There is a moment, driving through the tunnel that connects Pitve to the south side of the island, that no one is ever prepared for.
The road goes dark for a kilometre and then, without warning, the cliffs open onto the Adriatic — the cliffs, blue water, vineyards dropping straight to the sea and Šćedro sitting on the horizon.
One owner in our collection, who made this drive for the first time in 2017, turned to his wife and said there should be a sign at the exit that reads: Welcome to Paradise. Eight years later he built a villa on those cliffs.
The south coast of Hvar is not the same island as the north. It is wilder, steeper, less visited and, for those who know it, considerably more compelling.
Getting there
The Pitve-Zavala tunnel has traditionally been the main route in — a single-lane passage, 1.4 kilometres through the rock, that connects the north of the island to the south coast in under two minutes. Before it opened, the south coast was genuinely remote. In 2026, a new two-lane road opened connecting Dubovica with Sveta Nedjelja, cutting the drive from Hvar Town to Sveta Nedjelja from 50 minutes to 20, and placing Ivan Dolac just 22 kilometres from Hvar Town. For anyone who finds the tunnel's single lane and lack of lighting less than relaxing, the new road is a considerable improvement.
The new road has made the south coast more accessible, which is not an uncomplicated thing. Beaches like Lučišće, which were rarely crowded even in high season, are seeing more visitors than before. The balance between accessible and discovered, which the south coast managed for years, is shifting, which is another reason to come in September rather than July.
Sveta Nedjelja
Sveta Nedjelja sits at the western end of the south coast beneath Sveti Nikola, the highest peak on the island, and beneath a cave that has been inhabited since Neolithic times. Inside it, during the Renaissance, an Augustinian monastery was built into the rock. It was dissolved in 1787. A small church remains.
The cliffs above the village are covered in vineyards that have been producing some of the best red wines on the island for centuries. The combination of steep south-facing slopes, thin rocky soil and near-constant sun creates conditions that are almost impossible to replicate elsewhere. The winery Zlatan Otok is here, producing Plavac Mali that has won international recognition while remaining entirely local in character.
Further along the coastline there are pebble beaches and hidden coves, most reachable only on foot or by boat. One of the favourites is Zogon. The cliffs above are a free climbing destination of some repute, with routes visited by enthusiasts from across Europe, which says something about the quality of the rock and the exposure of the positions.
Restaurants and a shop serve the village through the season. Villa Vinea, winner of the BIG SEE Architecture Award 2025, sits directly above the vineyards on a private estate, with a wine tasting room in the basement and a cantilevered master terrace pointing towards Šćedro.
Ivan Dolac
Ivan Dolac sits on the south coast, 10 kilometres from Jelsa and 22 kilometres from Hvar Town. The village sits beneath Sveti Nikola peak and is surrounded by vineyards producing exceptional-quality grapes. The hillsides are thick with lavender and rosemary between the vines.
The beaches in and around Ivan Dolac are among the least visited on the island and some of the most beautiful — Šuplja stina, Jagodna and Paklina are all within reach, mostly pebble, mostly uncrowded even in high season. Podnožica, near the Šanpjerin cocktail bar, is one of the most popular. Several require a short walk or a boat, which tends to keep them that way.
Villa Lyra is here, a contemporary house built directly above the Adriatic in 2025, with floor-to-ceiling glass doors opening to the sea and a stone staircase leading down to the water. There is no pool, because the sea is right there.
Zavala
Zavala sits at the eastern end of the south coast and is known across the island for one thing above all others: Plavac Mali. The same families have worked the vineyards here for generations, and the wine they make from this soil and this sun is produced nowhere else in the world quite the same way.
Below the village, a string of beaches lines the coast. The beach at Petarčica has a cave at one end and clear water that doesn’t see the crowds of the north coast. A couple of restaurants and a small local shop serve the village through the season. Jelsa is close enough for everything else.
Villa Harmonia sits above the village: a 19th-century Dalmatian farmhouse with five bedrooms, wood-burning stoves, custom-made everything and a pool whose wall came down in 2024 to open the view straight out to sea. The vineyards are within walking distance of the front door.
What to do on the south coast of Hvar
Wine is the primary reason most people make the drive, and it justifies the journey entirely. The south coast produces some of Croatia's best red wines, a fact the Michelin Guide notes, describing the vineyards of Ivan Dolac as among the best in the country.
Zlatan Otok in Sveta Nedjelja is the most celebrated winery on this stretch of coast. Founded in 1991 by Zlatan Plenković, named Croatian wine knight in 2009 (the country's highest honour for vintners), the winery ages part of its wine in a cellar 70 metres underground, with a window looking directly into the seabed. Tastings and restaurant visits can be arranged seasonally.
The Matijević family farms vineyards at Jagodna, on the slope above Sveta Nedjelja, at a gradient around 45 degrees — too steep for machines. Yields are small, the grapes ripen hard and in 2023, their Plavac Mali 2018 won a gold medal at the Decanter World Wine Awards in London, which is a significant result for a cellar of this size. Visits are small and arranged in advance, which means you taste with the family rather than a guide.
The beaches on the south coast are consistently wilder and less visited than those on the north side of the island. Several are reachable only by boat or on foot. The free climbing routes above Sveta Nedjelja attract enthusiasts from across Europe. The island of Šćedro sits just offshore from Zavala, reachable by kayak or small boat.
Staying on the south coast
For guests wanting a luxury villa on Hvar's south coast, Villas Hvar has properties in this part of the island — and Villa Vinea above Sveta Nedjelja, Villa Lyra in Ivan Dolac and Villa Harmonia above Zavala are some of our favourites. Each is suited to a different kind of stay, and we’re always available to help you identify the right one.
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