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  • April 27, 2018

London Unattached - London Lifestyle Blog

Luxury London Lifestyle Blog for the over 40s with food, travel, diet and restaurant reviews - London Unattached

Revisiting Croatia – Zadar and the Dalmatian Coast

June 3, 2015 by Fiona Maclean 26 Comments

Sunset and More in Zadar, Croatia:

Sunset in Zadar is the most beautiful in the world and is much nicer than the one in Key West, Florida.”

Alfred Hitchcock, 1964.

SUNSET IN THE RAIN ZADAR

Zadar, a small city on the Dalmatian coast of Croatia is built on a peninsula, reaching out into the blue waters of the Adriatic.  The sun appears to set at the tip of the peninsula, a vantage point now popular with tourists and local children who sit on the steps listening to the gentle sound of the Sea Organ, waiting for the end of the day.    As daylight fades, twinkling lights appear on the ground, dancing round the ‘Greeting to the Sun’.  Watching the sunset and the illumination of Greeting to the Sun seems like the perfect end to the day. Even if it is one of the rare days when it rains.

Greeting to the Sun, Zadar

Visiting this part of Croatia though, there’s plenty to do.  Just a few suggestions for now.

View of forum Zadar

Zadar is an ancient settlement.  People have lived here since the late stone age.  Walk through the old town  to visit the remains of a Roman forum, stretching out to sea.   Started in the 1st Century BC, the forum and basilica wasn’t completed until the 3rd Century AD.  Besides the  columns are the remains of some of the Roman shops and houses which formed part of the city of Ladar.  Stop for a while and watch the children playing leapfrog on what remains of the forum itself and local people taking a break, resting on the stone walls of the ancient shops.

st donatus zadar roof

Just behind the Forum, you’ll find St Donatus Church, a 9th century Byzantine construction built using materials from the forum by Donat, the Bishop of Zadar.  And, adjacent to that, the bell tower and Cathedral of St Anastasia, originally built in the 4th Century but largely reconstructed in the 13th Century.  You can walk to the top of the bell tower, some 180 steps, where you can clearly see the layout of the roads in neat Roman grids.  No excuse for getting lost then!

Roofs of Zadar

There are plenty of places to stop and take a coffee.  Make for the People’s Square (Narodni trg) and enjoy a break the local way, passing the time of day sitting outdoors in the sun or shade, listening to street musicians and taking in the fine architecture.

Market Zadar

A stone’s throw away you’ll find the green market. With each stall selling a handful of peas, a few baby artichoke, some freshly pulled carrots or a few pots of honey, it’s clear the vendors have arrived with their own produce, usually picked that morning.  The fish market is next door.  Worth a visit if you are self catering or camping, again, the produce you’ll find here will have been caught or harvested within the last 24 hours or so.  If not, Zadar is full of restaurants and cafes where some of the best things to order include fresh fish, cheese from the nearby island of Pag and lamb, reared on the salt marshes which is full of taste, juicy and succulent.  More of the food to come in later features.

nin gate Croatia

If you tire of Zadar, there’s plenty of places to visit within an easy day trip of the City.  Surrounded by natural parks, you can visit Plitvice or Krka for waterfalls or make for Paklenica where you can hike or try your hand at rock climbing in the Velebit massif. There are about 150 islands around Zadar, each with something unique.  The island of Nin is particularly fascinating, just 15km from Zadar, it’s the oldest Croatian royal town and seven Kings were crowned there between the 7th and the 13th centuries.  Pag is famous for its salty sheep’s cheese, for salt production and for a party beach on the far side of the island.  Best of all, the entire region seems to be scattered with spa hotels – with prices about a third of those in the UK, you could easily indulge in a couple of days of facials, aromatherapy and massages.

Sunset Zadar

But, maybe, like me,  you’ll just get hooked on Zadar itself.  One of the most relaxing cities in Europe, it’s very easy to get into an end of day routine of taking a walk along the seafront to watch that sunset, listen to the sea organ and wait for the greeting to the sun to light up.

With many thanks to the Croatian Tourist Board for hosting my trip to Zadar and the surrounding area.

I stayed at Club Fumination Borik
and at Boutique Hostel Forum
I flew direct to Zadar with RyanAir – there are flights several times a week from Stansted and Manchester.  The journey takes around 2 hours.

 

 

 

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Filed Under: Croatia Tagged With: nin, ryanair, zadar

About Fiona Maclean

London based freelance writer and marketing consultant. I edit London-Unattached.com and write for a number of other publications

Comments

  1. Jon Dunn says

    June 3, 2015 at 10:28 pm

    Great article – somebody else who shares my love of the city.
    Everything about it just exudes calmness and fun, two essential ingredients when traveling, surely.
    Islands of Olib, Silba, Ugljan and Dugi Otok all easily reached by daily ferry.
    Not to mention regular buses to Pag, to see (and taste) the cheese you mentioned.
    Always good to read a new take on a place I love – and yours hit the spot! 🙂

    Reply
    • Fiona Maclean says

      June 7, 2015 at 7:05 pm

      Thanks Jon – I loved Pag too, but I haven’t managed to visit any of the other islands except Trogir and Nin yet.

