Rent a Car in Hvar, Croatia

Hvar is Croatia's sunniest island and one of the most visited in the Adriatic — but most visitors see only Hvar Town and whatever the boat taxi reaches. The island is 68 kilometres long and narrows to a spine of limestone hills that separates the north and south coasts. The interior is quilted with lavender fields, olive groves and medieval villages like Vrbanj, Dol and Vrisnik that see almost no tourist traffic. The south coast has the best beaches and many have no bus connection at all.

With a hire car you can drive the length of the island in a morning, stop at Stari Grad (a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the oldest Greek colonial town in Croatia), explore the Stari Grad Plain and reach the far eastern tip at Sućuraj before the day trippers have even boarded their boats. Cars on Hvar are limited — particularly in July and August — so booking well ahead is essential.