Havar is the most luxurious beach destination in Croatia. You’ve got the glitzy harbour with super yachts and world-class beach bars, a variety of adrenaline pumping lash centres in Havar Town coupled with more chilled out spots all around the island, and places like the Blue and Green caves to be explored by boat all around the island. Definitely one of the highlights of Croatia and the whole Balkans.
#1 The beautiful harbour of Havar Town - full of banging beach bars and uber cool restaurants overlooked by the super yachts
#2 Finding some of the more hidden spots just outside of Havar Town
#3 The beautiful deep blues of a swim into the Blue Cave by Vis (forgive the rubbish photo)
#4 Wandering through the cobbled streets and small eateries of Havar Town itself
#5 Enjoying the crystal clear waters all around Havar and having them right on your hotel doorstep as you walk out of your hotel
#6 Taking a swim by some of the treelined beaches with little churches peaking out
#7 Gorping at the wide variety of mega valuable super yachts that fill Havar Town's harbour
#8 Taking a journey a little further inland into the more central parts of Havar to experience that very laid back Mediterranean summer feel
Make sure you take a boat trip – an island like Havar, with its caves, smaller islands and sailing culture, is perfect for exploring by boat. You’ll find heaps of options to take depending on what you want to see. I’d suggest a trip over to Vis and the caves that surround it.
The Blue Cave is not to be missed – a sea cave that, because of the limited light that enters, gives off a stunning blue. Yes it gets busy, but there is still something super cool about swimming into that perfect blue water and protected area of the cave. The Green Cave is also worth checking out, although not quite as impressive.
Havar’s Old Town is worth spending an afternoon in – everyone focuses on the boat trips, beaches and hedonistic activities, but the Old Town is actually surprisingly pretty. As usual with old towns, leave the map behind and aim to get lost.
Have a wander just outside of Havar Town for some great beaches – there are plenty of beaches to explore. Dubovica Bay was probably our favourite, but there were also lots of smaller far quieter beaches within walking distance of even Havar Town. Pokonji Dol is in particular very picturesque and only around 20mins walk from Havar Town.
Where to stay – it depends on what you’re looking for and how much time you have. If looking for lash / partying, then the choice is obvious – Havar Town. Similarly, if you are short on time, Havar Town makes the most sense because you can use it as a base to easily explore the whole island and there are plenty of places where you would avoid the noise and general busyness of the beach bars. But if you’re looking for something a bit quieter and / or you have the time, coastal spots like Stari Grad and Jelse are less hectic and beautiful.
Part of a 2-3 week itinerary – the Western Balkans are a seriously underrated part of Europe and represent one of the best 2-3 week trips you can do in this part of the world with stunning castles and old towns, and some of the best coastline in the world all compactly housed within 8 countries. For the 2-3 week itinerary for the highlights and general tips for this part of the world, see this travel entry and where Havar fits in –3 week trip around the Balkans States.
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