Pakleni Islands Guide: Which Bay Is Which

The Pakleni Islands (Paklinski otoci, sometimes mistranslated as "Hell's Islands", actually from "paklina", the pine resin once collected there) are a chain of about 21 small islands and islets just off the south-west coast of Hvar.

The biggest is Sveti Klement, the most-visited is Marinkovac, and the smaller islets (Jerolim, Stipanska, Borovac) get fewer visitors. Almost no permanent population. A few seasonal restaurants and one or two famous beach clubs.

For Blue Cave day-trippers from Split, the Pakleni Islands are the scenery after Hvar lunch: the boat cruises through the archipelago on its way out of the harbour, no anchoring and no swim, before the last swim at Milna on Brač. Anchoring in one of these bays is something a private charter can arrange instead.

Sveti Klement is the largest Pakleni island and home to the area's most famous bay: Vinogradišće. Sheltered, pine-fringed, sandy entry into the water, and a couple of low-key restaurants and beach bars. This is the bay most private charters target when the wind allows.

On the south side of Sveti Klement is Palmižana, an old anchorage that has become a more upmarket marina-and-restaurant scene. Travellers staying overnight in Hvar often catch a water taxi here for dinner.

Day-trippers from Split see this side of the archipelago from the deck on the cruise through; anchoring at Vinogradišće or one of the small bays nearby is private charter territory. Palmižana is more of an evening destination than a swim stop.

Marinkovac is smaller and just east of Sveti Klement. Two notable bays: Stipanska (south side, very clear water, decent snorkelling) and Ždrilca (a narrow channel between two islets, protected and photogenic).

Stipanska is the home of the famous Carpe Diem Beach Club, which is a daytime-into-evening party venue from June through August. A water taxi from Hvar harbour runs every 15 minutes during peak season. The group Blue Cave route does not stop here: you see Stipanska from the water on the cruise through, and a private charter can anchor for a snorkel if the group asks.

Ždrilca is a quieter alternative, two small islets separated by a swim-through channel. Calm water, good for kids, less party energy.

Jerolim is the closest Pakleni island to Hvar town. It is small, mostly undeveloped, and known historically as a clothing-optional beach island, although that reputation is fading and most visitors today are clothed.

For day-trippers on the group route, Jerolim is scenery on the way past rather than a stop. Private charters with specific interests sometimes include it; group tours do not anchor in the Paklenis at all.

Carpe Diem Beach Club on Stipanska is famous internationally. White day beds, branded bars, DJs from late afternoon into the night. In peak season it is genuinely one of the more memorable scenes on the Croatian coast.

On a Blue Cave day-trip from Split, you will not be stopping for an extended Carpe Diem session: the schedule does not allow it and the price tag (drinks easily €15 to €20 each) is not what most day-trippers came for. If you want the Carpe Diem experience, do it as a separate evening from Hvar town.

On a private charter that anchors near Stipanska, you can usually swim ashore for a quick photograph; ordering a full round of drinks tends to make you late for the boat home.

Vinogradišće (Sveti Klement): fair snorkelling near the rocky edges, less so in the middle of the sandy bay. Best for families who want a calm swim more than serious snorkelling.

Stipanska (Marinkovac): very clear water, good marine life along the rocks, often the best visibility of any Pakleni bay. Avoid the area directly in front of Carpe Diem (boat traffic) and snorkel along the cliff edges instead.

Ždrilca (between two Marinkovac islets): sheltered, family-friendly, decent fish life. The swim-through channel is the highlight.

Mlini Bay (Sveti Klement, north side): quieter alternative when Vinogradišće is busy. Smaller, but the snorkelling along the western rocks is genuinely good.

On the group Blue Cave 5 Island Tour, the Paklenis are a sightseeing cruise, not a stop: leaving Hvar, the boat threads through the archipelago for the views, then crosses to Milna on Brač for the last swim of the day.

On a private charter, you can anchor here instead: request a specific bay or even visit two of them. A common private combo is Stipanska for snorkelling, then a quick stop at Vinogradišće for a beach-bar drink before heading home. That flexibility, including trading the default Milna swim for a Pakleni bay, is one of the main reasons groups of six or more pick the private upgrade.

Either way, the end of the Blue Cave day is quiet and satisfying: golden light through the pines on the cruise past, then the sheltered water at Milna, with most guests sun-tired and quietly happy. See our full Blue Cave 5 Island Tour guide or the private charter version for the day this fits into.