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Five-star One MICHELIN Key St Stephen's Square, Hvar town, Hvar

Palace Elisabeth Hvar Hotel

A palace on St Stephen's Square, a few steps from the harbour, opened as a spa hotel in 1899 with money from Empress Elisabeth of Austria and reopened with 45 rooms in 2019.

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Opens the hotel's own website. We have no arrangement with the hotel.

MICHELIN
One Key, 2026
Rooms
45 rooms and suites
Opened
1899, renovated in 2019
From the airport
Split, then about an hour by boat

The hotel

The Empress's hotel on the square.

A ducal palace stood here under Venetian rule from the thirteenth century. In 1868 the Hygienic Society of Hvar set out to bring visitors to the island for their health, and a donation from Empress Elisabeth of Austria paid for a hotel on the old site. Designed by the Viennese architect Bernard Schwarz, it opened in 1899 as the Cur-hotel Kaiserin Elisabeth. A stone lion dated 1462 still guards the entrance.

Sunčani Hvar spent two years on a renovation that ended in 2019, bringing the room count down from 73 to 45 and returning the house to its first name. Otto Blaha did the interiors and painted some of the restaurant walls himself. The windows look over St Stephen's Square, the harbour and the Pakleni Islands beyond. Most rooms have a balcony, and the hotel joined The Leading Hotels of the World in the year it reopened.

  • On the main square The front door opens onto St Stephen's Square, with the harbour, the Franciscan monastery and the public theatre of 1612 close by.
  • Spa and indoor pool Treatment rooms, a Turkish bath, a sauna and an indoor pool, with a 24-hour gym in the basement built around a Venetian-era well.
  • Out to the islands Water taxis leave the harbour for the Pakleni Islands, ten to twenty minutes away, and the hotel can charter a Pardo GT52 for the day.

Rooms & suites

Murals, marble and the harbour.

Most of the 45 rooms and suites look over the harbour or the square, with murals of Hvar motifs painted by hand and marble bathrooms.

  • Rooms Sea View Rooms Rooms in blues, greys and whites, many with a balcony over the harbour or the square.
  • Suites Deluxe Sea View Suites Suites with private terraces looking over the marina.
  • At the top Penthouse Sea View Balcony Suite On the top floor of the building, with a balcony over the town and the sea.

Dining

A terrace over the square.

Venues as listed by the hotel and in published reviews. Shown for information.

  • San Marco Mediterranean, fish and seafood The main restaurant, on a terrace over the town and the Adriatic
  • The Bar Cocktails, Croatian and international wines Open in the evening, with a view of the harbour
  • Cigar Lounge Cigars and spirits A low-lit room inside the palace

Recognition

Listings.

  • One MICHELIN Key 2026, after two Keys in 2025
  • The Leading Hotels of the World Member since 2019
  • Virtuoso Member hotel

Good to know

Before you go.

  • Arrival Check-in from 3 pm, check-out by 11 am.
  • Children Welcome at any age. Under-threes stay free in an existing bed.
  • Pets Accepted, with a charge.
  • Parking There is no parking at the hotel.

Getting there

Flying to Hvar.

Hvar has no airport, so scheduled flights and private jets both land at Split. From Split port the fast boats reach Hvar town in about an hour, and the drive from the airport to the port takes around half an hour, our estimate. The hotel can book transfers, including a private yacht from Split.

Business & First Class Airline flights In summer British Airways, Lufthansa, Air France, Edelweiss and KLM fly direct to Split, and United from Newark; Croatia Airlines flies all year. From the port, the fast boats to Hvar town take 55 to 65 minutes. Request a fare Private Jet Private flights Business jets land at Split, where the airport handles general aviation and summer slots and parking are limited. A small airfield in the Stari Grad Plain takes only light aircraft with up to six passengers, so the island is best reached by boat from the mainland. Request a jet
Approximate flying time by midsize jet to Hvar
  • Rome 50 min
  • Milan 1 h 05
  • Geneva 1 h 30
  • Paris 1 h 55
  • London 2 h 20

Questions

What guests ask first.

How many MICHELIN Keys does Palace Elisabeth have?
One, in the 2026 selection. It held two Keys in 2025, and the hotel's own website still shows that count.
How do we get to Palace Elisabeth from the airport?
Fly to Split, then take a boat across to Hvar town, about an hour from Split port. The hotel stands on the main square, a short walk from where the boats come in.
Does the hotel have a pool?
Yes. There is an indoor pool in the spa, along with a Turkish bath and a sauna.
Can SkyCourtage arrange the flight to Hvar?
Yes. We arrange Business and First Class seats on scheduled airlines and private jet charter to Hvar, with one final price, our margin included. The hotel is booked with the hotel or through our booking partner.

Also in Hvar

Other hotels worth the trip.

All of Hvar

Staying at Palace Elisabeth Hvar Hotel?

Book the room, then the flight.

Rates and availability come from the hotel itself. For the journey to Hvar, a Business or First Class seat or an aircraft of your own: tell us the date and we come back with one final price, our margin included.

Book with the hotel for Palace Elisabeth Hvar Hotel (opens in a new tab)
Business & First Private Jet

Opens the hotel's own website. We have no arrangement with the hotel.