Jelsa Harbour and Riva

The heart of town is the small harbour and its stone promenade, the Riva, shaded by pine trees and lined with the café chairs that are the default living room of every Dalmatian coastal town. Fishing boats bob alongside pleasure craft; old men play cards in the shade; and the evening korzo — the traditional slow evening promenade that Croatians treat as a serious social institution — brings the whole village out to walk and watch. It is pleasingly unhurried compared to the scene in Hvar Town, 30 km along the coast.

The harbour is framed by a 16th-century fortified loggia and the tower of St John's Church, and there is a small Gothic Renaissance chapel of the Holy Ghost built into the harbour wall itself. Swimming directly off the promenade is possible but the best spots are the coves to the east and west of the bay, reachable on foot or by small boat.

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