By ferry from Split. The most common arrival. Jadrolinija and Krilo run multiple daily car ferries and catamarans from Split to Hvar Town (about 1 hour fast, 2 hours slow) and to Stari Grad (about 2 hours, car ferry only). Stari Grad is the port for the car ferry — Hvar Town is for foot passengers.
By ferry from Drvenik. Short crossing (about 40 minutes) to Sućuraj at the eastern tip of the island. Useful if you are driving down from Dubrovnik.
By air. No airport on Hvar itself. Closest airports are Split (then ferry) and Brač (Bol, then water taxi).
Bus on the island. Buses run between Hvar Town, Stari Grad (meeting the car ferries), Jelsa, and Sućuraj, but on a thin timetable. Renting a car or scooter is much easier if you plan to explore beyond Hvar Town.