Zadar

From Wikitravel

Zadar is in northern Dalmatia, Croatia.

Zadar, the church of St. Mary near the Roman Forum

[edit] Get in

The adjacent bus and train stations are about 15 minutes walk from city centre. There are frequent buses and taxis too.

[edit] By bus

Frequent buses run to and from Zagreb (3h 30 min), Rijeka (change for Trieste in Italy), Pula, Sibenik, Split and on to Dubrovnik. Information: +385-23-211555. Reservations by phone are possible with some operators, e.g. Contus: +385-23-314477. Touring connects Zadar with several German cities.

About half the buses for Zagreb pass through the stunning Plitvice National Park.

[edit] By train

A few slow trains a day run to Knin and connect into trains for Zagreb and Split. Virtually nobody uses this train to get to these cities. Train to Knin is one carriage long with no air conditioning and can be quite uncomfortable, however the scenery is beautiful and will leave you in wonder at the numerous stations which appear to be in the middle of nowhere.

[edit] By boat

Large Jadrolinja http://www.jandrolinija.hr ferries run every few days up and down the coast between Dubrovnik and Rijeka, stopping off at ports (including Zadar) and islands on the way. They also run almost daily ferries in summer to and from Ancona in Italy.

Local Boats - Zadar is also a hub for local boats and hydrofoils in Northern Dalmatia. Services run to and from Olib, Mali Losinj, Ugljan etc.

[edit] By plane

There is an evening flight from Zagreb. During the summer seasons there are also various tourist flights from several European cities. Cheap flights exist but may be hard to find. AdriaJet [1] sells tickets on charter flights: tel. +385 48 240600. Ryanair [2] has added a low cost flight from London Stansted and Dublin to Zadar.

[edit] Get around

The centre is easy enough to get around on foot. To reach the bus & train stations or Youth Hostel you will probably need to catch one of the frequent local buses.

[edit][add listing] See

• Walk around the atmospheric streets of the old town, located on the peninsula. There are 34 old churches situated on the peninsula, and all of them with a very rich history. The oldest is St. Simeon (Sv. Šime).
• St. Donat's
• The Roman Forum
• St. Anastasia (the Cathedral)
• St. Mary & St. Simeon
• University of Zadar - originaly founded 1396., which makes it the oldest university in Croatia, and one of the oldest universities in Europe.
• The Archaeological Museum
• Enjoy the otherworldly sounds of the Sea Organ (Croatian: Morske orgulje) on Zadar's Riva. This man-made organ works with the motion of the waves and 35 pipes to create a musical soundscape.

[edit][add listing] Do

Sit for hours in one of the cafes and enjoy the city, the sun, and the people. There's very few Internet cafes. For more information visit the tourist office: [3]

Take a dip in the beautiful clear waters. Amazing.

Take a walk along the paved seafront on a summer evening for one of the best sunsets in Europe and listen to the relaxing sounds of the rather origional 'sea organ' set into the harbour wall.

[edit][add listing] Buy

If you are looking for a good printed tourist guide try the Petar Zoranic bookstore, Knezova Subica Bribirskih 10

[edit][add listing] Eat

• Restaurant Kornat, near the harbour, excellent Croatian Mediterranean cuisine.
• Restaurant Nika, beside the harbour in the Puntamika district, fantastic food and service in a beautiful setting for low prices by Western standards.

[edit][add listing] Drink

• The Garden, Bedemi zadarskih pobuna, tel. +385 23 254509. A fancy open bar with a lovely view over the harbour

• The Arsenal, Trg tri Bunara, +385 23 253 820, [4]. A 17th cent. Venetian Naval Warehouse, now a cool Restaurant-Bar-Club.

[edit][add listing] Sleep

• Hotel Kolovare, [5]. The only hotel close to the city center.
• The Youth Hostel Obala kneza Trpimira 78, +385-23-331145. Friendly, 5 km from the city centre by the marina in Borik. Take buses 5 or 8.
• Hotel Adriatic, on the beach Biograd 30 km south of Zadar, +38523383556, [6]. Three-star designer hotel, great pool.

[edit] Get out

• Visit the stunning waterfalls and lakes of the Plitvice National Park.
• Rent a boat and explore surrounding islands, especially Kornati.