TravelerKaren

I'm re-looking at our itinerary and we had thought of stopping for 2 nights in Zadar. We had thought of leaving Split and going to Krka National Park and then stopping at Sibenik on the way to Zadar, staying there 2 nights before driving to Plitvice. I'm thinking of dropping the 2nd night (even though I hate one nighters). Would you stay in Sibenik or Zadar en route to Plitvice? Is Zadar worth a full day if we stay there 2 nights or would you just stay in Sibenik before going to Plitvice?

wunderbar2

We haven't been to Sibenik so this is one sided but we were in Zadar in April, it's a beautiful town on the water. IMHO i think it would be nice to have 2 nights and a full day in Zadar . It has some quite impressive Roman ruins, a few lovely churches, a great market (not sure which days) many cafes and I'd love to have more time just soaking up the gorgeous views. Like I said, I have no comparison tho.

TravelerKaren

Wunderbar2 - thanks for the feedback; good to hear that Zadar is worth the full day.

Andrew

I spent a night in Zadar, drove south to Krka National Park, then stopped in Sibenik for a few hours on the way to Trogir.

Zadar didn't charm me for some reason. I can't really tell you what I didn't like about it. The Roman ruins are interesting. The sea organ is neat but after 30 seconds, you've heard it. The Sun Salutation is kind of cheesy but worth checking out briefly. But I have no desire ever to return.

On the other hand, I really loved Sibenik. It feels much less touristy than Zadar. The narrow streets between tall buildings reminded me a little of Lucca, Italy. And I had a fantastic Italian meal there, on a Sunday afternoon when the restaurant was deserted. It took forever, but it was worth it! The meal I had at the busy restaurant in Zadar was forgettable. (Silly to base your impression of two towns based on the restaurants where you happen to eat, though, isn't it?)

For what it's worth, driving in Zadar for a tourist is a bit more of a challenge than in Sibenik. You'll probably want to stay on the peninsula in Zadar, and parking there is very limited. Sibenik is also right off the main highway so easy to get to; Zadar is a bit of a detour off the main highway.

VGF

Haven't been to Sibenik either, but Zadar really made an impression on us, with those truly old churches from around the year 800, the polished white stone streets, the water, the history ancient and recent, and the gelato shops everywhere. Highly recommended!

kja

Depends on your interests!

Sibenik has an an extraordinary Gothic/Renaissance cathedral (and a truly glorious Renaissance baptismal font), in addition to some glorius medieval districts, and it offers stunning views out over the nearby coast from the ruins of a castle and fascinating cemetery – among other things.

Zadar has a few small Roman ruins, one of the oldest churches in Croatia (with relatively unusual architecture), museums of gold & silver religious treasures and glass, and some wonderful modern installations along the waterfront (the sea organ and a display based on solar light cells).

I'm glad I got to see both.

TravelerKaren

Andrew, VGF and kja:

Thanks again for the great feedback. Sounds like the majority enjoyed Zadar but Andrew's vote for Sibenik reminding him of Lucca makes me lean towards Sibenik. Lucca is our favorite Italian city. In fact we just recently returned from spending a month there (where we did lots of day trips to Tuscan towns).

Maybe we stay in Sibenik and stop in Zadar before we head to Plitvice.

PolSmit

That Would be my choice, stay Šibenik and stop off Zadar.

kja

I haven't been to Lucca yet, but I have been to Tuscany, and I must admit that I wouldn't have made a link between Sibenik and anything Tuscan, except that -- like many places that were laid out in Medieval times -- there are narrow cobbled streets and stone buildings. BUT there very well could be a similarity! You might want to keep the possibility of a similarity in mind, but maybe not count on it....