01How Many Days Do You Need in Stari Grad?
Two days is the right length. Stari Grad is a compact, flat town, and the main sights fit into half a day. The UNESCO plain and the nearby coves fill the rest. A day trip works if you arrive on an early ferry. Three days suits cyclists, wine drinkers and anyone who wants to use the town as a base for the whole island.
Stari Grad was founded as Pharos by Greek settlers from Paros in 384 BC, which makes it one of the oldest continuously inhabited towns in Europe. It is quieter and cheaper than Hvar Town, 17 km away. This guide treats it as the better base for anyone who prefers walking and cycling to nightlife.
02Getting to Stari Grad
Car ferry from Split (Jadrolinija line 635)
The car ferry docks at Stari Grad's port, 2 km outside the old town. The crossing takes about 110 minutes. Foot-passenger fares are €5.90 in low season and €8.40 in high season. A standard car costs €35.60 or €47.60, and a bicycle €5.70 or €8.10. Summer has up to seven sailings a day. October has three or four. A night sailing runs in high summer only, leaving Split around 01:30.
Book car spaces early for July and August, because vehicle places sell out before foot-passenger tickets do.
Catamaran from Split
Jadrolinija runs a foot-passenger catamaran to Stari Grad that takes about one hour. Subsidised sailings cost €6.40 in autumn and about €10 in summer. Commercial boats charge around €25. Check the day's timetable, because the weekday and weekend schedules differ.
From the ferry port into town
The walk is 2 km along flat road, about 25 minutes. Local buses meet some ferries. A taxi costs about €20. From Hvar Town, a taxi to Stari Grad runs about €40 to €50, and the island bus covers the 17 km as well.
03One-Day Stari Grad Itinerary
09:30 – Tvrdalj. The fortified house of the Renaissance poet Petar Hektorović dates from the 16th century. It has a fish pond in the courtyard, a garden, a terrace and Latin inscriptions on the walls. Entry is €5. The custodian is usually on site from 10:00 to 14:00. Outside those hours, a phone number on the gate lets you arrange entry.
10:45 – Stari Grad Museum. The museum is in the neo-Renaissance Biankini Palace, built in 1896. It holds Greek and Roman finds, a shipwreck display and a section on the town's seafaring past. Entry is €5. Hours from May to September are 10:00–13:00 Monday to Saturday. July and August add an evening session from 19:00 to 21:00. From October to April it opens by arrangement only.
12:00 – Old town lanes. Walk the stone streets around Trg Škor and the cathedral square. The streets are shaded and almost traffic-free. Count on about an hour for a full loop.
13:00 – Lunch. Eat in the lanes behind the harbour, not on the waterfront. Prices there are lower. Fish is usually sold by weight, at roughly €50 to €70 per kg in town konobas. Ask for the weight before ordering.
15:30 – Swim. The closest beaches are pebble and rock, a 10 to 20 minute walk from the centre around the bay. Maslinica, about 2 km out, is the best choice for sand but has little shade.
19:00 – Harbour promenade. The waterfront walk around the bay is the best sunset route in town.
04Two-Day Itinerary: Add the Stari Grad Plain
Day 2 morning: cycle the UNESCO plain
The Stari Grad Plain is a Greek agricultural landscape that has kept its original 4th-century BC land division, known as the chora. It has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2008. The fields are cut into rectangular plots by dry-stone walls. The flat network of farm tracks is ideal for cycling. A loop of 15 to 25 km takes 2 to 3 hours with stops.
Bike hire in town costs from about €13 per day for a mountain bike. Hirers often ask for a passport or ID as a deposit. A mountain or trekking bike is better than a city bike, because many tracks are gravel or cobbled.
Start before 09:00 in July and August. The plain has little shade and midday heat passes 33°C.
Day 2 afternoon: wine and olive oil
The plain grows Plavac Mali, Bogdanuša and Pošip grapes, plus olives. Small family cellars along the tracks sell wine and oil directly. Expect to pay roughly €12 to €25 for a bottle of local wine. Carry cash, because many small producers do not take cards.
05Three-Day Itinerary: Beaches and Hvar Town
Day three works best as a mix of coast and a trip to Hvar Town:
- Morning
- Rent a kayak or small boat to reach the bays along the coast toward Zavala and Jelsa.
- Afternoon
- Take the bus or a taxi to Hvar Town, 17 km away. The Spanish Fortress and the harbour are the main draws.
- Evening
- Return to Stari Grad for dinner.
Hvar Town gets very crowded in July and August. Many visitors find Stari Grad's evenings more relaxed.
06Where to Stay in Stari Grad
Private apartments and small guesthouses in the old town make up most of the stock. Rooms inside the old town are best for walking to dinner and the harbour. Accommodation near Maslinica costs less but sits further out. Book 2 to 3 months ahead for July and August. Prices in peak season commonly start around €80 to €120 per night for a double, and drop sharply after mid-September.
07Best Time to Visit
- May and June
- 20–26°C, empty bike tracks, museum open daily except Sunday. Best overall.
- July and August
- Warm sea, busiest ferries, highest prices.
- September
- Warm sea, lower prices. A strong second choice.
- October to April
- Quiet, with fewer ferries and the museum by appointment only. Many restaurants close.
08Local Tips
- Visit Tvrdalj before 14:00. Opening depends on the custodian, and the gate is often closed after lunch.
- Bring cash for Tvrdalj, wine cellars and small bike-hire stands.
- Ferries to Stari Grad do not leave from the old town. Plan 25 minutes' walk or a €20 taxi.
- Arrive at the ferry port at least 45 minutes before a car sailing in summer.
- Skip a rental car if you stay for two days. The town and plain are best covered on foot and by bike.
- Verify museum hours before going. Seasonal dates can shift.
09Practical Costs for Two Days
A realistic budget for one person is about €60 to €90 per day, excluding lodging. That covers entry to both museums (€10), bike hire (about €13), two meals (€35 to €55) and local transport. Eating at the harbour-front restaurants raises this by about €15 to €25 per day.
