We stayed only one day in Zadar but we managed it pretty well. We got up early in the morning, had a tasty breakfast, got our sunglasses and sunscreen lotions and went straight to Nin beach, 10 km away from the town. It was the 4th day in Croatia already, and we were dying to finally get to those crystal waters and chill in the sun. There are other more spectacular beaches in Croatia, but I still enjoyed the Nin lagoon a lot. Before the sun became waaay too hot and dangerous, we got back to our b&b and prepared ourselves for the long walks in the old town.

You can check all our stops in Croatia here.

The old town and the churches

The coastline of today’s Croatia was under the Venetian rule for centuries and Zadar was an important town in the Republic of Venice. Today it’s the biggest town on the Dalmatian coast. The old town, in the shape of a peninsula, is not very big however and is not too crowded either – comparing it to Dubrovnik where we were losing all our energy and patience just to make a few steps forward.

Some parts of the historic defense walls have resisted until today and on the top they have roads or walkways with benches and strains of trees.

The most famous entrance points are the Venetian gates: Land Gate(left) that connects the Old Town to mainland at the base of the peninsula and the Sea Gate(right) at the end of the pedestrian bridge near the marina.

You notice right away the beautiful squares and the roads paved with heavy big blocks of stone and many many churches just a few minutes away one from another:

St. Donatus church is over 10 centuries old, in circular shape with a dome. Right in front of it there are the remains of a roman forum.

St. Anastasia Cathedral is the biggest Catholic cathedral on Croatia’s coast and you can and should climb in the tower for a round a clock view of the old town.

There are then the Benedictine Church of St Mary and St. Simeon Church which bared many transformations from a simple Christian basilica, to a Gothic church and finally to the baroque structure of today.

A Greeting to the Sun!

The Old town has had its share of modern in the last years, and the Waterfront Promenade of today was a favorite place of ours, a wide pedestrian street where you have a beautiful view afar on the sea and to the other islands in the Zadar Archipelago. It was also the playground of architects and science men and here is what they came up with.

Greeting to the Sun is a circular area at the tip of the promenade, made out of glass and photo-voltaic panels, a battery but not just that, because when the sun sets, the panels get different colors based on the sound waves received from the Sea Organ, placed nearby it! Well, isn’t that ingenuous?

The First Sea Organ in the World

When approaching the end of the Waterfront Promenade, you’ll notice an array of  steps that go way down to the water and some holes in the ground. This is the Sea Organ, generating a deep sound as the water moves and hits under.

How was your stay in Zagreb?

I’d love to have your thoughts on the city and what you enjoyed the most. If you had a good experience with your accommodation, let everybody know. We were not too pleased by ours, so I can’t recommend it to you.

Happy travels!

2 September 2016