Velo Grablje and the Gully to Malo Grablje and Milna

What it is

Velo Grablje is a stone village in an inland hollow, above Hvar town, on the old road to Stari Grad. It takes its name from the hornbeam (grab) and already appears in the Hvar statute of 1609. In the mid-20th century it was the centre of the island's lavender, when Hvar became one of Europe's great producers of essential oil; almost every family grew and distilled it. Today about twenty people live there, but the terraces, the houses and the cooperative still stand.

From the village, a path descends the valley floor to Malo Grablje, its abandoned neighbour, and continues to the cove of Milna, on the south coast. It is a walk of one or two hours, mostly downhill, among dry-stone walls, olive trees and lavender.

The walk, step by step

1. Velo Grablje. Wander round the village: the church of Saints Cosmas and Damian, the terraced houses and the cooperative building (Zadruga), where the harvest was gathered.
2. Towards Malo Grablje. The path descends the valley, below Mount Matokit. Terraces of lavender and olive alternate with scrub.
3. Malo Grablje. A compact village of one- and two-storey stone houses, stepped like an amphitheatre towards the bottom of the hollow. Its inhabitants moved down to the coast and since the 1971 census nobody lives there. You can still make out the square in front of the church of St Theodore, the cistern, the cooperative, the oil mill and the rosemary distillery. It is protected as a historic ensemble.
4. Milna. The path comes out at Milna bay, on the south coast, where you can swim at the end.

How to get back

The walk is linear. From Milna you can walk back the same way, uphill, or order a taxi to Hvar town. If you go by car, the simplest is to leave it at Velo Grablje, walk down and climb back up: allow double the time for the return.

Lavender and festival

The lavender begins to flower in June and peaks between late June and early July; the cutting and distilling are in July. Every summer, since 2009, the village celebrates the Lavender Festival, with traditional cutting, distilling demonstrations, a market of local products, workshops, exhibitions and concerts. In 2025, the 17th edition was from 3 to 5 July, with all activities free and a free minibus from Hvar town and from Stari Grad. The 2026 dates are not published on the Hvar Tourism website: check in spring.

Guided visit

Hvar Tourism organises a free guided visit to the village, Velo Grablje, an ethnographic village in the heart of the lavender, on Fridays at 10:30. It lasts an hour, no booking is needed and it leaves from in front of the cooperative. Confirm it is still running in the season you go.

When to go

In June and July for the lavender; in spring and autumn for walking in the cool. In high summer set out early: there is little shade on the way down.

With children

It is a good walk with children who already walk: short, downhill and with an abandoned village to explore midway. Watch them in Malo Grablje: some houses are in ruins and must not be entered. The climb back is the hard part.

Where to eat

In Velo Grablje is Konoba Zbondini, a family tavern serving peka and chargrilled lamb. If you prefer to pedal, the bike route through Brusje and Malo Grablje passes through the same villages.