Island Hvar
In 1997 it has been chosen by the “Traveller Magazine” as one of the ten most beautiful islands in the world. Hvar is also known as the “Madeira of the Adriatic”. In average you may enjoy 2.715 hours of sunshine a year, what makes Hvar sunnyest island on the Adriatic coast. During winter, Hvar has an average temperature of 9°C while in summer average temperature is 25°C.
In the heart of beatiful island Hvar lies Jelsa, surrounded by pine woods and beautiful beaches.
It used to be one of the most significant maritime, shipbuilding and trade centers of the Adriatic, starting point for ocean-going sailing vessels carrying best wines of Hvar, olive oil and salted fish. It was a homeland of many famous captains and seamen. As a small town and port it was first mentioned in 14th century, but discoveries from the Neolithic, the Roman and the Illyrian times testify how old the history of the island actually is…
Dense pine woods, beautiful sandy beaches, vineyards and olive groves make Jelsa particularly attractive. Gastronomic offer of traditional dishes, top-quality wines, beauty of the town, position, are attributes which make Jelsa one of the favorite destinations of many tourists…
Hvar is the second biggest Croatian island in the Adriatic Sea and the longest one. The eastern promontory of Hvar is only 4.5 km away from the mainland, while the western one faces the open sea. It is 67,5 km long and a maximum of 10,5 km in width. Highest peak is St.Nicola which is 626 m high…
There are 11,459 inhabitants on Hvar. Innumerable lavender fields, olive plantations and wine yards cover it. The islanders make their living mostly of tourism, viticulture, olive growing and above all, growing of rosemary and lavender, and fishing…
Jelsa is situated in the middle of the north coast of the island of Hvar, about 28 km from Hvar town. The settlement is concentrated by the sea while the hinterland is surrounded by dense pine woods on the sloping hills of the island’s ridge. Jelsa is the only place on the island with an abundance of fresh water, which is the cause of more luxuriant vegetation than in the other areas of the island. Entering Jelsa by road one passes through the alley of poplars that leads into the town park of lush vegetation, which is a certain surprise and very much a rarity in a distinctly stony area. At first sight Jelsa appears to be a relatively new town with 19th century characteristics in its urban and architectural sense. However, one gradually discovers later on that it is an old town with a history dating back to ancient times.
Tightly packed around the picturesque square, which reaches the waterfront, and in its trapezoid form approaches the churches of St. Fabian and Sebastian, the town branches off into a labyrinth of small streets, ruled by a small square with the small church of St. John, which, like the town of Jelsa itself, has been through many reconstructions. Consequently, the town of Jelsa has been always featured by the quality of adapting itself to the changes. Once the town of seamen and wine, nowadays it is the town of tourism. One of the windows of the island is open towards the inquisitive world that is coming to visit it.
On both sides of the harbor there are wooded coves ideal for relaxation and swimming. The picturesque ness of the landscape and the wooded coves with rock and sand beaches are a permanent reason to vacation in Jelsa again and again.