The fishing museum
Inside the Venetian castle, with an original falkuša.
ModriDirkac — CC BY-SA 4.0 · dronepicr — CC BY 2.0 · Thesatirechap — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Unknown authorUnknown author — CC BY-SA 3.0 hr
The fishing town on the western coast, and markedly different from Vis town: tighter, steeper and more enclosed — stone houses packed up the slope straight from the water. Komiža was historically the **sardine-fishing capital** of the Adriatic. Its fishermen developed a boat of their own, the **falkuša** — an open sailing boat built to reach the distant island of **Palagruža** (some 65 km out to sea) and return loaded. In the nineteenth century many of its people emigrated to **California**, where they founded the sardine industry at **San Pedro** and Monterey — the industry Steinbeck later wrote about. The connection is still live and Komiža families have relatives there. On the waterfront stands a sixteenth-century **Venetian castle** (the Kaštel) holding the **fishing museum**, with an original falkuša inside. Above the town is the fortified **Muster monastery**, and the best view over it. Note: the boats to the **Blue Cave** on Biševo leave from Komiža — that cave already has a page on this site, filed under Split.
Inside the Venetian castle, with an original falkuša.
Fortified above the town, with the best view over it.
Packed houses climbing straight up from the water.
Komiža — about 10 km west of Vis town
**Vis town** is the ferry port, so you arrive directly with no onward transport. Its bay is wide and open, the town is flat and easy to walk, and it has more restaurants. **Komiža** is on the far side of the mountain (20 minutes by car on a narrow road), tighter, steeper and prettier, and its sunset is straight out to sea while Vis faces east. The Blue Cave trips leave from it. ⚠ The practical rule: **without a car → Vis town**, since buses between the two are few and stop early. **With a car and wanting the prettier one → Komiža**. ⚠ The island is small either way, so moving between them is easy.
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