The Croatian seaport of Zadar is fast becoming a popular stop for medium and smaller sized cruise ships…

 

…and, as my wife and I found, is an exciting place to visit steeped in history, ancient ruins, stunning coastal vistas and fine budget level dining. It is billed as Croatia’s coolest metropolis.

Zadar is also very easy to navigate and generally flat and level with no walking issues.

Cruise ships berth alongside the seaward end of the peninsular…

…as illustrated on this map which I have annotated with the positions of the most popular of the sights on offer…

 

What I am recommending is a circular route around the peninsular and it honestly doesn’t matter whether one tackles it clockwise or anti-clockwise. For the purpose of the review however, I’m taking the reader clockwise…

Head across to the Zadar Arsenal Building…

Originally a 17th century Venetian arsenal warehouse,  it has now been restored into a rather chic entertainment and dining venue…

 

Mounting the short stairs at the Arsenal’s side brings one to Zadar’s defensive wall system…

 

….which on this side runs the length of the town.

Follow the walkway which affords interesting views of Zadar’s inner harbour and the many motor yachts which ply the Croatian coastline…

…and other points of interest. Zadar’s system of walls, gates and bastions was Venice’s answer to the rise of Ottoman Turkey. In the 16th century Zadar was a vital part of the Republic of Venice and subject to frequent attacks. To protect their possession Venetian engineers devised an innovative defense system that survives largely intact. The defences are part of a World Heritage site with numerous gates.

One is adjacent the Gradski Most (translated as the City Bridge)….

 

 

The bridge leads directly into the Nova Vrata (New Gate)…

 

At this point there are steps on which the visitor can descend to the heart of the Old Town…

(Two other gates, The Land Gate and the Sea Gate both feature later in this review)

Once through the New Gate…

…one can head to the right for two hundred yards and visit the Fish Market…

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…or continue along the main thoroughfare as far as Narodni trg (The Peoples Square)…

…an iconic ancient square surrounded by an 11th-century church & other historic buildings including the old City Guard building with its clock tower…

Traditionally the centre of public life, this pretty little square is constantly abuzz with chatter from its many cafes, bars and restaurants.

Departing the Peoples Square and walking along Elizabeth Kotromanic Street will bring the visitor to the fascinating Trg Petra Zoranica, home of the Captain’s Tower…

 

 

and the Zadar Bastion Gate …

 

…and adjacent even more interesting, the Five Wells Square…

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Adjacent the Five Wells there are steps that lead into a park area for a view over the Old Harbour…

…with, to the right of the picture,  the most famous of Zadar’s Gates, The Land Gate.

Returning to the square with the Five Wells it is easy to find the steps that descend to the Land Gate…

and further steps that allow access to the old harbour and the walk along the old walls…

 

…and eventually onto the sea front…

…where it can be seen that the old walls have now been replaced by the University buildings. The seafront promenade offers a delightful walk and in approximately 400 yards one will come to The Roman Forum…

The centre of Zadar life in ancient times, all that really remain now are the stubs of porticoes and marble columns where the original Roman Forum stood….

The bell tower at the rear of the picture is that of the St Anastasia Cathedral… 

The Bell Tower  is open daily and a climb up the 180 steps to reach the top of the freestanding bell tower will reward with amazing views over the city and out to sea …

…and amply shows the Forum’s area now surrounding the Church of St Donatus…

Other views from the tower include…

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Returning to street level it’s well worth wandering around the Forum area visiting the many local vendors offering all sorts of services…

…and not forgetting  a photo opportunity with the Pillar of Shame…

The Pillar, situated at the edge of the Forum square, is now stained and chipped after spending centuries exposed to the elements. Hundreds of years ago, the sight of the looming pole would have been enough to strike fear deep into the heart of any troublemakers.

In the Middle Ages, the pillar was a place of punishment, earning it the nickname the “pillar of shame.” People were chained to it, then mocked, humiliated, and even whipped.

There is a narrow alley way behind the pillar that leads to the main entrance to the St Anastasia Cathedral…

A short distance from the Cathedral is the second of Zadar’s Unesco status Zadar Gates, the Port Gate (also known as the Sea Gate or St Chrysogonus Gate) ….

 

In the 16th century, Zadar was the most important administrative center and naval base of the Republic of Venice, outside Venice itself.

To protect the city from the advancing Ottomans, the Venetians built the walls, gates, and bastions to protect it. Some are also beautifully embellished with sculptures and reliefs. Today, the remains of these walls and gates have UNESCO World Heritage status.

The Port Gate (left) was built to commemorate a victory over the Ottomans at Lepanto and is complete with a carving of Saint Chrysogonus, the patron saint of the city.

That leaves just one really important part of Zadar’s touristy attractions to visit. Easier to backtrack to the Forum and on reaching the seafront continue right along the sea promenade almost as far as it goes until you will either hear something strangely different or notice a congregation of people sitting mesmerised on the steps down to the water. This is Zadar’s Sea Organ ….

 

Not many cities can boast a public musical instrument controlled by the power of nature. The Sea Organ is the brainchild of Croatian architect Nikola Basic and consists of a set of pipes, below the promenade stone steps, that produce musical chords as the waves push air up through the pipes.

While we did hear the Sea Organ it is probably more illustrative if I include this Youtube clip that I found to give a better illustration of what its all about….

Near the Sea Organ is another installation by the same architect called ‘Greeting to the Sun’.

 

It consists of some 300 glass plates with sensors that absorb sunlight during the day and at night they release light patterns creating a multicoloured hypnotic light display…

 

We were lucky enough to have an overnight stay onboard during our visit and headed back to witness sunset at the head of the Zadar Peninsular…

It certainly got a little crowded…

…but was a great experience and only a short distance from the cruise ship berths.

 

Summary

In summary, Zadar is a fascinating city for a day’s visit and is very easy to navigate. There are plenty of cafes, bars and restaurants to provide sustenance as one wanders this amazing port of call. Indeed, we found the seafood quite outstanding. Give it a go.

 

 

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It is common throughout the travel industry for travel journalists and many cruise bloggers to be provided with complimentary cruises for the purpose of their reviews.

Solent Richard has no ‘conflict of interest’ as he is not an accredited journalist, he pays for his cruises, and is happy to confirm that all his reviews are his own given without fear or favour.