The existence of prehistoric life on Hvar is confirmed by many archaeological finds. Three kilometres to the east of Hvar Town, there is Markova spilja (cave) with some ten metre high archaeological layers from the beginning of the Early Stone Age to classical times. A well developed Illyrian settlement was built above the present-day town on the site of the Venetian fortress at Vela Glava, to the north-east of the town. Tens of tumuli were found above the bay of Vira, the north port of the settlement of the same name whose origin is unknown.

Some archaeologists suppose that a still unidentified Heraklea might have existed on the site of present-day Hvar Town, as could be indicated by the coins found bearing the name of that town from the end of the 4th century BC. Taking into consideration that many Greek coins with the letters DI, DIM, Dim(os) have been found in the surroundings of Hvar Town, it is thought that a somewhat newer emporium might have used this name and that letters indicated some local dynast. A further group of coins bears the name of another enigmatic personality, Ballaios, from the first half of the 2nd century BC (basileos - king).

The archaeological excavations to the south of the Arsenal, at Burak, on the north-east slope of the hill Glavica and in the port itself reveal a large perimeter of a late-classical civitas (6th to 4th Cs BC) Its wall started at the south side of the Pjaca and went along the south side of the Arsenal.

The present town walls were completed in 1450, while the southern suburb, Burak, and the Pjaca with its cathedral have remained outside their protection. A staircase descends towards the Fortica through the main town gate: Porta del datolo, so called because of the tall palm-tree planted in front of the town walls as early as the 15th century, according to documentary evidence. Equally picturesque is the south gate of St. Mary (1494), leading to the Bishop's Residence, which was reconstructed under the initiative of the poet Gazarović in 1625. The Fortress above the town was built at the beginning of the 16th century, but was damaged by an explosion of gun-powder in 1579. It is used to-day as a tourist panoramic view and it houses a collection of amphorae.