Zadar

Travel to Zadar

In this information we are going to speak about our experience of visiting the wonderful city of Zadar. Firstly we flew to Zadar from Leeds and Bradford Airport in the month of September. The Ryanair flight cost £60 for a return fare. As a result of the current customs issues I also paid £6 for fast track at Leeds and Bradford which was certainly well worth it as the queue to go through the normal security line was horrendous. Thankfully I was through in approximately 15 minutes. We booked transfer from Zadar airport separately which cost £46 return. The driver was there waiting for me with a sign with my name on when We came through passport control. We was taken to the apartment which took about 20 minutes as the centre of Zadar is fairly close to the airport.

Accommodation

We had booked a two-bedroomed apartment (Apartment Margaret – 1). Finally we arrived at our destination and Martina was waiting for us and showed us in to the apartment. Martina was really welcoming and knowledgeable about the area and advised us of places to go, places to eat and about the surrounding area. Additionally she showed us of where everything was in the apartment. She also informed if we needed anything we could just text or call her as she was in the apartment above. We had to leave a deposit of £200 which we got back at the end of our stay. Our stay cost £120 for 3 nights which proved to be great value. The apartment had two double bedrooms both with en-suite. The kitchen was well equipped with everything you would need for self-catering. The whole apartment was very clean and spacious.

The apartment was 40-45 minutes’ walk from the main centre which we didn’t mind as we like to walk – great for getting the steps up. There were a few bars, restaurants and a supermarket within a few minutes walking distance from the apartment.

Zadar Street Food Festival 2022

Martina had advised us of a street food festival on the beach in nearby Puntamika (a ten minute walk away) which featured lots of food and drink stalls plus live music. We headed down to the festival on our first evening in Zadar – it was very busy with locals sampling the food and drink on offer and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves.

There were several stalls selling a wide range of foods including burgers, hotdogs, Japanese food and local delicacies. Also there was a range of drink stalls selling alcoholic drinks which included a Croatian red wine liqueur (Darna’s Teranino) which is served in a strange shaped glass, as well as a range of beers and wines. Obviously we had to try the local Darna’s Teranino which tasted really good, although one was enough as I am sure if you drank a lot of it you might be nursing a sore head the next morning!

Unquestionably the atmosphere was great with everyone dancing, singing, drinking, eating and generally having a great time. The band that was playing played a wide range of music that appealed to a lot of ages, from rock to Ed Sheran! At the beginning the music was mainly English but as the night went on it then changed to Croatian music, but it didn’t matter as we danced along with the locals and had a few drinks.

Zadar centre and Old Town

The next day we walked in to Zadar centre and to the Old Town which took about 45 minuites. We passed several small harbours along the way with lots of beautiful boats. Nearer to the centre the boats got a lot bigger with some spectacular yachts moored up. The sea around Zadar is crystal clear and so you can see fish large and small as you are walking past. We cut 20 minutes off of our walk by using a short boat crossing to the Old Town called the Boatmen of Zadar (Barkajoli Zadarski) which was an enjoyable experience, particularly climbing into the small boat. It costs 7 Kuna (just under £1) and runs from 10am until 10pm.

Bars, Shopping and restaurants

The streets of Zadar are typical for such an historic city with lots of narrow streets surrounded by historical buildings. Undoubtedly there are Roman and Venetian influences throughout Zadar. There are restaurants and bars on practically every street where you can sit out and watch the world go by. Although there are many shops, restaurants and bars it does not take anything away from the charm of the city.

We enjoyed sitting down in the sunshine outside the Gray Bar in People’s Square enjoying an Aperol Spritz, people watching strangely enough! The cost of an Aperol Spritz is around £6. A large beer costs about £3 and bottles of imported cider around £3 so slightly cheaper than in the UK.

We found a bar called Deja Brew that sold an excellent range of craft beers including the very drinkable Grif IPA. The bar became a bit crazy particularly as day turned into night but the atmosphere was lively and we loved it. It was predominately English during the day but in the evening there were more locals and a range of nationalities including Germans and Polish. The music was mainly 80’s classics which is not particularly to our taste but we still had a great time singing along. It felt a bit like going back in time seeing people smoking inside the bar and only being able to pay by cash. Most bars in Zadar are cash only although some restaurants do take cards. As one of the waiters stated, “Zadar is still 20 years behind England

How long to visit Zadar for?

