What to Do: Day Trips, Activities and Hidden Spots

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On Brač, the headline activity beyond the beach is the climb up Vidova Gora — at 778 m the highest peak on any Croatian island, with a marked 2-hour trail from Bol that ends in the most famous aerial view of Zlatni Rat (free, sunrise/sunset best). The Blaca Hermitage is a remarkable 16th-century monastery built into a cliff — reached by a 1-hour walk from Murvica or by boat (entrance €5). Pučišća on the north coast is home to Croatia's only stone-masonry school and you can watch students hand-carve white Brač limestone (the same stone used in the White House and Diocletian's Palace). Donji Humac and Škrip villages give you proper inland Brač with stone houses and tiny konobas. On Hvar, the Pakleni Islands boat trip is essential (private taxi-boat €120 for 4 hours, group tours €40 per person). Sveta Nedjelja on the south coast has the Tomić winery and the Petar Jurić olive grove. Lavender harvest in late June around Velo Grablje village is one of the island's signature scents. From either island the standard day-trip target is the Blue and Green Caves of Vis/Biševo by speedboat (€80–120 per person). Best 'hidden' spot on Brač: Sumartin's tiny harbour and the cliffs at Bol's east coast (Murvica). Best 'hidden' spot on Hvar: the abandoned village of Malo Grablje and the south-coast vineyards road from Sveta Nedjelja.