Visit Croatia: A day in Zadar -

During our Eurocamp holiday at Zaton Holiday Resort, although the Parc itself was incredible, we were keen to see more of Croatia, a country we had never visited before until last Summer. The great thing about Zaton is that although they have organised excursions, it’s equally as easy to walk the short walk into Nin where you can take the bus to any of the surrounding areas. We were keen to visit Zadar, a city known for its Roman and Venetian ruins of its peninsular Old Town, and in just 30 minutes we had arrived ready to explore.

We got off the bus at the bus station, a short walk from the Old Town itself, but after a quick Mcdonalds fix the children were raring to go and didn’t mind about walking any distance. Let me tell you, Croatian Mcdonalds is amazing and puts our UK restaurants to shame – in fact almost 5 months on since our holiday, the children are still talking about that Mcdonalds so it’s well worth a visit!

As you arrive at the old town and walk under the arch of the city walls, gone are the new concrete buildings and high rise flats, and in its place are is beautiful stone architecture with terracotta walls, wooden shutters, and white stoned streets. There is no denying the striking Venetian influence with the same Italian style buildings, the open piazzas and intricate chapels, even the smell of fresh pizza drifting in from the street side cafes.

There is so much to see and do in Zadar but at the same time, should you wish to just have a leisurely stroll and take in the sights, you needn’t do anything specific at all. We found ourselves at the centre of Zadar in People’s Square, given its name during the Medieval period when everything that has ever mattered in Zadar happened, or was heard of, right there in the square. Even now it is the central point bustling with energy, lined with cafes and restaurants and the sound of live music from the street artists as they perform.

Further along you will find the Cathedral of St Anastasia, a monumental Romanesque building dating back to the 4th and 5th centuries which is still breathtakingly beautiful to this day. As the largest church in all of Dalmatia, the Cathedral of St Anastasia has been submitted to UNESCO’s Tentative List of World Heritage Sites and, having admired it from every angle outside, we couldn’t wait to step inside and take a closer look.

The cathedral itself is free to enter and whilst undeniably beautiful on the outside, it is equally impressive inside. With a three-nave interior and the remains of frescoes in the side apses, here you will find a marble sarcophagus containing the remains of St Anastasia. For those who visit when the cathedral is closed (opening times are sporadic), a glass vestibule at the entrance allows you to peer inside to take a look.

For those who wish to pay a small fee (it was just a couple of pounds for the 5 of us), you can climb the stairs of the bell tower to admire the view from the top. With the whole cathedral having been reconstructed after its destruction in World War II, the stairs are in great condition which made climbing them, even with younger children, relatively easy. Obviously for those with additional mobility requirements I wouldn’t recommend it as they are quite steep and there are lots of them!

For those with mobility issues or those who do not wish to go to the outdoor observatory at the top, you can still take a look inside the tower at the impressive mechanics of the bells. There are also large glass windows on the landing areas where you can still appreciate the view without going all the way to the top.

When you get to the top the climb is definitely worth it and it’s the best way to view Zadar and really appreciate the city from an aerial perspective. I loved admiring the terracotta roofs and the very uniform maze of streets below with views as far as you can see on a clear day. We visited before sunset but I have been told that the best place to watch the sunset in Zadar is right here at the top of the cathedral.

With panoramic views right the way out across the sea there is so much to take in and you can take as much time as you need at the top to enjoy this. The children loved spotting the boats sailing by and counting the steeples in the city. There’s no denying that Zadar is a beautiful city and yet the thing I loved the most was that it had such a laid back and friendly feel, unlike cities we have visited previously.

Afterwards we loved exploring the side streets, the small gift shops and especially places to eat. Croatian cuisine is incredible and if you think Italian gelato is good, you clearly haven’t tried that in Croatia! The streets of Zadar are lined with gelateries, pizzerias, hot dog stalls and loaded fries and, I won’t deny it, we tried them all! In fact all of the food we ate in Croatia was wonderful and we have since made several of the recipes on our return home.

At the end of our day we watched the sun set from the waterfront where you will find the Monument to the Sun. The monument is made up of three hundred, multi-layered glass plates placed on the same level as the stone-paved waterfront and consists of a 22-meter diameter circle where lighting elements installed in a circle turn on at night and produce a light show. This is a very popular attraction in Zadar and definitely one I would recommend you to see should your visit coincide with the evening.