Culture & Etiquette in Hvar

Good to know

If you eat in a nice restaurant, then consider a 10% tip for your waiting staff or bar tenders. Consider 20 Kuna as a tip for porters or for your housekeeping maid.

Croatians have more of a relaxed attitude towards life and punctuality. Things often run late, and if someone tells you to meet them at 2:00pm, it usually means ~2:15pm or even a bit later. It is considered good manners to be punctual. A 15-minute 'grace period' is socially acceptable in most situations. This is known as 'akademska četvrt'.

Coffee culture dominates social life. Croatians spend 2-3 hours daily in cafes, using špica (coffee hour) for socializing.

Guests are expected to bring a gift for the hosts. Appropriate gifts are usually a bottle of wine, sweets or an odd number of flowers (an even number of flowers is for the deceased). If offered food or coffee, it is best to accept the offer. Refusing the offer may be interpreted as refusing the host's hospitality and can cause offence.

Meals typically begin when the host says 'Dobar tek' (good appetite) and raises their glass for a toast. Often, Croatians will offer multiple servings of food to their guests. The polite way to indicate to your host that you do not want any more food is to say 'nema više' ('no more') and they will usually comply. It is considered rude to place one's hands below the table. Rather, Croatians tend to keep their hands above the table.

Avoid discussing the conflict between Croatia and Serbia or making comparisons between nationalities of the former Yugoslavian states. This is a sensitive topic for many Croatians and can evoke emotions of anger or sadness. It is best to wait until you are more acquainted with your Croatian counterpart before discussing the topic of religion. Be mindful that religion is an important part of the Croatian lifestyle, particularly the Roman Catholic faith. Topics that may offend those who identify as Christian – such as divorce, euthanasia and family planning – should be approached with sensitivity.

Croatians tend to dress very nicely and care about appearances. You'll rarely see someone in town looking like a mess. People here don't run out of the house to do anything until they're very much presentable (hair / make up / nicely dressed), not even for a carton of milk.

The local residents are neutrally-polite to foreigners. If you are a girl and travel alone, then be prepared for increased attention from the opposite sex. For Croatian men, it is normal to give compliments to any representative of the beautiful half of humanity, regardless of age and appearance. However, it usually does not go past flirting.

The majority of the population of the island is Catholic, therefore it is religious holidays that are most widely celebrated here – Easter, Christmas, Epiphany. The feast of St. Stephen, patron saint of Hvar Town, is celebrated on October 2 as the city's official day, featuring a solemn Holy Mass in the Cathedral of St. Stephen followed by a traditional procession through the main square.

Formalities such as wearing long sleeves for women inside religious buildings, and showing respect when entering the many churches throughout the country, are appreciated.

A €500 on-the-spot penalty can be issued to anyone seen walking around shirtless or in overly revealing clothing in Hvar's town centre. The general dress code is smart-casual, leaning towards fashionable. For beach clubs, stylish resort wear is common, while town bars allow for a range from casual-chic to more dressed-up attire. Hvar town in the evening leans toward smart-casual — light dresses for women, collared shirts and clean trousers for men. T-shirts and flip-flops will get you turned away at Carpe Diem and looked at sideways everywhere else.