Zadar is a really beautiful place with lots of history. There is plenty to see but it doesn’t take long to see all of the places of interest as the central area is relatively small and can be reached on foot. If you are not going on excursions outside of the city then you can see what you need to see in Zadar in a couple of days. We were a little unfortunate with the weather and the boat trips to other islands were not running on the day we wanted to go due to a thunder storm, which did eventually clear.

Dinning out

Certainly there are so many nice places to eat and drink in Zadar that it is hard to choose – best to go with local recommendation or even just choose at random. On one particular occasion we were out walking which had made us hungry so we randomly called in at a place called Submarine, which mainly sold burgers and fries. We had an Italian burger and truffle fries (see photos below) and two drinks each (Debbie 2 wines and Mike 2 cokes) and it cost around £25. The truffle fries were the best fries we have ever tasted and a must if you go to Croatia/Zadar – if we return to Zadar we will definately be visiting!

We spent an evening having a lovely meal at a restaurant called Trattoria Bueno. There was a wide range of foods on the menu including Italian, Croatian and Japanese. We shared a Bruschetta with cheese, truffles and Pancetta for starter and gnocchi with steak, rucola, grana padano and cherry tomatoes and the Croatian Kebab (Cevapi) for main courses. The food was delicious and the service was great too. The waiters were attentive but not too overpowering. The meal along with a nice bottle of wine cost around £65.

Zadar sunsets

We witnessed some beautiful sunsets while in Zadar; Alfred Hitchcock once stated that Zadar has the most beautiful sunsets in the world. Many people gathered to watch the sunset over the water whilst listening to the Sea Organ which is a group of 35 organ pipes in the ground which run down to the sea. Basically the waves come up and they force the air through the pipes which then creates the sound similar to an organ. It is so unique to Zadar and therefore a must if you are visiting. Next to the Sea Organ there is a large solar powered light show which reminded us of a giant lit up dance floor from the 80’s/90’s.

Taxis

If you are not staying near the town centre be careful of the taxis as they will try and overcharge you. We set off home one evening at around midnight. The first taxi tried charging us £25 to get back to our apartment. The next tried £20 and the final price was around £12. Also we had been advised by Martina from the apartment that we should not pay more than £7-£8. We decided to walk back which was quite interesting walking for 45 minutes after several drinks.

Something for everyone

To summarise Zadar is a relatively quiet place compared to a lot of tourist destinations but if you want nightlife you can find it. If you are looking for a quiet laid back experience you can also have that. There are also many exciting excursions including white water rafting, motorised surf boarding and sky diving. There are also spectacular national parks within easy reach, including the Plitvice lakes. Zadar does have a lot to offer to people of all ages and activity needs.

Images

Things to do

• Listen to the Sea Organ
• Watch the sunset
• Visit the Roman Forum
• Visit Five Wells Square
• Have a drink in People’s Square
• Try the local cuisine
• Take a boat trip to the islands.
• Try Darna’s Teranino wine liquer
• Visit St Mary’s Church and the Cathedral of Anastasia.
• Visit the National Parks including the Plitvice Lakes and Krka waterfalls

Top tips

• Make sure to visit a cash machine to get some Croatian Kuna as many places do not take cards.
• If visiting after January 2023 Croatia should be using Euro.
• If you struggle with mobility look for accommodation nearer the centre.
• Taxis do try their luck. We were advised by Martina who we rented the apartment from to use Uber instead.
• In the winter months Zadar gets extremely quiet with a lot of the restaurants and bars closing.
• Cost of items are correct at time of publishing.
• Check out the weather below for best time to visit Zadar. Remember these are averages therefore the weather can be hotter or colder.

Weather

Temp – Celsius Rain – mm	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
High Temp	10	11	13	17	22	26	30	30	26	20	15	11
Low Temp	4	5	7	10	15	18	20	20	17	14	9	6
Rainfall	70	61	70	60	55	50	30	48	57	76	100	88
Number of days	11	10	10	10	9	9	20	20	9	10	12	12