Northern Dalmatia
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1. Archaeological Museum
Founded in 1832, Zadar's archaeological museum is one of the oldest museums in this part of Europe. It occupies a plain but pleasant modern building beside the convent complex of Crkva Sv. Marije (St. Mary's Church). It is home to numerous artifacts from Zadar's past, from prehistoric times to the first Croatian settlements. The third floor focuses on ceramics, weaponry, and other items the seafaring Liburnians brought home from Greece and Italy, whereas the second floor covers the classical period, including a model of the Forum square as it would have looked back then; a smaller exhibit addresses the development of Christianity in Northern Dalmatia and contains rare artifacts from the invasion of the Goths. On the first floor you'll find an exhibit from the early Middle Ages, taking you to the 12th century.
Trg Opatice Čike 1, Zadar, Zadarska, 23000, Croatia023-250–613Sight Details
Rate Includes: 30 Kn, Closed Sun. Nov.– May., June–Sept., 9–9; Oct.–May, 9–2 -
2. Crkva Sv. Donata
Zadar's star attraction, this huge cylindrical structure is the most monumental early Byzantine church in Croatia. Originally called Church of the Holy Trinity, it was probably inspired by plans set forth in a book by the Byzantine emperor Constantine Porphyrogenitus, On Ruling the Empire. Centuries later it was rededicated to St. Donatus, the bishop here from 801 to 814. Legend has it that Donatus, an Irishman, was the one who had it built, using stone from the adjacent Forum. The stark, round interior features a circular center surrounded by an annular passageway; a sanctuary consisting of three apses attached to the lofty mantle of the church walls, set off from the center by two columns; and a gallery reached by a circular stairway. Although the church no longer holds services, its fine acoustics make it a regular concert venue. During the off-season (November to March), when the church is closed, someone at the Archaeological Museum next door may have a key to let you in.
Zadar, Zadarska, 23000, Croatia023-250–613Sight Details
Rate Includes: 20 Kn, Closed Nov.–Mar., Apr.–May, 9–5; June, 9–9; July–Aug., 9 am–10 pm; Sept.–Oct., 9–5; Nov. -
3. Kornati National Park
The largest archipelago in the Adriatic, Kornati National Park comprises more than 100 islands that are privately owned, mostly by residents of Murter, who purchased them more than a century ago from Zadar aristocrats. The new owners burned the forests to make room for sheep, which in turn ate much of the remaining vegetation. Although anything but lush today, the islands' almost mythical beauty is ironically synonymous with their barrenness: their bone-white-to-ochre colors represent a striking contrast to the azure sea. However, owners tend vineyards and orchards on some, and there are quite a few small buildings scattered about, mostly stone cottages—many of them on Kornat, which is by far the largest island, at 35 km (22 miles) long and less than a tenth as wide. Indeed, some of these cottages are available for so-called Robinson turizm (ask at the Murter tourist office, or inquire around town). In 1980 the archipelago became a national park. It was reportedly during a visit to Kornati in 1936 that King Edward of England decided between love for his throne and love for Wallis Simpson, the married woman who was to become his wife a year later. No public transport currently goes to Kornati, so visiting is only possible as part of an excursion or with a private boat, and tickets must be purchased beforehand. Pick up tickets from the official website or through the various tour groups in Zadar or Murter. The entrance ticket is included in the price of the excursion, departing from Zadar.
