Hello Zadar
- Location: Zadar, Croatia
- Jul 31, 2015
- 5 min read
When I was a teenager, my older brother (then in his mid 20’s) told the family that he was taking a trip to Croatia for a month. At the time, I wasn’t even sure where exactly Croatia was…nor why someone would want to visit there. From what I knew at the time, it was a recently war-torn and communist-controlled country located in Eastern-Southern-ish Europe. Since the mid-90’s however, the country has steadily calmed and gained political peace by adopting a Parliamentary system (and in 2013 joined the EU). The country still shows signs of its past when you see the old communist-era buildings and the semi-low value of the currency; currently the exchange rate sits at approximately 1USD/1EURO ⇒ 7HRK (Kuna) – which is an additional incentive for tourists to visit the country.
However, there are many better, more fulfilling reasons to visit Croatia. It is my hope that the next few blog posts I release will help shed some light on that from the few places we saw. My husband and I had just started contemplating the idea of a visit early this year. Having moved to Europe recently, we have so many places on our MUST SEE list, that we weren’t quite sure where Croatia ranked. However, after researching a little about the attractions and diverse beauty of the country, it immediately jumped on the list from “Possibly Visit” to “Let’s Go Now!” From the Roman/Mediterranean feeling of the historic districts, the gorgeous clear waters (both fresh and salt), to the absolute beauty of the national parks; Croatia is definitely a country worth visiting – something people from all over the world have steadily started to recognize over the past decade. To start out, my first post will show just a few things from our walks around the city of Zadar.
Upon arriving in Zadar, we took a short cab ride to the apartment we rented using the fabulous AirBnb website. We were fortunate enough to find this apartment that was a good price, clean, fit our needs for 5 people, is walking distance to everything in the city, and equipped with AC! I know that last bit sounds super American…but oh my goodness, it was a necessity as every day was in the upper 90’s (F) with major humidity (blegh). The only plus side of that weather: our swims in the sea were THAT much better. Major downside: I ended up in the ER our final night there with heat exhaustion and dehydration. Yikes.
On our first afternoon in Zadar, and in the following days to come, we spent many hours wandering around the city. Of course, the main place to visit is the Historic Downtown area, which boasts many beautiful old buildings, a small Roman Forum, lots of cute little shops and restaurants lining the streets, and plenty of gelato & pizza vendors. Zadar is located right along the coast of the Adriatic (albeit with two main strips of islands that impede it from completely open waters), which is one of the main attractions of this city. While we didn’t come across any white sandy beaches within Zadar (there are plenty in surrounding areas, especially on the island of Dugi Otok, just off the coast), we did find a couple of
popular rocky and rough sandy beaches to lounge out on – plus the main walk along the coastal edge of the city provides a spacious & sunny area for swimmers and sunbathers alike to come bask in the sunshine or take a dip in the cool waters. You could tell that the waterfront was one of the main attractions of this city, as no matter where you were along the coast, there was almost always a way to get in – beaches, docks, and even little ladders placed all along the sidewalks of the coast to help you get in and out of the water. These in particular were great for those hot afternoons where you’ve been siteseeing for hours in the city and NEED to take a dip right then and there (we hardly went anywhere without our bathing suits on). You just strip down to your bathing suit on the sidewalk, dive into the water, and climb back up using a ladder, feeling totally refreshed. But more on the beaches and swimming to come in a later post!
Another thing to not be missed in Zadar is the night atmosphere. Just walking along the waters edge and enjoying the sounds of the waves, watching the boats and their lights pass by, and taking in the night air can be so serene. Make sure to not miss out on the Sea Organ (a network of pipes or “tubes” placed under the sidewalk of the water’s edge, and as the waves come and go, they create a musical tone for all to hear), and the Greeting to the Sun art “sculpture” (a large solar light display that, at night, creates beautiful colors and patterns along its large round surface, that you can actually walk and play on). Both are in the same location at the waterfront in Zadar, and at night they play together, creating a really fun and harmonious experience. Unfortunately, due to the sheer number of visitors when we were there, I couldn’t capture a good enough video or photo (though I attached one below), but check out this perfect video that exhibits them both.
Another great option for a night excursion in Zadar is to stop by one of the many restaurants and bars lining the streets and waterfront. One of our absolute favorite to visit was the The Hitch bar – great drinks and fun vibes both in the day and at night. Also, the main part of the bar is outside set on a deck over the water, which is the perfect setting for a cool drink on a warm Summer’s night. Another beautiful bar I absolutely recommend visiting is the Garden Bar – set right by the water, they’ve put soft white couches, chairs, and even beds with pillows on an erected platform for all guests to enjoy at their leisure. They light up the trees with changing colored lights, have a canopy area for a more secluded and romantic feeling, and had a DJ on site playing slow-jam records (I’m talkin’ REAL vinyl!). Plus, it seems as though they have a common theme of “freshness” in their drinks, where most juices were hand-squeezed or juiced on site, and only the freshest ingredients were used in their cocktails. We loved it.
The last recommendation I have for visiting Zadar is to check out the small, but awesome, Ancient Glass Museum by the water. They have beautiful and incredibly well-preserved glass pieces from 100-200AD and tons of amazing information on how the people created glass urns for the ashes of their dead. Also, most days of the week they have glass blowers on site, whom you can watch create beautiful & exact replicas of the ancient glass pieces on display. Very cool. So whether you’re perusing the shops and taking a dip in the Adriatic in the sunshine, or enjoying a leisurely night stroll through the lit up streets and enjoying a cocktail at a hip bar, Historic Downtown Zadar is a fun place to visit and definitely worth a trip.
♥M.
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