Hvar Town, at the western end of the island, is the glamorous face of Hvar — a Venetian harbour town watched over by the Fortica fortress on the hill behind it, with the Franciscan Monastery at the edge of the harbour and the grand Pjaca connecting the Arsenal Theatre to the Cathedral of St Stephen.
The restaurant and bar scene here is the liveliest on the Dalmatian islands in summer, drawing a yacht crowd to waterfront tables and pre-club bars that empty out toward the Pakleni Islands after midnight. By day the pace is gentler: climb to the Fortica for the view, wander the Renaissance lanes behind the Pjaca, or take a water taxi out to the islands for a swim.