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4. Paklenica National Park
The Velebit mountain range stretches along the Croatian coast for more than 100 km (62 miles), but nowhere does it pack in as much to see and do as in this relatively small, 96-square-km (37-square-mile) park at the southern terminus of the range. Here, less than an hour from Zadar, is a wealth of extraordinary karst features—from fissures, crooks, and cliffs to pits and caves. The park comprises two limestone gorges, Velika Paklenica (which ends, near the sea, at the park entrance in Starigrad) and Mala Paklenica, a few kilometers to the south; trails through the former gorge are better marked (and more tourist-trodden). All that dry rockiness visible from the seaward side of the range turns resplendently green as you cross over the mountains to the landward side. Named after the sap of the black pine, paklina, which was used long ago to prime boats, the park is in fact two-thirds forest, with beech and the indigenous black pine a key part of this picture; the remaining vegetation includes cliff-bound habitats featuring several types of bluebells, and rocky areas abounding in sage and heather. The park is also home to 4,000 different species of fauna, including butterflies that have long vanished elsewhere in Europe. It is also the only mainland nesting ground in Croatia for the stately griffin vulture. The park has more than 150 km (94 miles) of trails, from relatively easy ones leading from the Velika Paklenica Canyon (from the entrance in Starigrad) to the 1,640-foot-long complex of caverns called Manita Peć, to mountain huts situated strategically along the way to the Velebit's highest peaks, Vaganski Vrh (5,768 feet) and Sveto brdo (5,751 feet). The most prominent of the park's large and spectacular caves, Manita Peć is accessible on foot from the park entrance in Starigrad; you can enter for 32 Kn, but remember to buy your ticket at the park entrance. Rock climbing is also a popular activity in the park. Meanwhile, mills and mountain villages scattered throughout Paklenica evoke the life of mountain folk from the not-too-distant past. About a half-mile down the park access road in Starigrad, you pass through the mostly abandoned hamlet of Marasovići, from which it's a few hundreds yards more downhill to the small building where you buy your tickets and enter the park (from this point on, only on foot). From here it's 45 minutes uphill to a side path to Anića kuk, a craggy peak, and from there it's not far to Manita Peć. However, if you don't have time or inclination for a substantial hike into the mountains, you will be happy to know that even the 45-minute walk to the entrance gate and back from the main road affords spectacular, close-up views of the Velebit range's craggy ridgeline and the gorge entrance. Also, be forewarned that if you are looking to escape the crowds, you will be hard-pressed to do so here in midsummer unless you head well into the mountains or, perhaps, opt for the park's less frequented entrance at Mala Paklenica; more likely than not, you will be sharing the sublimities of nature with thousands of other seaside revelers taking a brief respite from the coast. A further point of interest at the park are the Bunkers, an intricate system of underground shelters built by Marshall Tito in the early 1950s. With relations between Yugoslavia and the USSR then at their worst, Tito used the geographical benefits of the gorges to build an A-bomb shelter. All the work was done in complete secrecy and very few people knew of the Bunkers. After Stalin's death, they were closed down and only reopened in 1991. Although the park headquarters is on the main coastal road in the middle of Starigrad, fees are payable where you actually enter the park on the access road. Beyond the basic park admission and the supplemental fee to enter Manita Peć cave, the park offers every imaginable service and presentation that might encourage you to part with your kunas, from half-day group tours (400 Kn) to presentations every half hour from 11 to noon and 4 to 7 on the park's birds of prey and on falconry.
View Tours and ActivitiesDr. Franje Tuđmana 14a, Starigrad, Zadarska, 23244, Croatia023-369–202Sight Details
Rate Includes: 60 Kn, three-day pass 120 Kn, Park: July and Aug., daily 7 am–9 pm; Apr.–June, Sept., and Oct., daily 8 am–noon and 4–8 pm. Cave: daily 10–1 -
5. Sea Organ
Comprising 35 pipes under the quay stretching along a 230-foot stretch of Zadar's atmospheric Riva promenade, the Sea Organ yields a never-ending (and ever free) concert that delights one and all. Designed by architect Nikola Bašić with the help of other experts, the organ's sound resembles a whale song, but it is in fact the sea itself. It's hard not to be in awe as the sound of the sea undulates in rhythm and volume with the waves.
