Stoncica Bay

Stončica is a bay on the eastern coast of Vis island, about 8 kilometres from Vis town. The cove runs nearly half a nautical mile inland and is well sheltered from winds off every direction, with a sandy beach at its head and a single restaurant serving the anchorage.

The bay is watched over by the Stončica Lighthouse, built in 1865 on the cape at its entrance. Its 38-metre octagonal stone tower warns ships passing through the Hvar Channel of nearby shallows, and it is often cited as the last lighthouse on the Adriatic to have kept a permanent, live-in keeper, even though its light is now automated. Reachable only by boat or on foot, the bay has stayed free of cars and large-scale development, which is part of why many charter guests anchor here for the afternoon before heading back toward Vis town or on to Split.