The Croatian island Hvar is one of the most popular islands in Croatia for a reason. This unbelievably beautiful island has smooth roads that goes through several towns and many villages, allowing visitors to see all the beauty spots. Stone hills and incredible views of coves below are some of that fantastic sights to see, the lavender stone labyrinths with views of the crystal blue Adriatic Sea make a Hvar road trip special.
We decided on a buggy island tour to be able to really experience the towns on the island. We chose a pink VW bug while my brother and his wife picked up their green one. We arranged to hire Stjepan as our driver and guide. It was a good decision since he knew and shared a lot about the area.
We drove out of Hvar town to the rolling hills with vineyards and olive gardens stopping to buy some souvenirs and see the views along the roadside at the village of Brusje. We didn’t go in but there is a restaurant and gift shop along with the roadside souvenir’s kiosk.
Our second stop was the town of Stari Grad. Around the land area outside of town are the Stari Grad plains, a UNESCO world heritage site where the early Greeks grew their olive trees, then later lavender and vines. These small property lots with stone walls around them were so interesting and our guide shared a lot of the history about them with us. Everyone had their own lot for growing which makes thousands of small parcels alongside the hills, it’s really amazing, the hard work that was put into them is impressive.
We enjoyed walking around the small town and found a souvenir store where we bought a few local delicacies. Then back to the buggies for more beautiful scenery and on to our final stop of Jelsa, where the buggies were delivered to a parking lot and we enjoyed walking around town before our early evening dinner reservation.
We had to try the lavender ice cream in a local spot that we knew was the place to go so we sat and enjoyed eating our flowery ice cream while watching other patrons eat ice cream towers and interesting delicious combinations.
Our restaurant of choice was Restaurant Murvica where we had a traditional Peka of Octopus, it was superb. The restaurant also has apartments to rent and even a stone house in a village nearby all in all great choices! We took a local taxi back to Hvar town after dinner, what an awesome day we had.
To rent a buggy, scooter, check out a fun ride from Rapidus, their 2021 packages were:
- Duration of up to 2,5h with the price of 150€/Beetle (payable in Kuna). Price includes: rental & vehicle preparation, basic assistance with the itinerary and activities (no flexibility) as well as full support during the tour (on call staff ready to assist in case of any issues), fuel, VAT. Price does not include: tour guide, driver, tickets, meals, wine tasting etc.
- Duration 2,5-5h with the price of 250€/Beetle (payable in Kuna). Price includes: rental & vehicle preparation, basic assistance with the itinerary and activities (no flexibility) as well as full support during the tour (on call staff ready to assist in case of any issues), fuel, VAT. Price does not include: tour guide, driver, tickets, meals, wine tasting etc.
- Additional package: 12h rental (includes out of hours car return), full assistance with the itinerary and activities (tailor made experience: such as Romantic Hvar, secret spots), additional insurance (SCDW). Price: 100€.
- Individual options:
- driver – 70€/90€,
- additional car: -30% off
- additional insurance* – 20€ *(SCDW- the damage limited to 500€)
- tour guide: we don’t provide tour guide services but we can recommend a few guides experienced in driving the VW Beetle for direct contact.
- Pure rental option: if you’re on a budget there is of course rental only option (approx. 80€/day with no inclusions) for which we don’t take any bookings in advance. You just show up on the spot, sign the rental agreement and we take it from there.
Cancelation conditions are flexible, up to 15 days before the tour there is no cancelation fee except possible bank fees for deposit return.
The rental company has drivers for hire, but they recommended Stjepan who’s a tour guide on the island. If you’re looking for a tour contact him.
We had a fantastic day trip driving around Hvar, if you would like to read more about Hvar read The Ultimate Guide to the Island of Hvar. Subscribe for more Croatian travels and tips. Have a lovely day.