Obala kralja Petra Krešimira IV, Zadar, Zadarska, 23000, Croatia -
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6. Telašćica Nature Park
This nature park encompasses Telašćica Bay, which cuts 7 km (4½ miles) into the southern tip of Dugi Otok with an inner coastline so indented that it is really a series of smaller bays and a handful of islands. Flanked by high vertical cliffs facing the open sea to the west, with low, peaceful bays on the other side, it has a variety of vegetation. Relatively lush alpine forests and flower-filled fields as well as vineyards, olive groves, and onetime cultivated fields give way, as you move south, to bare rocky ground of the sort that predominates on the Kornati Islands, whose northern boundary begins where Telašćica Nature Park ends. Aside from Telašćica's other attractions, most of which are accessible only by boat, one of the park's key highlights—accessible by land on a 20-minute drive from Sali—is the salt lake Jezero mir, which was formed when a karst depression was filled by the sea. Small boats (generally with 8–12 passengers) bound for both Telašćica Nature Park and the northern fringes of Kornati National Park leave the east side of Sali's harbor (i.e., where the Zadar ferry arrives) at approximately 11:15 each morning and return by 6 or 6:30 in the evening. Verify ferry times at www.croatiaferries.com. Expect to pay 200 Kn per person, sometimes less. The best way to arrange ferry passage is in person—by going to the harborside square near the post office around 8 pm on the day before you wish to leave (which means at least a one-night stay in Sali), when boat captains gather there looking for passengers for the next day's excursion. However, the tourist information office in Sali can put you in touch with operators by phone as well.
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7. Arheološki Muzej
Nin's shallow coast and centuries of sand deposits preserved numerous remains from prehistory to the Middle Ages under the sea. The Arheološki muzej has a rich collection for a town of this size, including replicas of two small, late-11th-century fishing boats discovered only in 1966 and carefully removed from the sea in 1974. One of these boats has been completely reconstructed, the other only to the extent to which it had been preserved underwater. The main themes in each room are elucidated in clear English translations.
Trg Kraljevac 8, 23232, Nin, Nin, Zadarska, Croatia023-264–160Sight Details
Rate Includes: 20 Kn, July-Aug.: 9-10; Sept.: 9-9; Oct.-Apr.: 8-2; May: 9-5 -
8. Asseria
Close to Nin in the town of Benkovac are the massive ruins of Asseria, an ancient city. First settled around 6 BC by Liburnians, who built it into one of their most important towns before the Romans came, Asseria—which is nearly 1,640 feet long and roughly a third as wide, and is situated 6 km (3¾ miles) east of Benkovac, near the village of Podgrađe—was inhabited for more than 1,000 years before crumbling away along with the Roman Empire.
Zadarska, 23420, Croatia -
9. Crkva Sv. Anselma
The 18th-century Crkva Sv. Anselma, dedicated to a 1st-century martyr believed to have been Nin's first bishop, was built on the site of Nin's former, 9th-century cathedral, the first cathedral of the medieval Croatian principality. To the right of the altar is a 15th-century statue of the Madonna of Zečevo, inspired by the appearance of the Virgin Mary to a woman on a nearby island. Though the church is plain—the ceiling is adorned with only a nice chandelier and a smoke detector—the foundations of the onetime cathedral are still much in evidence. Beside the church is the belfry, and next door is the treasury, which houses a stunning little collection of reliquaries containing various body parts of St. Anselm.
Nin, Zadarska, Croatia098-509–307Sight Details
Rate Includes: Free, Daily, upon request -
10. Crkva Sv. Križa
Croatia's oldest church, the 8th-century Crkva Sv. Križa is also known locally as the "world's smallest cathedral." Indeed, the unadorned, three-naved whitewashed structure—which has a solid, cylindrical top and a few tall, Romanesque windows (too high to peek inside)—has an unmistakable monumental quality to it even though it's no larger than a small house. There's little to see inside, though it is sometimes open, erratically, in summer; check with the tourist office or the Archaeological Museum.
