Zadar Travel Guide – Visit Zadar – Budget Travel In Croatia

Visit Zadar, the oldest city in Croatia, to experience Roman ruins, medieval churches, impressive sunsets and even a sea organ.

My visit to Croatia had been wonderful so far. I visited Zagreb during the advent season before experiencing the Plitvice Lakes covered in snow. Now it was time to hit the coast and visit Zadar. I had wondered if the coastal destinations might have been quiet, due to it being low season.

How To Get To Zadar From Plitvice Lakes 

All buses from Zagreb to Zadar pass through Plitvice Lakes so getting a bus is easy. I used Get By Bus to book my ticket in advance. It is an e-ticket so no need to print.

However, as I was staying in Grabovac, a small town 7 km away from the pickup-point, I had to first take another bus to the lakes. This meant taking a bus at 8.02 am and then spending nearly 2 hours at entrance one of the lakes before my bus to Zadar arrived.

This was slightly annoying as the bus to Zadar passes through Grabovac. I could have risked putting my hand out and hoping the bus would have picked me up in Zadar but I didn’t want to chance it. Waiting for 2 hours at the entrance to the lakes in minus 3 degrees was not the greatest experience.

Arriving In Zadar

Thankfully, my bus was only slightly late and it was nice and warm. Within a couple of hours, I was in Zadar where the sun was shining. It was incredible that I began the day sat in the snow in minus 3 degrees and just a few hours later I was on the beach enjoying the afternoon sun.

I walked along the coast until I came to the main gate into the old town (map). The picture below is of the main gate by night.

I walked for a few minutes around the old town before heading over the ‘Gradski Most’ (map) to where my hostel was located.

Where To Stay In Zadar

These are some of the best budget hostels in Zadar, according to user reviews. These are affiliate links to the Agoda web site. I receive a small amount for any bookings made through these links at no extra cost to you.

• Boutique Hostel Forum
• Sky Hostel
• Windward Hostel Zadar
• Downtown Boutique Hostel
• Hostel Sunset

Rock Hostel

I chose to spend my time at ‘Rock Hostel’ (map). I arrived to a rather indifferent reception. The host was cleaning and fixing things around the hotel and told me check-in was not until 2 pm, despite booking.com saying it was at 1 pm. He seemed surprised that I was staying there. It soon became clear that I was the only guest in the entire hostel. This did not fill me with confidence that Zadar would be a lively visit.

After hanging around for just under an hour, I returned and he let me in. Why I couldn’t have checked in the first time, I do not know as he had made no changes to the room. As I had the place to myself, there was no need for a locker and he put me in a different room to the one I booked. This was not a problem as the rooms were pretty much all the same. I had a shower in which the water was hot for about 2 minutes and leaked all over the bathroom. The guy said he’d fix this but it was the same for my whole stay. After he left, I never saw him again. Not even to check out.

The hostel was fine but mainly because I had it to myself. If it had been full, I’m sure my stay would have been less enjoyable. There was only the one shower and toilet for the downstairs (maybe more upstairs) and the kitchen area was tiny. My bed didn’t have a power socket but I was able to use the ones near the other beds. The rooms were covered in pictures of rock stars and I was pleased to see a picture of Bowie above my bed.

The WiFi was good and the location of the hotel was great: on a quiet street but just a minute from the bridge that takes you straight into the old town.

I paid £28 for a 3 night stay in a 4-bed dorm with shared bathroom.

Best Bars In Zadar

As the advent festival was taking place, my ‘diet’ mainly centred around spicy sausage from one of the many food stalls at the Christmas market in ‘5 Wells Square’ (map).

There are many bars on ‘Stomorica Street’ (map). There is little to differentiate between them. The prices are the same whichever you drink in. During the summer, everyone sits out in the street and so the bar you’re drinking in is irrelevant. Listed below are the bars that are not on Stomorica Street.

Deja Brew Pub

Deja Brew serve good craft beer at affordable prices. They have a few beers on draught but a bigger selection of bottles. The draught was good and strong. Drinks come with free pretzels. One of the better bars in Zadar. Map.

Factory Bar

Factory Bar is a opular bar that stays open into the early hours. There was nothing wrong about this place but whilst in there I did start looking for other bars on my phone. I wanted something a bit more original, a bit more quirky. Factory Bar wasn’t really doing it for me. Map.

Indie Bar & Cafe

I first came here for coffee, which was good and only 9 KN. I then came for a beer the next evening and it was much more enjoyable than Stomorica Street. There was a DJ and he was playing some great tunes. It got busy too, when most bars I’d previously been in were almost empty. Great place. Map.

V Kat Caffe

Not, as the name might suggest, a cat cafe. ‘V Kat Caffe’ (map) is a modern coffee shop and bar located on the fifth floor. There is no lift so you will definitely be ready for a drink by the time you reach the bar. It’s selling point is that it offers great views over the old town. Definitely worth checking out.

Things To Do In Zadar

Most of the interesting sights in Zadar are located in the old town. As the old town is small, you can cover most of these within one day. I spent three nights in Zadar so had to find a day trip to occupy my time.

Advent Festival

Obviously, this is only during the Christmas period. The advent festival is, I was led to believe, new to Zadar. There was a big stage and many stalls selling sausage, mulled wine and other festive treats.

Cathedral Of St Anastasia

A huge cathedral with an impressive interior that is free to explore. There is also a bell tower which you can climb to enjoy great views over the town. Map.

Church Of St Donatus

Located in the heart of the old town, the 9th century ‘Church of St Donatus’ (map) occasionally hosts classical concerts due to the impressive acoustics. The church was locked during my visit but apparently the outside is more impressive. Look out for the roman ruins just outside the church.

Greeting To The Sun 

Designed by Nikola Basic, ‘Greeting To The Sun’ is a monument made up of solar panels that comes alive at night, providing a colourful light show. Map.

Perivoj Vladimira Nazora u Zadru

City park and gardens that have sadly been neglected. There is some history here and there are various information boards scattered around but the overall impression is of a park that needs a bit more love. Map.

Queen Jelena Madijevka Park

A small park and garden built in the 1800s offering shade and short walks to a viewpoint. There is also a cafe-bar here. It’s sadly under-maintained and covered in grafitti but is worthy of a short exploration. Map.

Sea Organ

Also designed by Nikola Basic, the Zadar Sea Organ consists of 35 tubes of various lengths placed in the stone steps leading to the sea. As the waves roll in and out, the tubes make haunting sounds. A perfect soundtrack to watch the sunset. Map.

Sibinek Day Trip

As I had pretty much done everything in Zadar with still a full day to go, I looked into possible day trips. ‘Sibinek’ (map) was recommended by many bloggers so that’s where I headed. A bus from the main bus station in Zadar (map) took around 90 minutes. It’s a wonderful city and definitely worthy of a day trip. Click here to read more.

Sunset Point

Described by Alfred Hitchcock as “the greatest sunset in the world”, the ‘sunset point’ (map) is the perfect place to watch the sun disappear over the Riva.

Zadar Market 

Mix with the locals as they buy their meat, fish, fruit and veg. It’s a vibrant outdoor market with many locally produced products. It might have become more aimed at tourists over the years, but it is still a great place to experience local people going about their everyday lives. Map.

Zadar Old Town

As most of the attractions are located in Zadar Old Town, you will inevitably spend most of your time there. The labyrinth of cobbled streets offers some great sights and architecture from over the years.

For more information, visit https://www.zadar.travel/en