internationally famous shop, with some highly individual offers.

The owners, Aron and Lukrecija also offer coral workshops, where you can learn more about the techniques and traditions, or even design and make your own jewelry. Here, where is it on the map?

If you are looking for a highly authentic and unique Hvar souvenir, the Coral Shop is well worth visiting. It’s much more than a shopping experience.

Green House Hvar is another shop, opened in 2012, hidden in the small street parallel to Hvar’s main waterfront, close to Coral Shop. This small shop will provide you with the entire range of wines and olive oils.

There you can find wines from Dubokovic world-class quality winery and famous, cold-pressed oils (scientifically proven to regenerate damaged cells of the whole organism).

The Green House is also an organic shop offering the highest world quality organic cosmetics Dr. Hauschka. There you can also find a wide range of bio products, food for vegetarians and vegans and highly demanded (not easy to find) gluten free products. This shop is located in the same street like Coral shop!

Hvar island souvenirs with healthy taste and smell

Traveling around Hvar island, you will have a chance to come across on some local homemade producers, using exclusively raw materials from the island of Hvar. Some of these delicacies are based on old grannies recipes.

n Jelsa town, a newly founded women cooperative Faria (2014) has presented some indigenous products , offering sweets using traditional ingredients from the island – like figs, or carob.

They offer pralines Figolini (fig), Karobeli (carob) and Levonda in an attractive packaging and some new flavors , like the Kadulja (sage) pralines filled with white chocolate and sage.

There are also some other sweet Hvar island souvenirs based on local products like:

  • Orange peel with sugar – called Arancini
  • Olives in salt water
  • Traditional cookie from island of Hvar – called Cviti (flowers)
    Traditional cookie from Stari Grad town – Called Paprenjok (honey based cookies).

High Quality Hvar Island Souvenirs From Agave

If you happen to be in Hvar town,you should visit Hvar town Benedictine monastery. The monastery nuns have perfected unconventional way of handmade lace using agave threads.

They have been making lace for more than 150 years exclusively behind the walls of their convent established in 1664. Originally this lace technique was imported from Tenerife.

During the centuries Hvar town laces has become prettier and richer than those from the Canary Islands. Today these handmade laces are unique in the world, inserted on UNESCO’s World Heritage list.

There are no agave lace pattern rules, but each lace is the original nun’s imagination. The patterns are mostly full of sun, flower, bright and luxurious.

Thanks for sharing this article!

Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.