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Senj: what to see, where to stay and how to get around

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For most of the 16th century Senj was the base of the Uskoks, refugees from the Ottoman advance who became the Habsburg frontier guard on the sea. They raided Ottoman land and, more and more, Venetian ships, until Venice went to war over them. This walk crosses the small old town from the square to the fortress they held. About an hour and a half; the last climb to Nehaj is short but steep.

Senj

A short history of Senj

Senj is one of the oldest towns on the Adriatic coast, and in the Roman period it was called Senia. In the 16th century, as the Ottomans advanced in the Balkans, the Uskoks settled here, refugees and fighters who fought the Turks and at the same time raided Venetian ships. In 1558 the Nehaj Fortress on the hill was completed, built from the stones of churches and houses demolished outside the walls. In 1494 a missal in the Glagolitic script was printed in Senj, one of the first books printed in Croatia. After a war between Venice and the Habsburgs that ended in 1617, the Uskoks were expelled from the town. The strong north wind, the bora, blows here more fiercely than anywhere else on the coast.

The ten best sights in Senj

  1. Nehaj Fortress
    1
    Nehaj Fortress

    The square stone fort above town; climb to the roof for the whole Velebit channel

  2. Cathedral of the Assumption
    2
    Cathedral of the Assumption

    The bishop's church in the middle of the old town, two minutes from the square

  3. Senj City Museum
    3
    Senj City Museum

    The place to see what Glagolitic script looks like and why Senj printed books in it

  4. Velika vrata
    4
    Velika vrata

    The old main gate onto the square; the walk into the lanes starts here

  5. Kampor Memorial
    5
    Kampor Memorial

    Site of the Italian camp on Rab where Jews were held in 1943; reached by the Stinica ferry

  6. Trg Cilnica
    6
    Trg Cilnica

    The square everyone meets on; park nearby and walk everything else

  7. Glavna riva
    7
    Glavna riva

    Harbour front with cafés; on a bura day hold on to your hat

  8. Spasovac beach
    8
    Spasovac beach

    Pebble beach two kilometres south, the closest swim to town

  9. 9
    Vratnik pass

    The old road climbs here from the sea in hairpins; pull over for the view back

  10. Zavižan
    10
    Zavižan

    Mountain hut, weather station and the start of the Velebit trails; the road is gravel at the end

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Tours in Senj →

A guide in your headphones: open the walk on our site, walk from stop to stop, and at each one your phone tells its story. No guide, no group, and free. This is the first walk in Senj:

The Uskok town

Free walking tours in Senj

The Uskok town

For most of the 16th century Senj was the base of the Uskoks, refugees from the Ottoman advance who became the Habsburg frontier guard on the sea. They raided Ottoman land and, more and more, Venetian ships, until Venice went to war over them. This walk crosses the small old town from the square to the fortress they held. About an hour and a half; the last climb to Nehaj is short but steep.

  1. Trg Cilnica · This is the stage of the Senj Summer Carnival, held every August, when masked groups parade through the old town. Start here and the rest of the town is a few minutes in any direction.
  2. Velika vrata · Senj is far older than its walls: it was the Roman port of Senia, where a road from the interior came down to the sea. The town has kept that role ever since, as the shortest way from the inland plains to the coast.
  3. Cathedral of the Assumption · Senj has been the seat of a bishop since the Middle Ages. The cathedral has been rebuilt many times, most recently after the bombing of the Second World War, which destroyed much of the town.
  4. Senj City Museum · In 1494 a press in Senj printed a missal in Glagolitic, the old Slavic alphabet of the Croatian church. It was one of the earliest books printed anywhere in Croatia, and the museum tells the story of the town's printers.
  5. Glavna riva · The bura, a cold north-easterly that falls off the Velebit, is famously strong at Senj; in winter it can stop traffic on the coast road and close the bridges. On a calm summer evening it is hard to believe.
  6. Nehaj Fortress · The Habsburg captain Ivan Lenković built it in 1558 on the hill above town, using stone from churches and houses outside the walls that he pulled down. Its name means roughly "fear not". After the Uskok War ended in 1617 the Uskoks were moved inland, and the fortress now holds a small museum about them.

Up the Velebit

The Velebit is the limestone wall that rises straight behind Senj, the longest mountain range in Croatia, bare on the sea side and forested on top. The northern part is a national park. This drive climbs from the coast to the high meadows of Zavižan and comes down through the villages of Lika. Count on a full day; the last stretch to Zavižan is gravel, and it can be cold up there even in July.

  1. Vratnik pass · The road through here is the Josephina, the carriage road from Karlovac to Senj finished in 1779 and named after Emperor Joseph II. For a century it carried the grain of the Pannonian plain down to the port.
  2. Krasno · Krasno is the village where the Northern Velebit National Park has its office, and the place to pick up maps and ask about the road up. It is also a pilgrimage village with a church of the Virgin.
  3. Zavižan · The weather station at Zavižan, at about 1,594 metres, is the highest staffed one in Croatia, and its keepers also run the mountain hut. The view on a clear day reaches over the islands to Istria.
  4. Velebit Botanical Garden · The botanist Fran Kušan founded the garden in 1967 to gather the mountain's plants in one place, including the Velebit degenia, a small yellow flower that grows wild nowhere else in the world.
  5. Premužić Trail · Forester Ante Premužić built this 57 km path along the crest between 1930 and 1933, laying it in dry stone so that it barely climbs. An hour on it from Zavižan gives the best of the karst for little effort.
  6. Kuterevo Bear Refuge · Volunteers in this village have taken in orphaned brown bear cubs since 2002; the bears cannot go back to the wild, so they live out their lives here in large forest enclosures.