Nin, Zadarska, CroatiaSight Details
Rate Includes: Free, Daily, upon request -
11. Crkva Sv. Marije
Legend has it that a local noblewoman founded a Benedictine convent on this site in 1066, and the adjoining St. Mary's Church in 1091. Rebuilt in the 16th century, the church was supposed to incorporate a new Renaissance look into the remnants of its earlier style: its rounded gables remained, continuing to express a certain Dalmatian touch; early Romanesque frescoes are still evident amid the largely Baroque interior; and your eyes will discover 18th-century rococo above the original columns. Most noteworthy for modern-day visitors, however, is the adjoining convent complex, two wings of which house one of Zadar's most treasured museums. The Permanent Exhibition of Religious Art, whose highlight is commonly called "The Gold and Silver of Zadar," is a remarkable collection of work from centuries past by local gold- and silversmiths (including Italians and Venetians who lived here), from reliquaries for saints and crucifixes to vestments interwoven with gold and silver thread.
Zadar, Zadarska, 23000, CroatiaSight Details
Rate Includes: Museum 30 Kn, summer season: Mon.-Sat. 10-1 and 5-7, Sun. 10-1; winter season: Mon.-Sat. 10-12:30 and 5-6:30, Sun. 10-12:30 -
12. Crkva Sv. Šimuna
Built in the 5th century as a three-nave basilica, it was later reconstructed in Gothic style, and again in Baroque style, though the terra-cotta and white exterior pales in comparison to some of the city's other churches. St. Simeon's Church is best known for housing the gilded silver sarcophagus of Zadar's most popular patron saint. The chest, which depicts intricately detailed scenes from St. Simeon's life and the city's history, was commissioned in 1381 by Elizabeth, wife of Croat-Hungarian King Ludwig I of Anjou, and made by Francesco De Sesto of Milan, one of Zadar's best silversmiths. As for St. Simeon, legend has it that his body wound up here while being transported from the Holy Land to Venice by a merchant who got caught in a storm, took refuge here, fell ill, and died—but not before drawing attention to the saintliness of the body he'd brought with him. Palm trees outside the church lend the site a pleasant, Mediterranean touch.
Trg Petra Zoranića 7, Zadar, Zadarska, 23000, Croatia023-211–705Sight Details
Rate Includes: Free, Weekdays 9–noon and 3–5, Sat. 9–noon. Masses 8 am weekdays, 8:30 am and 10 am weekends -
13. Crkva Sveta Marija
This three-nave basilica's simple front is decorated with a Gothic portal, an appropriately lacelike Renaissance rosette, and unfinished figures of saints. A relief over the entrance depicts the Virgin Mary protecting the townsfolk of Pag. Begun in 1466 under Dalmatinac's direction, it was completed only decades later, after his death. Inside, note the elaborate, 18th-century Baroque altars, and the wood beams visible on the original stone walls. The church is open daily 9–noon and 5–7.
6 Ulica Jurja Dalmatinca, Pag, Zadarska, CroatiaNo phone -
14. Forum
Established in the 1st century BC by the first emperor Augustus, the Roman Forum is, more than 2,000 years later, pretty much a wide empty space with some scattered ruins. However, since it was rediscovered in the 1930s and restored to its present condition in the 1960s, the Forum has been one of Zadar's most important public spaces. A raised area on the western flank indicates the site of a onetime temple dedicated to Jupiter, Juno, and Minerva, and if you look closely you will notice what remains of its altars that served as venues for blood sacrifices. The only surviving column was used in the Middle Ages as a "Pillar of Shame," to which wayward individuals were chained. Fragments of a second column were removed from the Forum in 1729 and put back together again near the Square of Five Wells, where the column still stands today.
