The narrow harbour
A gap between two rocks with an enclosed basin behind.
Sti2 — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Falk2 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Falk2 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Falk2 — CC BY-SA 4.0
A small town around **a very narrow harbour** — an opening only tens of metres wide between two rocks, with a fully sheltered basin behind it. The shape is unusual and deliberate: an all but enclosed port. Its name means «big Lošinj», and it genuinely was the larger before Mali overtook it in the nineteenth century. Above the harbour stands the baroque **church of St Anthony** with its pink front and tower — larger than the town''s size warrants, built with sea captains'' money, like the houses of Mali Lošinj. On the headland is the round fifteenth-century **Venetian tower**, built against pirates. The town holds the **Ausonia centre** for the care of dolphins and sea turtles — Lošinj is home to the most important resident population of **bottlenose dolphins** in the Adriatic, studied here since the 1990s. Note: **the lanes are stepped and very steep**, climbing from the harbour. Note: the walk from Mali Lošinj along the coastal path takes about an hour and is one of the best things on the island.
A gap between two rocks with an enclosed basin behind.
A pink front and tower, built with captains'' money.
A level hour along the coast, the island''s finest walk.
Veli Lošinj — about 4 km south-east of Mali Lošinj
Yes, but **with no guarantee** — which matters, because some operators market «dolphin-watching trips» that imply otherwise. Around Lošinj and Cres there is a **resident** population of bottlenose dolphins estimated at about **two hundred animals**, the most important in the Adriatic, monitored scientifically since 1987 by identifying individuals from their fins. The chance of a sighting on a summer boat trip is reasonable but not assured. ⚠ **Croatian law protects the dolphins**, sets a minimum approach distance and forbids chasing them or deliberately swimming with them — any trip promising to swim with dolphins **is breaking the law**; do not book it. ⚠ The better option is a trip run by the **Blue World Institute** or an accredited operator, which explains the monitoring and helps fund it.
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