So when is the best time to visit Hvar? That rather depends on what you are looking for.
Looking for peak season party action, fields of lavender, winter regattas or olive and grape harvests? The best time to visit Hvar is an individual choice.
The best time to visit Hvar depends on what you are looking for in your holiday. Here are a few pointers:
Peak Season on Hvar
If it is party action and blue skies and temperatures of 30 C plus that is your ideal holiday, book your flights for July and August. This is the peak season, a time when the yachts increase in size, the Italians come en masse, and the population of the island more than doubles. A time for partying, cocktails at the beach and late nights on the waterfront.
Easter on Hvar
One of the highlights of the domestic calendar and a delightful time to visit, Easter tends to coincide with the official end of winter, the beginning of the season and returning family members celebrating this important religious festival over a long weekend. The overnight Easter Procession is an event unique in the world.
Olive and Wine Harvests
The main tourist season over, local focus turns to the fields, with agriculture a mainstay of the local economy and culture. All hands are turned to the fields for the grape harvest in September, and for the olive harvest in October/November (the merits of late and early picking are hotly debated in the island’s cafes), while the lavender harvest in June/July is yet one more chance to engage with local people and nature.
Fields of Lavender
An arresting view round every corner, Hvar is famed for its colour and aroma. The picturesque basics – pristine turquoise sea and lush green hilly terrain – are interspersed with a colourful array of flora and fauna throughout the year, with perhaps the highlight being the fields of lavender, for which the island is famed, in June and July, culminating in the lavender festival in Velo Grablje in late June.
Shoulder Season: All the Benefits without the Crowds
While the occasional hardly soul swims all year, the generally-accepted swimming season runs from May to October. May, June, September and early October are excellent times to visit for people looking to beat the hordes, while being able to enjoy the benefits of everything open and a warm temperature. Locals have more time before the peak season madness, and these months are more relaxed in general.
Winter Regattas, Cycling and Tranquillity
While trying to sell Hvar as a beach resort in December might be stretching it, a visit to Hvar in winter gives an entirely different, but equally rewarding perspective. The lower temperatures make it popular with cycling groups, while the winter regatta in Hvar Town in December is a popular event. The intermittent biting bura wind and the frequent rain (yes, it does rain, how do you think it stays so green!) bring home the realities of the harsh background to Dalmatian life. Not for the fainthearted, but a great way to blow away the cobwebs if you are looking for some isolation.