Across to Rab

South of Senj the coast road runs under the bare Velebit, with a village every few bays and the islands of Rab and Pag across the channel. A short ferry from Stinica puts you on Rab, an island of pine woods and an old stone town. On Rab there is also a harder story: the Italian camp at Kampor, where Jews were held in 1943. A long half day with the crossing; check ferry times in season.

  1. Sveti Juraj · A harbour village 7 km south, built where the Roman settlement of Lopsica stood. It is the first quiet swim on the way down the coast.
  2. Jablanac · For decades the Rab ferry left from this tiny harbour, until the new port at Stinica just north took over. The village stayed small, and the path to Zavratnica starts at its edge.
  3. Zavratnica · In 1944 Allied aircraft sank a German landing craft in this narrow cove, and the wreck still lies in shallow water near the shore, visible with a snorkel. The cove has been a protected landscape since 1964.
  4. Stinica ferry port · The crossing to Mišnjak on Rab takes about a quarter of an hour, and in summer boats run often. Arriving early in the morning avoids the queue of cars.
  5. Rab town · The town sits on a narrow ridge with four bell towers in a line along it, the tallest belonging to the cathedral. Rab cake, an almond and marzipan pastry, is the local sweet sold in the lanes.
  6. Kampor Memorial · In 1942 Italy opened a camp at Kampor for Slovenes and Croats, and in 1943 it also held Jews from the Italian-occupied Adriatic coast. When Italy surrendered in September 1943 the prisoners were freed, and young Jewish men formed the Rab Battalion that joined the Partisans. The cemetery and memorial were designed by the architect Edvard Ravnikar.
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Getting to Senj and getting around

  • Rijeka Airport · On the island of Krk, about 45 minutes north over the Krk bridge; mostly summer flights
  • Stinica ferry port · Car ferry to Mišnjak on Rab, about 15 minutes over the water; 30 minutes south of Senj

Cheap eats in Senj

Senj is a working coastal town, not a resort, and food here is simple: bakery burek in the morning, fish or grilled meat in the evening. Croatia uses the euro, and prices are well below the islands. Up on the Velebit and in Lika there is almost nothing open, so take bread and something to drink from town before driving up.

  • Mivit bakery · Burek and filled rolls from the counter, about 2-4 euros
  • Senia bakery · Bread, pastries and coffee on the harbour, about 1-3 euros
  • Pizzeria King · Pizza by the square, about 8-12 euros
  • Caffe Fontana · Coffee on Trg Dvorac, about 1.5-2 euros
  • Caffe Bar Nehaj · Espresso near the harbour before the fortress climb, about 1.5-2 euros

Museums in Senj

  • Senj City Museum · Glagolitic printing, Uskoks and the town's sea trade
  • Nehaj Fortress · Uskok museum inside and a roof with the best view in town
  • Cathedral of the Assumption · Bishop's church of the old town; modest dress
  • Kampor Memorial · Camp memorial and cemetery on Rab; a quiet, serious place

Nature and day trips near Senj

  • Zavižan · Hut, weather station and high meadows; gravel road at the end
  • Velebit Botanical Garden · Mountain flowers in a sinkhole, best June-July
  • Premužić Trail · A level stone trail along the crest; walk an hour and turn back
  • Zavratnica · A narrow cove with clear water, 20 minutes on foot from Jablanac
  • Spasovac beach · Pebbles and clear water close to town

Things to do in Senj with kids

  • Kuterevo Bear Refuge · Real bears up close, and a village that lives with them
  • Zavratnica wreck · A WWII wreck in shallow water; bring a snorkel
  • Nehaj Fortress · Stairs, cannons and a roof to run around on
  • Spasovac beach · Shallow pebbly entry, water shoes help

Where to eat in Senj

  • Konoba Lavlji Dvor · Old-town konoba; fish and grills
  • Starigrad · Restaurant in the lanes near the square
  • Kod tri mornara · "At the three sailors", by the harbour
  • Konoba Tvrdava Nehay · Dinner at the foot of the fortress
  • Ad Astra · Restaurant on Ulica Potok in the centre
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Frequently asked questions about Senj

What is there to see in Senj?

The top sights in Senj are Nehaj Fortress, Cathedral of the Assumption and Senj City Museum. The full list on this page has 10 sights, each with a photo and a short note.

How many days do you need in Senj?

Three to four days are enough to see the best of Senj without rushing, including at least one walking tour.

Is there a free walking tour in Senj?

Yes. sleepntrip has 3 free audio walks in Senj, with no guide and no group: your phone tells the story at every stop. The first one: The Uskok town.

How do you get to Senj and get around?

The main ways are Rijeka Airport and Stinica ferry port. Full details are in the transport section on this page.

Where to stay in Senj, and for how much?

sleepntrip shows only rooms in Senj that meet nine conditions: a good location, high guest scores, cleanliness, and a price of up to $80 a night for two. Pick your dates and see what is free.

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