We arrived by ferry from Split on a late afternoon in September. Old stone houses and towers stand proudly around the little harbour, which was scattered with sailing boats and yachts, their peaceful bobbing disturbed by the arrival of the ferry and its flood of cars and people. It was nearing the end of the summer season, although as the last Croatian island to open up to tourists, Vis remains slightly under the radar compared to more well-known tourist traps in Dalmatia. Busy cruise ports like Split and Dubrovnik are swamped with visitors- whether they arrive on mega cruise liners or by airplane- and the neighbouring island of Hvar attracts a big party crowd. But little Vis rolls on with its quiet but magical way of life, welcoming a few more visitors than before, but still retaining its sense of self. It may be small, but there are still plenty of places to explore and things to do on Vis.
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A brief history of Vis
Like many of the islands and coastline around the Adriatic Sea, Vis has been controlled over time by a stream of various conquerors. The Romans, the Venetians, then the Austro-Hungarians, have all had an influence on the little island.
After the Second World War, Yugoslavia was formed- a socialist republic governed by one man named Tito. Tito’s Socialist ethos was not quite as strict as the Soviet Union’s, and recognising that tourism would be quite beneficial to the republic- particularly along its stunning coastline in what is now Croatia- in the 1960s the gates were officially opened to tourists.
But Vis remained off-limits. Although normal citizens did live on the island, until 1989 it was also the home to Tito’s headquarters, and he had big plans for expanding the naval base there. This high military presence meant that Vis was completely restricted for outsiders; and it wasn’t until the 1990s that Vis finally began welcoming tourists.
These days, Vis is still a fairly sleepy island, home to less than 4000 people, despite the fact that the ferry journey from Split is quick and easy to make.
How to get to Vis
Vis Island is tiny, so there’s no airport to be found. Instead, you’ll have to get a ferry over from the mainland. The journey lasts around two hours and twenty minutes, and prices vary depending on whether you’re travelling on foot or by car. (Foot passengers travel for significantly cheaper prices.)
Look up ferry times and tickets here.
The Best Things to Do on Vis Island
Explore Vis town
Vis town is absolutely beautiful, and as the point of arrival for nearly all the island’s visitors, a wander here is one of the first things most people do. The town is tiny, so it’s near-impossible to get lost. In one direction you can head towards the monastery of St Jerome and the town’s little beach, passing Roman ruins on the way, and in the other you keep going all the way around the harbour to Kut. Shady courtyards, cute wine bars and old Renaissance houses are to be found around here; the calm streets are worlds apart from the hectic harbour-front of Split.
And I cannot stress enough how lovely it is to wander through Vis Town at different times of the day. From early morning just after sunrise, as the market vendors begin to set up their trays of fruit and eggs and honey, to sunset, when the bars and restaurants begin welcoming hungry people in to their open doors, right through in to the late evening after nightfall.
There are also, happily, so many choices when it comes to eating out in Vis Town, and the food is always delicious. Get a coffee and people-watch at one of the harbour front cafes, or tuck in to dinner at a tavern (that’s a konoba FYI) or seafood restaurant. Make sure you try Croatian pršut while in Dalmatia; it’s the best you will ever taste.
Read my detailed guide to Vis Town over here, because this place is an absolute GEM.
Live your Mamma Mia dreams
If you’re a fan of Meryl and the Mamma Mia gang, you’ve come to the right place- Mamma Mia 2 was filmed on this very island, dressed up as Greece. The production company took over the island during filming and lots of the island’s residents were hired as extras for the movie. There are plenty of companies offering tours of Mamma Mia filming locations on the island of Vis, although it’s also possible to visit most of these on your own- as long as you have a vehicle to hand.
Several scenes were filmed in Vis Town itself, including at the ferry port itself, so these are completely reachable on foot. And Barjoska Bay, Stiniva Cove and Srebrena Beach are three beautiful beaches all featured in the movie (Barjoska Bay is where they filmed the Dancing Queen number FYI).
Visit Tito’s Caves
On the drive up to Mount Hum, you’ll see plenty of reminders of Vis’ military past. Barbed wire fences and old concrete bunkers and watch-towers remain standing defiantly in the stunning landscape. Once almost at the top, a path winds away from the road towards ‘Tito’s Caves.’ These are two caves carved into the mountainside, where Tito was said to have hid as part of the resistance in World War II, and according to legend remained in use throughout his subsequent leadership of Yugoslavia.
