Vrboska

Vrboska sits on Hvar's north coast, built along a narrow inlet that cuts deep enough into the land that locals nicknamed it "Little Venice" — less for grandeur and more because a handful of small stone bridges cross the canal running through the middle of town. It was founded in the 15th century as a fishing harbor serving Vrbanj, an older village further inland, and it's kept that working-harbor character even as tourism took over most of Hvar's coastline.

The town has an unusual number of churches for its size. St. Mary of Mercy, also known as the Fortress Church, was built in 1571 on the remains of an older church from 1465, after Ottoman raids made a fortified church seem like a good idea — it has an actual observation post built into the structure and still holds Renaissance-era artwork inside. St. Lawrence dates back to the 15th century as well but was rebuilt in Baroque style in the 17th century, and holds one of the more valuable art collections on Hvar. St. Peter, first recorded in 1331, is the oldest structure in town, and St. Roko was built in 1577 as a vow against the plague.

The other stop worth making is the Fishermen's Museum, founded in 1972 and now run as part of the Jelsa municipal museum. It's a small, unpolished collection — nets, tridents, longlines, wooden barrels for salted fish — plus leftover equipment from a sardine cannery that operated here from 1894, and a room of preserved fish and shellfish specimens.

None of this makes Vrboska a must-see on the scale of Hvar Town or Stari Grad, but it's a genuinely quiet, lived-in town rather than a stage set, which is exactly why it's worth a visit if you're chartering a gulet in Croatia and want a break from the busier anchorages nearby.