The charming small resort of Jelsa, in my opinion, has everything one needs for a holiday. You'll find good restaurants, pleasant cafes, some ice cream, and for children, there's a playground and trampolines in the park. By the harbor, there are stalls offering local products, and along the main road, there are various small shops. In the town, there are smaller grocery stores, and outside the town, there's a large shopping center. The pleasant sandy beach in Mina Bay will delight not only small children. There's real sand for building sandcastles, and the entire bay is very shallow.
Whoever likes to take a walk after dinner can try the promenade along the sea all the way to Vrboska. In the opposite direction from the town, a path leads to the ruins of the old town and further on to Mina Bay, or even further to Grebišće beach and much further along the sea. The walk to Mina Bay is very pleasant.
Along the way, you will pass by the Gradina peninsula, where you can pleasantly extend your walk. You will see the remains of the walls of the old ancient city – Civitas Vetus Ielsae. Today, only a part of the western defensive wall is visible, but the entire wall was 172 m long and up to 3 m high. In Roman times, the Gradina peninsula was a castrum – a Roman military camp. In the 17th century, an Augustinian monastery was built on the peninsula, of which only the church and bell tower have survived to this day. Later, a cemetery was established around it.
Present-day Jelsa originated in the Middle Ages as the port of the inland village of Pitve. Similarly, Vrboska originally developed as the port of the inland village of Vrbanj. Jelsa is the only place on the island with its own source of drinking water. In the middle of Pjaca square, there is a fountain with this spring, which is called Slatina. Mentions of the spring's existence date back to antiquity.
Jelsa was even visited by the famous traveler and explorer Sir Richard Burton in 1875. He also visited the nearby fortified Tor from the 4th century BC.
What I like most about Jelsa is Trg Sv. Ivana with its small chapel. The square and the streets around it were built from the 15th to the 17th century. This part of Jelsa charmed me the most; my daughter and I love to wander aimlessly through the surrounding streets here.
When we were moving from the western part of the island to the eastern part, we went for a swim in Mina Bay. And it was a great choice. The beach is really pleasant, and the children had a perfect time building various sand structures. Near the beach, there's a small parking lot, toilets, a restaurant, and a bit further towards the center of Jelsa, there's a campsite and a few stalls.
Jelsa simply captivated us, and we will definitely return there. Hopefully for a longer stay this time.
