Following up my Vis beaches BLOG, island Vis is not just pretty beaches, you can do so much more on the island. Here is my list of attractions and activities.
BIŠEVO & Blue Cave DAY TRIP
Biševo is the most distant inhabited island in Croatia and it gained it’s popularity because it is home to famous Blue Cave. We love it because of it’s beautiful Mezuporat bay, too.
Trip to Biševo is best taken from Komiža. There are several tourist agencies and excursion boats that offer organized trip to Biševo & Blue Cave, which you can find just walking down the Komiža promenade. Keep in mind that many prices do not include Blue Cave entrance fee.
If you want to organize the trip to Biševo yourself there are two good options. First one is that you take take PRUGA “the line“. It is state boat line no. 612 which goes from Komiža harbour every day at 8 AM. Duration of the trip is little bit more than 1 hour and the price of the two-way ticket is 50 HRK (cca 8 EUR).
Pruga will take you to Mezuporat where you buy a ticket to the Blue cave and wait for a small boat to take you into it. Entrance fees for July and August are 100 kn for adult and 50 kn for children (70/35Kn preseason). Due to corona virus, the 2020. high season prices remained 70 kn for adult and 35 kn for children.
Also, note that the tickets are numbered and limited per day. Inside the Cave you have 15 minute max., so use it well. When I was a child we swam there, however nowadays there is no swimming inside the Cave, which is understandable, but very unfortunate.
Other option to get to Biševo yourself is speedboat taxi. Taxis go at anytime and trip takes approx. 15-20 minute. I’ve heard that the prices go from 100 kn per person, depending on number of people in the boat.
Keep in mind that the best time to visit the cave is between 10 am and 2 pm. There is no shop on Biševo, so plan ahead and bring lot of water and some food with you. Also, there is a restaurant in Mezuporat, which we recommend, where you can refresh.
Less known cave on Biševo is Monk seal cave. If you are on a private tour, ask them to take you there.
GREEN CAVE
Part of many island tours is stop to the Green Cave, however, if you are in good shape we recommend kayaking there. If you are a pro navigating the sea and the boats, you can rent a kayak from Diamond Beach bar on Tepluš beach. If you are beginner, I recommend booking a tour. There is an amazing kayaking tour that takes you to Green cave & Stiniva beach.
VISIT REMOTE ISLANDS
Near island Vis there are many beautiful open-sea islands such as Svetac, Brusnik and Jabuka which are called the “Volcanic Triangle”. Brusnik and Jabuka are the only two islands in Croatia that consist completely of volcanic rock. How crazy is that? On island Svetac lives Zanki family. Can you imagine the stories they can share? This trip is something we have been wanting to do for a long time, but still didn’t happen. I am making it a priority for next trip to Vis.
THE QUEEN’S CAVE
This is a beautiful natural cave on the north coast of the island. You can get there walking approx. 1 hour from village Oključna, or do it on a boat tour. I am sad to say, we were never there.
TITO’s LEGACY
If you know where to look, his legacy is everywhere. When leaving the island, Yugoslavian Army took everything they could from all their hideouts, but they left a maze of underground tunnels, caves, storage facilities and submarine hideouts all over the Island. Here are some popular spots:
1. Ex. Yugoslavian army shelter for submarines – Parja
You get there driving approx. 10 min from city of Vis. Part of the road is dirt road, but it is easy access. You can walk inside the “Jastog submarine tunnel”, but labyrinth that connect tunnel to bunkers on the other side of Parja are sealed. That being said, on the other side of that bay you can also find couple of hidden military lookout bunkers.
The tunnel is also a beautiful place to swim and dive. However, do not jump from the top of the tunnel, I have been told there has been many accidents.
