How to Get to Hvar Island in Croatia from the Mainland or Italy

Getting to the Croatian island of Hvar has never been easier! And today I will tell you everything you need to know in order to choose your best option to reach this fabulous island in Croatia.

Please have in mind that in this article, I will tell you how to get to Hvar from the Croatia mainland (and a bonus blurb on how to get here from Italy) – and not various trips or holiday offers that each country has. Because often times you will end up in Croatia, hear about Hvar… but have no idea how to get there.

Getting to the Hvar island is actually pretty easy now and if you follow my advice in today’s article, you will make sure that your holiday won’t end before it even begins and you get to this island safe and fast.

The island has excellent connections with the mainland. The ideal way to reach it is from Split, which can be considered the main hub in Croatia, offering several ways to reach any of the island destinations, including Hvar.

The only challenge is how to find the least frustrating way to get there – and this is why I am here!I know how frustrating can be to find the right ferry or catamaran to and from any of the Croatian harbors, particularly from Split.

There are many options available, as the ferries from Split connect all the Central Dalmatia islands with either car and passenger ferries or catamarans (which are for pedestrians only). So with all these things in mind, let’s see what are the easiest ways to get to the island!

Getting to Hvar island

If you travel with a personal or rented car across Croatia, you will find that – surprisingly or not – getting to the Hvar island will be more frustrating and even slower than otherwise.

This restriction when traveling from Split refers to the fact that you can travel by car only to one destination on the island: Stari Grad. While the old town itself if beautiful and a nice place to be in, most people don’t really put it at the top of the list of places to see in Croatia.

But that’s the only option you have for now and fortunately the island itself is easy to navigate once you get to Stari Grad.

Alternately, you can also catch a car ferry from the village of Drvenik – one that drops you off in the eastern part of the island in Sucuraj, but I think that 90% of the tourists will actually choose Split as their leaving point simply because it’s the larger city.

There are also options like renting a private motorboat or private motorboat transfers for individuals, families or small groups… but these won’t be covered in this article since it’s always difficult to keep track of these offers.

Traveling by car to Hvar island: ferries from Split and Drvenik

IMPORTANT: The timetables can change without prior warning and before I manage to update them. So make sure to double check and don’t rely only on this information, especially if you’re on a tight schedule!

  • From Split to Stari Grad, Hvar Island: catch car ferry on Line N°635, with seven daily departures. This line carries both vehicles and passengers. It runs the whole year round and it sails 120 minutes.
  • From Drvenik to Sucuraj, Hvar Island: catch the car ferry on Line N°632, which runs eleven times a day between June 3rd an October 2nd (dates might change on a yearly basis). The good thing here is that you’ll be there in just 35 minutes.

Getting to Hvar island by fast catamaran (from Split, Dubrovnik, Korcula, Brac)

Traveling as a foot passenger, reaching Hvar island is easier and much faster. Taking one of the fast Croatian ships (catamarans), you have more options when it comes to visiting the various islands and even getting there from Dubrovnik.

Catamarans are an ideal way of traveling for all island hopping fans as it’s the only way to move around islands like Brac, Hvar, Lastovo, Vis, Korcula and Mljet.

While car ferries lines to the Hvar island are covered only by Jadrolinija (a state company), there are two companies that manage catamaran lines to the island: Jadrolinija and Krilo aka Kapetan Luka (which is privately owned).

Another advantage over the ferries is that these catamarans take you directly to the city of Hvar, as well as other locations on the island so you have more options to choose from.

Catamaran schedule

As I was saying you have various options to reach the Hvar island, including one leaving from Dubrovnik. Another advantage is that you can also connect with various cities on the Korcula island or Brac.

Here are the estimated schedules, with the lines and departure cities (make sure to double check as they can change without prior warning)!

Line N° 9603: Split – Bol (Brac) – Jelsa (Hvar)
Line N° 9603A: Split – Milna (Brac) – Hvar town
Line N° 9604: Split – Hvar – Vela Luka (Korcula) – Ubli (Lastovo)
Line N° 9608: Split – Hvar- Prigradica (Korcula) – Korcula
Line N° 9608S: Split – Hvar – Korcula
Line N° 9811S: Dubrovnik – Korcula – Hvar – Bol

You can find our more details (and double check to make sure that the lines are correct – and also find the exact timetable) on the official websites of Jadrolinija and Krilo (for the catamarans only).

Getting to the Hvar island from Italy

You don’t necessarily have to be in Croatia already in order to visit the Hvar Island. There is also one international ferry line connecting Stari Grad with Ancona in Italy, operated by three different companies.

Don’t expect a fast ride though: each trip lasts for about 14 hours and you will first make a stop in Split, after leaving Ancona, and only afterwards get to the island of Hvar.

Here are the details and the companies that run ferries from Italy to Croatia:

  • Jadrolinija Line 53 Ancona – Stari Grad – Split.
  • Snav company line Ancona – Stari Grad – Split
  • Blueline company line Ancona – Stari Grad – Split

Getting to Hvar island by plane

Update: The information below is no longer correct, as the company that operated on this route no longer exists. But I keep the text below for its historical meaning and for showing that it was possible to take a 13 minute plane ride from the mainland to the island of Hvar! Incredible!

If you want to get to the island quickly and you happen to be in Split, you’re in luck! You can fly there and the trip takes only 13 minutes! It might sound crazy for such a short route to exist, but it does!

You’ll also be flying a seaplane, which is a new experience for most travelers, so always have in mind this option as well if you’re planning to get here quickly.

The seaplanes are operated by the European Coastal Airways company which flies from Split to Jelsa in just 13 minutes via seaplane.

Update: As I was saying, the three paragraphs above are no longer correct in 2019 and 2020… and most likely there will be no new company to open a line on this route anytime soon. But we’ll keep you updated if anything changes.

Conclusion

Getting to the island of Hvar is not difficult, as long as you are already in Croatia – specifically in Split, which offers the most connections. But you can get there from Dubrovnik, the Drvenik village and as you saw, there are also connections between Ancona and Stari Grad.

It’s unfortunate that the seaplane options no longer exist since 2017, because that was an interesting experience for those who are not afraid of flying. But even without them, you can easily get to the island and explore it – or just enjoy your holiday in one of the many resorts available there.

Thanks for sharing this article!