We stayed at the Hotel Amfora, which is located conveniently about 5 minutes walk from Hvar Town. The hotel is situated on a steep hill overlooking a tranquil cove that offers a small private beach. We found a better area for sunning and swimming farther down the paved pathway about 15 minutes away. The hotel is huge, and still shows remnants of being a proletariat vacation spot during the darker days of Communist Yugoslavia. Today it’s a sophisticated boutique hotel that is modern, stylish and considered a top notch luxury hotel by European standards.

Between the Hotel Amfora and Hvar Town there is a great outdoor lounge bar that is a must visit at sunset. The view of the Hvar bay from comfortable cushy chairs with a cocktail in your had is a fantastic experience that is not to be missed.

The beaches are all rocky and not comfortable with a beach towel alone. Lounge chairs are available for 5 kuna a day. Our favorite beach spot offered a small refreshment hut where we could get sodas, beer, and snacks. Some spots have ladders to get in and out of the water. This is something to look out for, because the rocks are several feet above the water and there are sea urchins. The ladders make getting in and out easier.

Lunches were normally spent at the cafe’s along the marina. I found the pizza’s to be consistently good, but salty like all the food in Croatia. The most memorable dinner we had was at a restaurant a few blocks up from the marina on one of the steep alley’s that offer a variety of shops and restaurants. Our waiter was a wildman. He provided great service and recommended fish dishes that were incredible. At the end of the dinner, when the restaurant was almost empty, he brought out Croatian Liquor and started doing shots with us and one of the other waitresses. It was a wild night, the perfect way to celebrate our last night in Hvar.

If you can’t get a booking at Hotel Amfora, I would suggest Hotel Hvar, which is located just next door to the Marina, and seems to be very nice. we had cocktails there, and really enjoyed the environment. My only concern would be the noise from Carpe Diem Nightclub, which is around the corner. The other place to check out would be The Palace Hvar. It’s the oldest hotel in Hvar, beautiful inside and out which translates to very pricey in the peak season. The Palace Hvar is located at the marina and showcases supreme views from it’s patio and marina facing rooms. Right next door is the famous Hvar Theatre, the oldest theatre in Croatia.

I highly recommend spending time along the waterway and across the bridges that connect Old Town Trogir to the other parts of the city. Some excellent photography is to be had from across the water-way back towards Old Town Trogir.

Allow for a full morning to tour the entire wall. It’s more then 2 kilometers long. The crowds and unlimited photography opportunities will slow you down.

View of Dubrovnik from the highest tower toward the end of the tour.

The city is small which makes it very manageable on a day trip. The town features some great things to see such as St. Lawrence Cathedral, a wonderful waterfront with open air cafe’s, Kameriengo Fortress, Radovan’s Portal and excellent beaches.

The beach at Bol is considered Croatia’s most spectacular beach. It’s renowned for the golden sandbar (Zlatni Rat), which wraps around a wooded forest forming triangle styled point that’s just out into the Adriatic. We found a spot and set up camp. Just beyond the swimming area yachts and boats lined side by side. The beach was crowded, but in September most of the Euro-tourists were back and work and school, so it was not too bad. The water was warm and enjoyable. After two days of hiking around Trogir and Split it was good to chill out to one last day of sun and fun.

Kotor is the known for being the best preserved medieval town in the mediterranean. The architecture features a great number of cathedrals, churches, museums and palaces. The streets are narrow and wind around the city like a maze. We had to be careful where we were for fear we might get lost and miss our bus.

We ventured in to small squares, checked out some of the smaller churches and shops. Kotor does have an excellent collection of boutiques and shops that offer local items as well as European designer products.

Old Town Kotor is nestled right into the Fjords which seem to rise dramatically from behind the town. I loved shooting images here because the mountains made such a great backdrop for framing the beautifully situated medieval buildings. Even with my 15-35mm lens I could get nice wide shots of the town and still capture the majesty of the mountains in the background.

The Island’s history runs in parallel with Split. It was a part of the Roman Empire, (remnants of Roman Villas are all over the island). It was taken over by Venetians in 1420 then fell to the Austrians with Split in 1797. It was even a Russian marine base until the Austrians took it back in 1918. After World War I it was made part of Yugoslavia, along with the rest of Croatia and it’s neighboring Baltic countries.

Today the island produces olive oil, wine, fruit and livestock. Tourism is it’s biggest industry with thousands of tourists visiting Bol beach for the sun, sand and world class Wind Surfing. Other areas of the island are popular for private villas, secluded coves and easy access to the warm Adriatic ocean.

The largest settlement on Brac is Supetar. It’s 3000 plus inhabitants operate a lively tourist business and transportation hub. The island is renowned as a superior vacation destination. You can navigate the rest of the island from Supetar. busses and ferries come and go at regular intervals.

The island of Brac is easily accessible from Hvar as well as Spit. Part of our travel group traveled there from Hvar in about a 30 minute ferry ride. Laura and I decided to go from Split, which was easy but a bit longer. The Ferry took about 1.5 hours to reach Supetar, the main port entry on Brac. We went directly to the bus station to make the first bus to Bol Beach.

The world famous triangle beach of Bol Croatia is both well known as the only large sand beach in Croatia, and as a world class wind surfing destination. The bus from Supetar cuts through the twisted roads of central Brac to arrive in Bol from Supetar in about 90 minutes. The ride over is filled with twists and turns, so be warned if you get motion sickness easily. The views of the ocean from the mountains is incredible, as well as the villages and expansive olive fields that pass by.

That occupation lasted for four centuries. In the 1797 Napoleon claimed the entire area and actually modernized the local economy. However, Trogir was not over being concurred yet. The Austrian’s took it from 1814-1914, then it was consumed as part of Yugoslavia until 1991. During the 1970’s it boomed with ship building and tourism. Then again it faced conflict during the Bosnian war, as part of Croatia. Finally after the war with Bosnia was settled Trogir remained part of Croatia. Now it exists reflecting the art and history of its past. Tourism is again booming and the town seems to be doing quite well.

St. Lawrence Cathedral features a wonderful bell tower that stretches 47 meters high, and was worth the climb to the top. The inside of the tower is expansive and open, which is a little frightening as we made our way upwards on the steep staircase. There is a small portal at the top of the bell platform that you have to climb through to get to the top. We timed our way between fellow tourists and popped through to a large open platform that was the top of the tower.

Looking out at Trogir and it’s position on the waterway gives clear indication of why Trogir would have been a town of great strategic importance as well as an central area of commerce. No wonder it was taken over so much. I slipped on my trusty zoom to get some close up shots of the rooftops and waterway below. Getting through the portal on the way out posed a more difficult process than getting up there. I strapped on my gear and made my way through carefully. I could see the floors below through the steel steps as I headed down. Eventually we made it down safely, but it’s not for the faint of heart to get up there.

The interior of the Cathedral is typical of most churches. However I really like church interiors for the photo challenge. SInce flash photography is off limits in churches, available light is the only resource to use. This can make for some great shots of light streaming through stained glass, or pouring in over the alter. I was able to get a few worthwhile shots.

The highlight of our time spent in Diocletian’s Palace was the Palace tour. You get a Docent and are put in with a small group of fellow travelers. Ours took us to the deepest recesses of the Palace basement. Excavation of the debris that packed the foundation of the palace salvaged many artifacts and left an exact replica of the interior quarters of the palace for the ages. We explored catacombs of rooms that have been identified for their upstairs functions. A bust is preserved, as well as a roman eating tray and various tools. Our docent was great. She was into the history, and loved showcasing her knowledge.