Everything You Need to Know… and Several Things You Wish You Didn't
Congratulations! 🎉 You've officially signed yourself (and your children) up for a semester at The Field School Hvar.
You're about to have one of the most magical experiences of your life…
…but first, let's talk logistics. Because paradise still requires packing cubes.
🎒 Packing: AKA "How to Move a Small Household Every Morning"
Your child will need:
- A backpack they can actually carry (because after five minutes, you'll be carrying it anyway).
- 1–2 water bottles. It's hot. Like, "why did I brush my hair?" hot.
- Water shoes. Croatian beaches are beautiful… and made entirely of slippery rocks designed to humble tourists.
- Sturdy sandals you can swim in (Keens, Natives, Tevas, Crocs). Some families skipped water shoes entirely and just lived in these.
- UPF clothing.
- Rash guards — the school specifically notes these are hard to find on the island, so bring one per child.
- Hat.
- Sunscreen — reef-safe if you can, to look after the Adriatic. Then reapply. Then reapply again.
- Goggles.
- A plug-in nightlight. The Fontana rooms have no low lighting to leave on at night.
- Snacks. Every. Single. Day.
- Lunch (unless you're buying one).
- A towel. And a packable quick-dry one for the beach.
- A towel for the towel.
Pro tip: Whatever amount of snacks you packed? Double it.
Stock up before the island. Sunscreen is about double the price here — load up on the mainland or at the DM in Stari Grad. And if you're planning to cook, bring your own spices: the markets don't carry much variety.
For meals in the room: a few small Tupperware-type containers (you can grab some at Ribola), ziploc bags, and a reusable grocery bag you can lug all earn their place.
From the school's own kit list: pack everything in a daypack labelled with your child's name, and include any essential medications (e.g. EpiPens). The school provides the field-notes journal. One firm rule — no smart devices (tablets, phones, watches) at school.
✈️ Getting Here: Split Airport → Jelsa
Most families fly into Split Airport (SPU). From there:
- Option A — Uber + catamaran (most popular): Uber from the airport to Split ferry port (~€50, around 25 minutes). Then hop the Krilo or Jadrolinija catamaran to Jelsa — roughly 1 hour 40 minutes, about €10 per adult (kids are cheaper). Check current schedules at krilo.hr or jadrolinija.hr. The Jelsa ferry port is about a 30-minute walk from Fontana, mostly uphill, or ~€15 by taxi.
- Option B — private speedboat: Faros Boats and similar operators offer private transfers direct to Jelsa harbour (around €530–600 for the boat, splits well among families). Fast, door-to-dock, zero connection stress.
- Option C — car ferry: Drive or taxi to Split's Stari Grad-bound car ferry (Jadrolinija). Takes you to Stari Grad, then a ~15-minute taxi or bus to Jelsa. Slower but works well if you're renting a car.
Book catamarans in advance. High season departures (especially direct Jelsa sailings) sell out. There are only a few direct Jelsa sailings a day — missing one means a longer route via Stari Grad.
🧳 Arriving in Jelsa
If you're arriving on the Split → Jelsa catamaran (Krilo or Jadrolinija, roughly 1h 40min, ~€10 per adult — check current schedules at krilo.hr or jadrolinija.hr) and walking to Fontana…
Please learn from our mistakes.
Do NOT blindly follow Google Maps.
Google apparently thinks everyone arriving is training for the Tour de France. It sends you up what locals should honestly rename "The Stairway to Regret." Dragging three suitcases uphill in 90-degree heat is a core memory I never asked for.
Instead, walk along the waterfront. Yes, there are still stairs at the end, but they're the "I can survive this" variety — not the "call an ambulance" variety. Your future self will thank you.
🚕 Taxi
Find Marko. Everyone eventually finds Marko. Marko somehow knows everyone, everything, and probably where your missing water bottle went.
No Uber or ride-sharing on Hvar. The island runs entirely on local taxis. Save Marko's number before you arrive.
⛴️ Ferries
One thing that's easy to underestimate: Hvar Town is not next door.
- 🚗 About 30 minutes by taxi (roughly €65–80)
- 🚌 Bus options are available — see the timetable in the Places tab
Stari Grad is only about 15 minutes away and has many more ferry departures to Split and the mainland. If you're planning trips, check departures from both Jelsa and Stari Grad — you'll have way more options. Jelsa's own sailings are limited (Krilo and Jadrolinija only), so for a return flight it's often easier to catch a ferry from Hvar Town or Stari Grad.
