10 Reasons Why You Should Visit ZADAR, CROATIA

Zadar is a small low-key city on the beautiful Adriatic coast of Croatia. Anyone who's seen our videos from our most recent trip to Croatia will know how much we love Zadar, so much so that we've created this video to show you why Zadar is the perfect place to add to your trip plans. Whether that be for a short European city break, as part of a larger Croatia itinerary, or as somewhere to use as your main base while exploring more of Croatia. So let's dive straight into the 10 reasons why you should visit Zadar. Number one is the beautiful architecture. Zadar offers a fascinating combination of old meets new with Roman ruins and ancient buildings sitting alongside modern installations and contemporary architecture. The Roman and Venetian influences are apparent throughout the city and the streets boast an array of stunning limestone buildings, pastel colours and marble floors. Do be warned though, as gorgeous as these polished floors are, they can be a little slippery, especially if it rains. It's a small price to pay though for how beautiful the streets look, particularly at night when the light reflects off the limestone. Number two is the unique installations you'll find along the beautiful promenade of Zadar's old town. The first one is the Sea Organ. I don't know if you can hear it behind me, warbling away, sounds caused by the water pushing air down some tubes that are running underneath us in the side there. I don't even know how you describe that sound, but that is the Sea Organ. We would recommend you try at least one visit first thing in the morning as the organ does get busier as the day goes on, however it makes for an amazing spot for sunsets. Another unique installation is Greeting to the Sun, also known as Monument to the Sun, created by the same architect as the Sea Organ. This large circle of photosensitive glass plates on the floor takes in the sunlight during the day and then it uses it to power a spectacular light display at night. We keep getting ready to leave and then get distracted by it again. Not only that, but Greeting to the Sun generates enough power to light up the whole waterfront. These two installations are located next to one another so you can listen to the Sea Organ while watching the light show. So you've got Greeting to the Sun here, and the Sea Organ there. We couldn't make a list of reasons you should visit Zadar without mentioning number three, which is those glorious Zadar sunsets. Alfred Hitchcock once said that Zadar sunsets are the best in the world, and while we haven't seen every sunset in the world to be able to back him up, we would agree that they are breathtaking. Not only are the sunsets a sight to behold, but the atmosphere along the promenade when the sun begins to go down is not to be missed. People gather along the promenade and sit, or sometimes swim, listening to the waves and the sound of the Sea Organ filling the air and watching the golden sun disappear into the sea, as it leaves behind an array of brilliant colours and a waterfront of silhouettes. Number four is the water. Both in terms of cleanliness and appearance, the sea around Zadar is absolutely stunning. The sparkling water is a beautiful shade of turquoise and is so clear you can see straight to the bottom. The main city beach in Zadar has been awarded blue flag status, meaning the quality of the water is top-notch. Plus in Zadar you don't even have to go to the beach, you can swim anywhere off the promenade anytime you like. Reason number five is the small picturesque squares, each of which has something unique to offer. Firstly there's Five World Square. Venetians helped the city withstand against Turkish sieges by building a large water system with these five ornamental well heads which give the square its name. On Five World Square also sits the entrance to the lush Queen Elena Park, which was the first public park in Croatia and the perfect place to grab a bit of shade on a hot day. Also connected to Five World Square is, and forgive me for any mispronunciation here, Petar Zeronica Square. So you go straight from Five World Square here down the steps to another square here. This square is surrounded by restaurants and tall pastel buildings and be sure to look under your feet as archaeological sites of medieval and Roman ruins are displayed under a glass floor. Another square you shouldn't miss is the small but pretty People's Square. Here lively cafes are surrounded by ancient buildings and if you cut through one of the cafes on the square you will find the remains of a tiny 11th century church. It's really small but it's pretty cool to say that it's just this tiny little church that's at the back of a cafe. Reason number six is the Forum which is located in the center of Zadar's old town. You really can't miss it. Here Roman ruins are scattered between historic churches and there are a number of things for you to do and see. Firstly you can enter St. Donatus Church, a Whilst this circular building is no longer used for religious ceremonies it is now often used for concerts due to its excellent acoustics. We found it interesting that the church was built upon ancient ruins such as these fluted columns which you can see if you look down at the foundations. Next for 15 kuna you can climb around 180 steps up the 183 foot bell tower. It may be a bit of a climb but you'll be rewarded for your efforts with amazing views over the rooftops of Zadar. These views are definitely worth 15 kuna. Try to avoid being midway up the tower when the bells start to chime though because they are pretty loud. Once you're back on the ground you can wander around pieces of unearthed ruins scattered throughout the Forum. This site isn't ripped off and there's no admission fee so you can walk through here whenever you like. In Zadar's Forum you will also see the Pillar of Shame. Back in the Middle Ages if you'd been a little bit naughty you could be publicly humiliated by being chained to this looming solitary column for all to see. The seventh reason you should visit Zadar is that it makes a great base for exploring more of Croatia. Zadar is conveniently located within easy reach of several national parks and islands, it's well connected to cities of interest and it's even an ideal entry point for many of Croatia's music festivals. On our trip we opted for two day trips. One to visit Kerker National Park which is a beautiful place for hiking and swimming in waterfalls and another to Šibenik which is a small historic city that sits between Zadar and Split. We have also created video guides for how to visit these two locations as a day trip from Zadar so I will link them in the description below for you to watch after this video if they are of interest to you. Every time you turn a corner it's like wow something else lovely to look at. Number eight is the food. In our experience Croatia has always been great for food and Zadar has been no exception. Cuisine varies depending on where you're based in Croatia and being by the sea you'll find an abundance of delicious fresh seafood options in Zadar. There's also a strong Italian influence so if you enjoy the likes of pizza and pasta you won't be disappointed. While in Croatia you should also try the black risotto which gets its color from the addition of squid ink. Our favorite dish of the trip was the tuna tartar and we actually visited the same restaurant twice in this trip just so we could eat that dish again. This is the one that we've come back for. Are you happy? Yes, very happy. Nooooo! Number nine is the current level of tourism in Zadar. Zadar has hit that perfect balance where there's plenty to see and do and should you want to go on an excursion there are a number of simple options available to you but it's also not as crowded or as expensive as the seemingly more popular Croatian hot spots such as Dubrovnik and Split. While Zadar is currently not the most well known spot to visit in Croatia we think it's only a matter of time before more people realize what a fantastic place Zadar is to visit. Last but not least the tenth reason you should visit Zadar is the weather. While we all know that there are of course never any guarantees when it comes to weather as Zadar is situated on the Dalmatian coast of Croatia it for the most part enjoys warm dry summers and many hours of daylight. We found the weather perfect for exploring the old town sitting out in bars cafes and restaurants and of course going for a swim. Well that's it we hope we've managed to show you why you should visit Zadar on your next trip to Croatia. Thank you for watching if you enjoyed this video don't forget to leave us a like or a comment as it really helps our channel. If you're new here, hello! We share videos of our holidays to give you ideas and planning tips for your own trips. We also create videos showing you things to do in our home country of the United Kingdom. We have videos from Greece and Florida coming up soon and after that who knows! We have some pretty exciting ideas in the works though so if you'd like to see more of our travel content please consider subscribing to our channel. Thanks again for watching we hope you stick around!