I’ll be honest; if you’re interested in recent history, or are just there for the hiking, Tito’s Caves will probably be considered a must-see. However, due in part to the lack of information around the caves, some visitors might be a tad disappointed. (They are, after all, literally just caves.)
See the view from Mount Hum
Still pals, if you’re heading to Tito’s Caves, you might as well keep going for the extra short distance it takes to reach the top of Mount Hum- which at 587m, is the highest point on Vis. From the top it’s possible to see almost the entire island mapped out beneath where you stand, and across the vivid blue sea, make out the surrounding islands and the rocky mainland of Croatia’s Dalmatia region.
If you’re up for a challenge, hike all the way, following one of the many trails; but for the less active humans among us, it’s very much possible to drive the steep road up the mountainside.
Visit Komiza
Vis Town is small, but Komiža is even smaller. The main industry here is fishing, and the tiny harbour is lined with restaurants and tavernas selling fresh seafood dishes, with the water laden with fishing boats. There are a couple of stony coves in Komiža where it’s possible to swim and relax, and the narrow streets are perfect for an afternoon’s wander.
Although Komiža is normally even quieter than Vis Town, our visit coincided with a music festival. It took us a while to get to the bottom of why the sleepy fishing village was packed to the rafters with hundreds upon hundreds of very similarly dressed people- harem pants, string vests and tie-dye, blunt shaggy haircuts and a broad selection of colourful tattoos and piercings. (Also, intriguingly, one of the strongest concentrations of people from the south west of England that I’ve ever seen, outside of the south west of England.) The culprit was the Goulash Disko Festival, a world music festival which has been running for about ten years in the town.
Explore Stiniva Cove
Stiniva Cove is one of the most unique, and prettiest, beaches that I’ve ever visited. The beach is tiny, with crystal clear water sheltered by cliffs on either side and a wall of pine trees behind it. As one of the official ‘most beautiful beaches in Europe,’ throughout the summer season Stiniva can get very busy, but in September our visit was quiet and completely peaceful, save from a cat intent on stealing our sandwiches.
The beach is very isolated, so the majority of visitors to Stiniva arrive by boat, often as part of a tour from Vis Town. The boat will wait outside the mouth of the cove, and passengers can swim into the cove through the opening in the cliffs. We visited once by boat, but also for a full day at the beach on foot, hiking down the goat paths through the pine trees.
Read my detailed guide on how to reach Stiniva Cove on foot.
Take a boat to Biševo and the Blue Cave
The island of Biševo is just a short boat ride away, but as barely anybody lives here, there’s no ferry service. So, the best way to reach Biševo is to get a boat tour, either from Vis town or Komiža. The island is so, so, pretty, with peaceful pebbly beaches and just a couple of beach bars.
It’s also home to the Blue Cave, possibly one of Vis’ most famous attractions. The cave is illuminated in blue light between the hours of around 11am and 1pm (as long as the sun is shining), thanks to an underwater opening which lets the light in. The only way to access the cave is by boat, so don’t even think about trying to get there by yourself.
However, a word of warning to all cave-goers:
Firstly, during the summer season, this place is a big old tourist trap. And queues for boats to enter- and spend about 5-10 minutes inside- can be absolutely ginormous. Secondly, a visit to the Blue Cave is weather-dependent. If the sea is too choppy, it’ll be too dangerous to try and enter the cave. On the day we visited, despite the bright sunshine, the sea was turbulent. So much so that I spent almost the entire trip staring fixedly at the horizon and taking deep breaths in an attempt not to throw up; and we also did not get to visit the Blue Cave. Alas.
Other beaches to visit on Vis
This is Dalmatia, pals; there are beaches all over the place. You could either get in the car and just drive to wherever the open road takes you (because the island is so small that you’re guaranteed to run into a beach eventually), or plan ahead.
We hopped on over the mountains to the little bay at Milna, which has shallow water stretching quite far away from the shore; it was almost completely deserted when we visited in September. Other popular beaches on Vis are Srebrna, Grandovac and Stoncica.
Vis is one of the most magical of all the Croatian islands, although its charm is massively thanks to the island’s slower pace of life and relaxed vibes. Stay for four days to see all the sights Vis has to offer, or stay for longer and immerse yourself in its peaceful atmosphere to truly relax.
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