Two things that save headaches: the single most complete ferry timetable parents found is
putovnica.net — most other sites only list part of the schedule. And if you ever miss a Jadrolinija sailing, email them: they've been very good about refunds.
🚗 Cars, ATVs & Boat Trips
For getting around beyond the bus and Marko:
- Cars and ATVs — the easiest option is to hire straight from Fontana reception, which rents both. No need to sort it before you arrive.
- Boat trips — for Zečevo and island-hopping, families work with Mirela Heritage Sail (based in nearby Vrboska) and Vlado Matijević. Taxi Boat Jelsa also runs water-taxi trips for around €15 per person.
Remember there's no Uber or ride-sharing on Hvar — it all runs on local taxis, rentals, and boats, so it's worth lining these up early in the week.
📶 WiFi: A Beautiful Myth
The WiFi at Fontana is a bit like spotting the Loch Ness Monster. People swear they've seen it. Sometimes it appears. Sometimes it vanishes just as you're about to join a Zoom call.
Plan for no WiFi and celebrate if it exists.
Your survival kit:
- A local SIM or eSIM.
- Better yet: Starlink if you're working remotely.
- Request a room near reception where the WiFi is strongest.
If your phone keeps insisting it has "5G" while refusing to load a single webpage, try manually changing your Network Operator. These worked best:
- ✅ Hrvatski Telekom (HT)
- ✅ Telemach (TM)
- A1 worked… if your hobby is watching loading wheels.
Around the apartment we averaged about 60–70 Mbps down and 30–50 Mbps up. The coworking space was roughly twice as fast.
Bonus hack: Bring an old phone with a physical SIM and use it solely as a hotspot. It's cheaper than buying multiple eSIMs and worked brilliantly around the island.
And because we like to look at the glass half full: consider this your opportunity to unplug when the kids are out of school, and condense your work hours to the coworking space when they're in.
School Hours
To dodge the blazing Croatian sun (and so parents can still pretend to work), school runs from 2:00 PM to 9:00 PM.
Yes, you read that correctly.
Your child will be tired. You will be tired. Everyone will question what time it actually is. If your family still believes in naps, now is your moment. Otherwise, embrace your new Mediterranean identity where dinner is at 10:00 PM and nobody is remotely concerned about it.
One piece of advice: do not plan an ambitious morning excursion. "We'll just hike to the fortress before lunch!" is the kind of optimism that ends with three crying children and someone eating emergency gummy bears on a curb by noon.
Amenities
Fontana has a small kids' club and a kids' pool — perfect for a low-key morning that burns off approximately 8% of your child's energy without completely depleting them before school.
There is also an amazing swap table. Forgot water shoes? Need swim goggles? Wondering why you packed seven dinosaur shirts and zero socks? The swap table has your back.
Finding the orientation spot on day one: it's easy to miss. Head to the big building behind the Fontana pool and up to the top floor — there's a staircase in the middle of the building.
Dance Class
Never did I think I would witness something cuter than five children earnestly learning choreography together.
Their teacher, Alisa, is the patron saint of patience, possesses the reflexes of a ninja, and the optimism of someone who willingly teaches small children dance moves. We suspect she was sent directly from heaven.
Junior Guides
Also sent from heaven: the Junior Guides.
They'll be helping the guides, entertaining kids, and somehow maintaining order in situations that should, by all logic, descend into complete chaos. It is also, quite possibly, the most effective birth control program ever created.
Please remember: they are volunteers working full 8-hour days — sometimes without so much as a lunch break while chasing children in every direction. By the time school wraps at 9:00 PM they've given everything they have. They need to eat (genuinely, pack them something — they will eat it), unwind, and sleep. Some don't surface until noon, and honestly, they've earned it.
They are not nannies, and their time outside of school is their own. Please don't ask them for help beyond the school program. They give so much during school hours — let them rest.
🧺 Laundry
Laundry exists.
You can ask for a room with a washer included (dryers do not exist because they would put the sun out of business).
How the wash-and-fold works: there's a service called Bubbles run through Fontana reception. Drop your laundry at reception in a bag with your name on it; it's collected early the next morning for wash, dry and fold, and you meet to collect and pay a day or two later. Roughly €5 per kilogram, payable in cash or by Revolut.
