The catchy rhyming title is really a fraud because Vis is pronounced vees, but I couldn’t resist it. The thought was inspired by the first thing that strikes you about Vis on arrival: it is so much quieter than most other Croatian islands. The waterfront can be negotiated without elbowing through crowds, and the backstreets are practically deserted.
There are several reasons for this. Firstly, tourism came late to Vis. When the island was part of the former Yugoslavia, foreigners weren’t allowed to go there because it was used as a naval base. It was only opened to visitors when the base was closed in 1989, but the civil wars of independence started two years later so that slowed things down a bit for the rest of that decade.
Secondly, during the long and turbulent history of Vis, many of its inhabitants left the island in search of a better life, and today the entire island has a population of only around 5,000 people.
And thirdly, Vis is relatively isolated being the most westerly of the populated Croatian islands at about 60 kilometres from the mainland. The Jadrolinija car ferry from Split is the only regular service to Vis.
There are two principal centres on the island, the main town of Vis itself where these photos were taken, and the town of Komiza, as well as a number of smaller settlements.
In recent years Vis has become a little better known as one of the filming locations for Mamma Mia! Here we Go Again, the rather silly sequel to the first Mamma Mia film. Vis played the role of a Greek island, so that says something about its beauty.
The island also produces some of Croatia’s most exclusive wines including Plavac, a robust red, and Vugava, a white grape variety sometimes compared to Viognier.
So if you want to stay somewhere in this region that’s far from the madding crowds, go to Vis. There is a limited choice of hotels but one you might want to check out is the Hotel San Giorgio. Enough said, don’t want to spoil the well-kept secret that is Vis!
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