Pakleni Islands

The Pakleni islands lie in a line off Hvar town, sheltering its harbour, wooded in pine with a great many small bays and coves along their shores. The name causes constant confusion: pakao is hell in Croatian, and the islands are widely translated as the Hell Islands, but the derivation is from paklina, the pine resin that was boiled here and used to coat wooden hulls. Sveti Klement is the largest, with the village of Palmizana and its botanical garden planted by the Meneghello family over a century. Jerolim and Stipanska have their own beaches and beach clubs, and Palmizana has the marina.

What you actually see

• A wooded chain sheltering Hvar - pine islands off the harbour.
• A name from resin, not hell - paklina, used to caulk boats.
• Palmizana and its garden - planted by one family over a century.
• Many small bays - the coves the taxi boats serve.

When to go

June to September, when the taxi boats run frequently. A full day.

Honest expectations

Boats are frequent in season and almost absent outside it. The nearest bays are busy and the beach clubs are expensive. Getting to the quieter coves means walking on rough paths. There is little shade on some beaches.

Nearby

Hvar town is across the water; Vis is further out to sea.