Bring fewer white clothes than you think you need. Children seem magnetically attracted to olives, dirt, gelato, and mystery stains unique to Croatia.
💪 Fitness
If carrying backpacks, scooters, beach toys, and overtired children isn't enough exercise… there's:
- A small gym at Fontana.
- A larger gym at the rowing club where you can even hire a trainer.
Honestly though, walking up the hills in Jelsa with groceries is basically CrossFit.
📅 What's On This Summer
A quick rundown of recurring events and festivals worth knowing about. Dates for most things aren't locked in far ahead — check visitjelsa.hr and visithvar.hr for confirmed times closer to the date.
Sundays & Wednesdays in summer · Jelsa Park
Songs, dancing and games for little ones in the waterfront park, run by the local Carnival Association — a reliable way to burn off the last of their energy before bed. Check the park noticeboard for the start time.
Jelsa Wine Festival
Jelsa
Late August (the last weekend) · Waterfront / Riva
Island wineries line the riva for a weekend of tastings and live music, alongside water polo and rowing competitions, klapa harmony singing, and headline concerts. One of the bigger events of the Jelsa summer — check visitjelsa.hr for the exact dates.
Several evenings through the season · Riva
Organized by local fishermen — grilled sardines, klapa singing, and a proper riva atmosphere. Check the waterfront noticeboard for the next one.
Fishermen's Nights
Vrboska · ~10 min away
Throughout the season · Vrboska harbour
The neighbouring village does its own version: sardines on the grill, klapa, and dancing under the stars on the harbour. A lovely short trip on a summer evening.
Stari Grad Summer Festival
Stari Grad · ~15 min away
July – August · Town center
Music, theatre, and dance performances spread through Stari Grad's old-town squares, plus exhibitions of local art and crafts. Also runs open-air cinema nights through the summer.
Hvar Summer Festival
Hvar Town · ~30 min by taxi
June 21 – September · Arsenal & Pjaca
Running since 1961 — open-air theater, classical concerts, and opera at the 17th-century Arsenal (shows start at 9 PM once the heat eases). July highlights in 2026: pianist Jan Niković at the Loggia (July 16) and a surprise concert on Galešnik Island (July 18, 9:30 PM). Full programme at hvarsummerfestival.hr.
Lavender in bloom
Island-wide
Mid–late July · fields around the island
If you're here in July, the lavender fields are worth a short drive. There's one near Jelsa with the much-photographed "Lavanda Hvar" swing seat. Mid-to-late July is peak bloom.
🎂 Birthdays
If there's a birthday during your stay, there's a local baker, Marina Duboković, who makes lovely custom cakes — generous with the frosting, and happy to do colours and themes on request. Ask in the parents' group for her contact.
🦎 A Word on the Local Wildlife
If you've got a bug-phobic kid, a quick reassurance: the little creatures around Fontana are harmless and mostly helpful. The geckos and wall lizards are on your side — they eat the bugs you don't want and have zero interest in your food. Earthworms keep the dense island soil alive. Millipedes are only objectionable if you squish one (so don't). And after dark, look closely at the shaded rock walls along the Fontana footpaths — you may spot a glow-worm or two lit up like tiny lanterns.
❤️ Final Thoughts
Part of the beauty of travel — and probably why you signed up for this whole adventure — is that it forces you out of your comfort zone. Things might not be exactly like home. They may not have your beloved coffee maker, your perfectly broken-in Tempur-Pedic pillow, or that one oddly specific kitchen utensil you swear you can't live without.
Spoiler alert: you can.
You might discover a tiny café that makes the best coffee you've ever had, fall asleep to the sound of crickets instead of white noise, or simply gain a whole new appreciation for your own bed when you get home. It's a win either way.
Travel has a funny way of stretching you. You'll get lost (probably literally), figure things out, laugh at the chaos, and make memories that somehow become your favorite stories. And the best part? You'll watch your kids become more adventurous, more independent, and more confident — usually about five minutes after insisting they were absolutely, positively not getting into the Adriatic because "it's too cold." Or that they could never walk up the hill because it's "too long" (tip: make it a treasure hunt).
You'll all come home a little saltier, a little sweatier, a little more tired… and a whole lot bigger on the inside.
And somewhere between the lavender fields, crystal-clear water, ferry rides, and watching your kids come home sun-kissed, salty, and completely exhausted…
You'll realize you'd happily do it all again.
(Although maybe next time you'll pack one less stuffed animal.)