2. Former rocket base – Stupišće
It was a huge army base for land-sea missiles with a bunker complex on the sea side. Experience of driving with a car to a complex they once had stored enormous huge missile is incredible! You can go there yourself with a car or a bike, trough the dirt road or with a guide. We did both and I advise you take a guided tour. The tour took us to the places we couldn’t find on our own. Plus, the information you get from tour guides are mind blowing! That isn’t something you can Google.
If you decide to go on your own, bring a flashlight.
I don’t think tours take you to bay Stupišće, but there we found one more military building which is completely in ruins.
3. Red Rocks – climbing spot
Above city of Komiža you can find the Red Rocks. Other than having couple of ex. JNA tunnels, the are home of more than a dozen climbing trails, from beginner to experienced free climbers. You can book a guided climbing in some of the agencies on the island.
4. Vela glava
In Podšpilje there is a former JNA command center called ARK Vela Glava. Most of it is sealed and overgrown with weeds. To bad Croatian government doesn’t know how to put this legacy into better use.
5. Tito’s Cave
In Podšpilje, follow the road to Borovik and mount Hum. On the way up you will pass Mladenova Tower ruins. Right before unmarked path to Tito’s cave there is widening on the road, where you can leave your car and start the walk up. There is no entrance fee, but there are many spider webs hanging from tree to tree. Don’t worry they are harmless. It is approx. 10-15 minute up till you reach the caves. Honestly, it is just the hole in the mountain, with a rock panel which say’s “this was Tito’s residency”. If you don’t have enough time for sightseeing, you can easily skip this one.
6. Artillery battery BARJOŠKA
It is artillery spot on the north coast of the island. We saw it from the boat, but we were never there.
HUM MOUNTAIN
This could be also part of Tito’s legacy, because on 587 metres there is a military lookout base. However, it is still operational nowadays, Croatian military uses it. Little below it you have incredible spot that overlooks city of Komiža.
You park your car on the road and walk 5-10 minute up to a little church “Sveti Duh“, from where you have breathtaking views of Komiža and island Biševo. My advice is to come in sunset.
THE SUNSET SPOT – Na Rovnu
This is our favorite sunset spot, locals call it “na rovnu” -> Google Maps.
KRIŽ – the Cross
From Kut (part of Vis town) there is an old Napoleon road that takes you up to Podselje (you will go to Podselje if you decide to eat in Konoba Golub, which we highly recommend). Keep in mind that this road fits one car, car and a half, so it is only for experienced drivers. There is a bigger road that goes up to the Podselje, and other inland villages, which starts in Vis city port.
On the top of both roads, which is a crossing of five old macadam roads, locals built a big withe cross.
CITY VIS
This should be completely separate blog but, for now, I will just list couple of interesting spots and you can explore from there.
1. Franciscan Church and Monastery
2. Open air cinema
3. Archaeological Museum
4. Czech Villa (Češka Villa)
5. Fort Batarija
6. Perast Tower
7. City bath – Roman thermal
8. Fort George
CITY KOMIŽA
1. St. Nikola’s church – Muster
2. Komuna – Venetian castle and fisherman’s museum
3. Gusarica – St. Mary church on the beach
4. Neptun factory
5. Open air cinema
6. Gajeta boat tours
WINE TRAILS
Vis wines are vugava and plavac mali. You can taste these wines in the numerous family taverns and wine-cellars all around the island. You can book wine tour with agency and explore several spots without worrying about driving later. Let me know how it ends.
DIVING
There is a Diving Center Issa in Komiža. They offer beginner and professional dives. I never dove and I really really want to, so this is first on my “Island Vis BUCKET LIST”.
WALKING & CYCLING TRAILS
I did only one walking trail and never did cycling one. This is not something what we usually do on a vacation. However, I know there are people which love to do both, so I found links to help you navigate the island.
PARAGLIDING
You can fly for hours over Vis and Komiža, over the sea and along the rocky cliffs. If you are adrenaline junkie, this is perfect activity for you.
Hope this list helps you organize perfect vacation on the island. Tag us in your stories if it does.
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