chilloutlogoSenj Panorama

Senj, town in Croatia on Adriatic coast.

Why would you want to go there?

Most tourists come during the summer months for a regular beach holiday, but there is more to Senj than just the sea. 
While Senj has been occupied from ancient pre-Roman times, during all this time it did not grow too much, which for a visitor today still leaves pristine beaches and glorious mountains at the back, to catch a  glimpse of the Mediterranean as it once was.
Even though it is small the town offers all the regular amenities, a big supermarket, plenty of restaurants and other small shops that you would need to stay for whole year and not just a few weeks if you chose to do so, so it is not exactly a trip into the wilderness, but more a base for the nearby trip to the nature, be it for swimming during the summer, hiking during Spring/Autumn or even winter sports during Winter.

How to get here:

The easiest is either to get here by car, or fly in and rent a car, as you will most likely need a car to get around.
The airports within reasonable distance are Rijeka (45min - 1hr drive), Zagreb, Zadar (1.5-2 hr drive), Pula, Ljubljana, Trieste (2-2.5 hr drive).
By car you can use Google maps from the destination of your choice, but in general if coming from the A1 motorway, you want to take the exit at "Zuta Lokva", but Senj is well marked on the junction so it should not be too hard to get it right.

Where to stay:

There are two hotels in Senj itself, and a lot of people are offering private apartment accommodation in the town, as this is the primary summer occupation for the residents.
The hotels are xxxx  and yyyy, while for the availability of private apartments you can check with local agencies situated in the town centre once you arrive in the town.

Restaurants:

Like any Mediterranean town Senj has plenty of places to go out and eat, virtually on every corner in the town centre, with a few more added on the main "magistrala" road which goes through the town.
Some of the best visible coming from Rijeka direction by car are "Zagreb", "Konoba Val" and "Martina", while a host of restaurants is situated in the town centre, most visible of them being "Kresimir".

Town activities:

During the summer there is a regular festival going, at the beginning of August, but there are regularly some events so if you see a crowd blocking the street, feel free to join and try to find out what is it all about.
Town beach is easily accessible and on the days when you just want to relax this is a close point for a quick swim, few restaurants on the beach, and showers ready for you.
The town itself is old, it was pretty important in the past at certain points like during the Roman times, and during 17th and 18th century, so from all the history you can get to understand  more of it in the town museum.
There is also the church from the old bishophoric, which was the first one in the world to hold Catholic liturgy in the local language ( 1248).
You can take a short walk through the old town streets, see a few restaurants, and take a look at the old city walls, the old town is populated, some buildings may be in the state of disrepair, but it is all very much alive and full of people at all times of the year.
Overlooking the town is its landmark, the fort "Nehaj" which was built to resist the Ottoman Empire push into Europe during the 16th century and later.  It was never conquered, so it is also in quite a good condition for visitors today.
You can easily spend a pleasant afternoon walking around the fort, and enjoying the view from the top, ending with a good dinner in the fort restaurant.

Nearby places of interest

Camping Sites:

If you are into camping Senj itself offers a camp in the next to the city beach, but in addition there are a few nearby camps out of town on both sides coming from Rijeka direction, and also going further south.

National Parks

There are three national parks which are reasonable driving distance (1-2 hours) from Senj, and a further three are about 3 hrs drive away.

Nearby Towns

Novi Vinodolski
Crikvenica

Nearby Places

Lukovo
Doljnja Klada
Starigrad near Senj

Nearby Islands

Island Krk
island Rab
Island Pag

Further away Towns

Karlobag ( 70km - 1hr drive)
Kraljevica
Rijeka ( 70 km - 1hr drive)

Climate

Mediterranean with a touch of continental
Summers:
Mainly hot and dry, about 30 degrees average
Spring/Autumn
Mild, and about 5-10 days a month with rain. Generally between 15-25 degrees with cold swing possible towards the winter, and hot ones towards the summer
Winter
Cold, Temperatures can go below zero, it can even snow, but there are also warmer days with temperature between 10-20 degrees, which can be very pleasant

More Info

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