Zeleni trg, Zadar, Zadarska, 23000, Croatia -
15. Franjevački samostan i Crkva sv. Franje Asiškog
Dalmatia's oldest Gothic church, consecrated in 1280, is a stellar example of a so-called Gothic monastic church, characterized by a single nave with a raised shrine. Although the church underwent extensive reconstruction in the 18th century, behind the main altar is a shrine dating to 1672; inside the shrine you can see choir stalls in the floral Gothic style that date to 1394. In 1358 a peace treaty was signed in this very sacristy under which the Venetian Republic ended centuries of attack and handed Zadar over to the protection of the Croat-Hungarian kingdom. You can walk around the atmospheric inner courtyard for free, but you pay a fee to enter the church itself. From mid-October through March or April, the church may keep irregular hours.
Trg Sv. Frane 1, Zadar, Zadarska, 23000, Croatia01-481–1125Sight Details
Rate Includes: 15 Kn, Daily 9–6 -
16. Greeting to the Sun
The whimsically named Greeting to the Sun is a 22-meter circle of multilayered glass plates set into the stone-paved waterfront. Under the glass, light-sensitive solar modules soak up the sun's energy during daylight hours, turning it into electrical energy. Just after sunset, it puts on an impressive light show, illuminating the waterfront in shades of blue, green, red, and yellow. It was installed in 2008 and was created by local architect Nikola Bašić, who also made the nearby sound art project, the Sea Organ.
Obala Kralja Petra Krešimira IV, Zadar, Zadarska, 23000, Croatia -
17. Katedrala Sv. Stošije
Dalmatia's largest basilica was shaped into its magnificent Romanesque form in the 12th and 13th centuries from an earlier church; though it was damaged severely during World War II, it was later reconstructed. The front portal is adorned with striking Gothic reliefs and a dedication to the archbishop Ivan from the year 1324. The interior includes not only a high, spacious nave but also a Gothic stone ciborium from 1332 covering the 9th-century altar; intricately carved 15th-century choir stalls by the Venetian artist Matej Morozon; and, in the sacristy, an early Christian mosaic. St. Anastasia is buried in the altar's left apse; according to legend, she was the wife of a patrician in Rome but was eventually burned at the stake. Bishop Donatus of Zadar obtained the remains in 804 from Byzantine Emperor Niceforos. The late-19th-century belfry, which is separate from the main church building, offers a sweeping view to those who climb to the top for a fee, but even the 20 steps up to the ticket desk rewards you with a decent view of the square below.
Trg Sv. Stošije 2, Zadar, Zadarska, 23000, CroatiaSight Details
Rate Includes: Church free, belfry 10 Kn, Closed Sun., summer season 8–6, winter season 8–5 -
18. Knežev Dvor
Across the square is the imposing Knežev dvor with its magnificent, richly detailed portal, a sumptuous 15th-century edifice built to house the duke. Until the early 1990s, it housed a grocery store and a café; now it is a cultural and exhibition venue, hosting concerts, plays, and manifestations during the summer months. The upper floors have been converted into the City Hall.
Pag, Zadarska, CroatiaNo phone -
19. Kopnena Vrata
A walk around the walls of Zadar's Old Town is a walk around what was, once, the largest city-fortress in the Venetian Republic. One of the finest Venetian-era monuments in Dalmatia, the Land Gate was built in 1543 by the small Foša harbor as the main entrance to the city. It takes the form of a triumphal arch, with a large, central passage for vehicles and two side entrances for pedestrians, and is decorated with reliefs of St. Chrysogonus (Zadar's main patron saint) on his horse and a winged lion (the symbol of the Venetian Republic).
Ul. Među bedemima, Zadar, Zadarska, 23000, Croatia -
20. Molat Island
Many of Croatia's islands like to emphasize their serenity, but only one island gets the status of a true hermit heaven. Fewer than 200 people live on magnificent Molat, a verdant island covered in maquis and pine and a tranquil place that has fought for its survival over the centuries and lived to tell the tale. There isn't much to do on the island but that is sort of the point; this is an island for those in search of space and peace. One ferry heads this way daily from Zadar (sometimes two in summer, but there is no concrete schedule), with the journey taking an hour or so. Tickets are 40Kn for foot passengers.
Zadarska, Croatia
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