Thinking about a day trip from Split to Vis Island? Vis was on my bucket list since I was a kid, as it was “forbidden” due to it being a military base, and finally, my dream came true. I took a day trip by ferry from Split to Vis and here are all the things to do on Vis. This one-day itinerary is all you need when visiting Vis Island.
As I married a local Dalmatian guy, we decided to DIY our trip as we always do around Dalmatia. However, if you’d feel more comfortable, you can take one of the many guided tours from Split to Vis. We arrived at the port early in the morning, and once again, I missed visiting Trogir.
We just passed it, like the last time we were traveling from Zadar to Dubrovnik, but Trogir deserves its own day for a visit. After experiencing the ferries in Zadar, ‘Petar Hektorović’ seemed huge to me with its 3-4 levels, capacity for 100+ cars, and room for 1000+ people on board.
It was in the process of unloading cars, and we slowly made our way up to the upper deck. I didn’t notice there was an elevator, so I ended up dragging the suitcases up the narrow stairs.
The ferry price was 6.5 euros, but the new prices for this season haven’t been announced yet. As soon as they’re published, I’ll make sure to update this article. The season starts on May 31, so until then, you can expect the ferry fare from Split to Vis to be 6.5 euros.
After a two-and-a-half-hour pleasant ride, we arrived at the port of Vis.
Vis
It’s simply hard to stay indifferent to Vis. It’s one of those places that, due to its military history and long-standing isolation, hasn’t been turned into a concrete empire yet.
Even in the heart of the season, there’s always more than enough space around your beach towel – from all sides.
Take that, other Croatian islands. Long pleasant walks, delicious food, beautiful sea, narrow streets, stone houses, wild nature, and that “time has stood still” vibe.
Mass tourism is still an unknown concept here, so it is one of the cheapest Croatian islands to visit– I hope it stays that way.
Komiža
Many say that the old fishing village of Komiža is more beautiful than Vis itself. I would agree with them. A harbor full of boats. Cafes and taverns along the coast.
A church at the entrance to the village. Often, this is the only place where you can find parking, as it’s not possible on the waterfront. The oldest hotel on the island, recently renovated.
Besides, there is only one more in Vis and several private holiday villas. Nautical tourism enthusiasts in Vis rent a boat for a week and don’t need any other accommodation.
Some are in the harbor in the evening, while others cruise around. It seems like Saturdays are changeover days, so that’s when most boats are in the harbor.
Wineries
Domestic Plavac Mali wine and the white grape and wine variety Bugava are widely renowned, so it’s not surprising that such a small island has 14 wineries. The most famous among them is the Lipanović Winery, located right in Vis. Here, you can taste various ages and qualities of domestic Plavac.
They also keep archival wines that are decades old. Their Bugava is officially called Vugava, as to recognize an indigenous variety with geographical origin, the officially recognized name of the variety must be used, not the local one.
As the ambitions of the winery’s founder, Antonio Lipanović, extended beyond the island and the country, he accepted the official name by necessity.
Other producers make Bugava. We tried the one from Roki’s Winery in Plisko Polje (near a former Allied airfield overgrown with sedge) paired with octopus and grouper under the bell. I can’t decide what was better, the food or the wine.
Vis Island Beaches
On such a small island, there’s a whole range of beautiful beaches. In recent years, the beach in Stiniva Bay has become famous.
Stiniva
Some international travel magazines have even declared it the most beautiful beach in Europe. I don’t agree with them. The beach is tiny and hard to reach from the land as it’s steep and the stones shift under your feet, so people occasionally descend or climb on all fours. For the young, this might be fun, but for the elderly, it’s a very dangerous path you take “at your own risk.”
The beach is pebbly and shallow. If you go a bit further, numerous boats anchored just a few meters from the entrance to the passage towards the beach block your way, leaving no room to swim. When it’s crowded, I believe it’s hellish.
Although the sea was cold, we took advantage of the nice weather to swim at Milna on a beautiful sandy beach. If it were better maintained, it would be very interesting.
Zaglav
A few hundred meters further through the Mediterranean vegetation and scrub, there is a spacious sandy beach called Zaglav.
To reach this sandy paradise, you need to leave your car in Milna. Then you have two options – either rent a boat that will take you to Zaglav or walk for about 15 minutes. It’s a bit of a sweaty journey, but it’s worth it. They say this is one of the most beautiful sandy beaches in Croatia.
City Beach
If you’re staying in Vis and have kids, you’ll enjoy the hotel beach. Or is it the official city beach?!? In any case, to the right of the hotel… it’s beautiful, long, with pebbles, a clean sea, kids, floaties, joy… The same goes for Komiža. The hotel beach is great when you’re with children.
Stončica
Stončica on the northeast of the island is also wonderful, but when the sea is cold, it’s even colder there. The only drawback is that these beautiful little beaches have no shade, and of course, nobody rents umbrellas or lounge chairs.
There are many more beautiful beaches, and why wouldn’t there be when the sea is so clean and transparent.
Caves
On the eastern side of the island, where most of the mentioned beaches are located, there is the Green Cave, similar to the Blue Cave, but with a reflection in the sea of a green color. Small boats from the ports of Vis and Komiža take visitors there.
Also well-known is Tito’s Cave in the interior of the island, where Tito’s headquarters were located during 1944. For those who aren’t deterred by the hundred or so stone steps to this cave, you can continue climbing above where there are more caves, as well as throughout the island.
To get to the most famous Blue Cave on the nearby island of Biševo, you travel by boats from Komiža. There, you switch to small boats that take turns shuttling visitors to the cave. Despite the good organization, sometimes there’s a long wait to get your turn, as other private boats cruising or coming from Hvar, Split, and other places also arrive there.
It’s hard to imagine that once it was possible to swim in this cave when there weren’t many tourists, but now, 5-6 boats can be found inside at the same time. When entering the cave and your eyes are still not adjusted to the dark, the blue of the sea coming through the underground passages is striking and beautiful.
Despite such well-developed tourism, only about 9 people live in the 8 villages of Biševo, with 12 registered. Of these, 4 villages are completely uninhabited. The school has been closed for 54 years. We learned this from a boatman who was born there.
Very few tourists stay on the island, as there is no running water and the comforts that tourists usually look for. However, there is the Robinzon tavern on a lookout above the beach, which rightly deserves its name.
On the return ferry from Vis, there were many vehicles and passengers in both directions. The disembarking and boarding were done on time, and soon we were back in Split.