      Reply
  2. Stevie Wilson says

    June 3, 2015 at 11:20 pm

    My father’s side of the family is from that area. I have never been. Have seen tons of photos but these photos of yours by far show what the area is like vs what my relatives over there are like.
    Is it hard to pick up the Croatian language? what is the coffee like there? I was told it was quite different than what we have here.

    Reply
    • Fiona Maclean says

      June 4, 2015 at 8:32 am

      I think the croatian language is impossible! There are parts of Croatia that are very different to the Dalmatian coast – which was once ruled by Venice. If you go inland to Slavonia – the Croatian agricultural area, the towns and cities look more Austro Hungarian. The coffee in Zadar wasn’t much different to the stuff we are served in the UK, though it is Italian strength. I do seem to remember something closer to a turkish coffee in Slavonia – which was once under the control of the Ottoman Empire.

      Reply
  3. Dannielle Lily says

    June 7, 2015 at 8:13 pm

    I love visiting food markets abroad! Really need to go to Croatia

    Reply
    • Jon Dunn says

      June 7, 2015 at 9:19 pm

      The markets in every city I’ve been to are awesome. The freshest fruit, veg, fish, locally made olive oil, cheese, honey, etc.
      The heartbeat of every place I’ve visited there. And the one at #Split takes half a day to go all around! 😉
      Well, it seems like it!

      Reply
    • Fiona Maclean says

      June 10, 2015 at 9:28 pm

      It’s worth travelling inland to Osiek and Slavonski Brod, the main agricultural area – you’ll find even more food there…

      Reply
  4. Suze The Luxury Columnist says

    June 10, 2015 at 2:15 pm

    I’m yet to visit Croatia but I’ve heard such great things about it and Zadar looks beautiful. I’d also love to see the Greeting to the Sun! Did you have a go at that yourself, Fiona?

    Reply
    • Fiona Maclean says

      June 10, 2015 at 9:29 pm

      There isn’t really anything to have a go at, unless you like playing hopscotch;) –

      Reply
  5. Sarah Ebner says

    June 13, 2015 at 9:01 am

    I’d love to hire bikes and ride around here. It looks gorgeous. I haven’t been back to Croatia for many years, but I am tempted.

    Reply
    • Fiona Maclean says

      June 13, 2015 at 10:20 am

      It’s very good value for the UK at the moment.

      Reply
  6. Aileen says

    June 13, 2015 at 9:47 am

    Croatia is LOVE! I have been eyeing on this destination for a while now and hopefully, I can visit it this summer. 🙂 Thanks for evoking a sense of wanderlust to me now!

    Reply
  7. Tanj from A Travelogue says

    June 13, 2015 at 11:50 am

    I totally LOVE Croatia, we did a road trip from the bottom to the tip. Your picture made me miss it more.

    Reply
  8. Natasha says

    June 13, 2015 at 1:11 pm

    Wow, have put that on my list!! And wonderful pictures that you have there. Thank you.

    Reply
  9. The Educational Tourist says

    June 13, 2015 at 2:20 pm

    What a beautiful place. I love the idea of buying a handful of peas at the market. Thanks for sharing such a lovely spot.
    Natalie, The Educational Tourist

    Reply
  10. Wandering Carol says

    June 13, 2015 at 2:32 pm

    I’ve been to Split but never to Zadar. I’d never even heard of it! So thanks for the travel tips.

    Reply
  11. Jennifer says

    June 13, 2015 at 3:33 pm

    I can’t wait to visit Croatia! I almost decided to go this time through Europe but ended up in Budapest – next time for sure!

    Reply
  12. noel says

    June 13, 2015 at 6:25 pm

    I enjoyed visiting Dalmatia and Zadar was definitely one of the highlights and the sunsets there on the waterfront are truly stunning!

    Reply
    • Fiona Maclean says

      June 13, 2015 at 7:47 pm

      LOL I wish I was as good a photographer as you! I’ve never tried doing sunset shots before, but somehow in Zadar you have to have a go!

      Reply
  13. Vicky and Buddy says

    June 14, 2015 at 1:14 am

    I love your pictures, especially the sunset one. Zadar looks like a very peaceful place.

    Reply
  14. Travelwith2ofus says

    June 14, 2015 at 7:53 pm

    Croatia is quickly becoming one of the places I must visit. And the more I read about it is the faster I want to get there.

    Reply
  15. Kate says

    June 14, 2015 at 9:20 pm

    Zadar and in fact the whole of Croatia is somewhere I’ve never managed to get to, despite traveling in that region of Europe a lot. Its so close by being based in the UK. I really should go. Your photos are stunning. You capture a beautiful, peaceful kind of place. Thanks for sharing

    Reply
    • Fiona Maclean says

      June 14, 2015 at 9:46 pm

      You do definitely need to visit. It’s excellent value at the moment, and there are some stunning places to visit too

      Reply
  16. Beverley Cousins says

    May 28, 2016 at 12:00 pm

    It looks amazing, i love the old town away from the rush of the main sites..would truly love to visit! x

    Reply
  17. Lynn Brown says

    January 11, 2017 at 11:46 am

    I’d love to visit Croatia and have heard that Zadar is the place to go, this is a really helpful article.

    Reply
  18. Zoey P says

    March 24, 2018 at 6:47 am

    Sounds great place to visit, we will be going to Croatia for the first time this year staying on Brac and cannot wait !!!

    Reply

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