If you love an atmosphere of a Mediterranean island where you can easily ride you bike from one end to the other and access the hidden coves through the pine trees and narrow goat treks you will definitely adore Vis.

The island itself was always strategically significant and many battles were fought over it even since the Illyrian times. The island was opened to the visitors only 10 years ago so it is a clean place with untouched nature and exceptional cultural beauty. The only settlements on the island are Vis and Komiža. In the small coves of the island you can find secluded taverns with good food. The central part of the island is mostly filled with vineyards. Vis is definitely a spot that has all the basics needed for a good vacation.

If you are interested in diving, amazing are boat wracks in the region of Komiza and Vis accessible with local diving clubs. Its mild climate, the rich Mediterranean vegetation and the possibility of hare and pheasant hunting, make Vis attractive also in winter.

History of Komiza

Komiža is a fisherman village that is dominated by the tower Grimaldi built in the times of Venetian dominance in the 16th century. Today, the tower is a Fishermen museum where some very interesting nets and tools are exhibited as well as a special kind of a fishing boat – falkuša. The boat is built to be fast, and when it reaches its destination the top part of it is taken off turning it into a fishing boat. The monastery of St. Mikula on the hill above the cove in Komiža is probably about 1.000 years old. They say this is where Pope Alexander III (12th century) found refuge when a storm caught him next to Palagruža.

St. Mikula (Nikola) is the protector of Komiža and every year on December 6th a “falkuša” is burned in his honor. This is an event that has to be seen and appreciated. On the city beach there is small Renaissance church know as Gusarica (woman pirate) and the legend about it says that pirates stole the painting of Madonna in the 16th century, and were then hit by the storm.The pirate boat sank and the only survivor on the shipwreck was the painting. The sea washed it up on shore in front of the burned little church and the habitats of Komiža built the church again and named it Gusarica.

Where also to go - Biševo and Palagruža

Since Vis is an island of preserved nature, you will surely enjoy discovering every inch of it. But it should be pointed out that Vis has even richer underwater that is really worth exploring. On the neighboring island Biševo you should not fail to visit Modra špilja (the Blue Cave), a unique specimen of natural beauty. An entry into the cave is barely 1.5 meters above the water surface, so entering into the cave might be dangerous and when the south wind is blowing, even impossible. Between 11 and 12 a.m. sunrays get into the cave through a part of the entrance under the water, they break up and create sensational blue light. The water glitters and illuminates the rocks on the depth of even 16 meters. If you are fond of water expanses you will surely enjoy on Palagruža, a little archipelago of islands which are among of those the most remote from the Croatian coast. On all sides of the horizon you will see nothing but water. On a bigger island, Vela Palagruža, there is a lighthouse built in the 19th c. and even today is one of the strongest on the Adriatic.

Where to go for a swim

You will find several truly unusual places to go for a swim on Vis. On the southern shore of the island there is the Stiniva bay characteristic for its very narrow entry which is only 3 meters wide and it spreads into 30 meters long pebbled beach. High, steep rocks at the top of which there is centuries old pine forest border it. There is really an unusual beach in Komiža next to the Gusarica church. It is partly pebbled and partly sandy.

The shores of the neighboring island Biševo are steep and it is not possible to approach the island from the main ground except on several beaches and bays. There is a beautiful sandy beach in the Porat bay, and you can swim or dive in the Modra Špilja, discovering new shades of colors breaking up on the water.