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Zadar

Zadar

Zadar, historically known as Zara, is the oldest continuously inhabited city in Croatia.

Plan a trip to Zadar From Split

It is situated on the Adriatic Sea, at the northwestern part of Ravni Kotari region. Zadar serves as the seat of Zadar County and of the wider northern Dalmatian region. The city proper covers 25 km2 (9.7 sq mi) with a population of 75,082 in 2011, making it the second-largest city in Dalmatia and the fifth-largest in the country.

Get in

Getting to Zadar

  1. 01
    Zračna luka Zadar
  2. 02
    Autobusni kolodvor Zadar

    Frequent buses run to and from Zagreb (3hr 30 min), Rijeka (change for Trieste in Italy), Pula, Šibenik, Split and on to Dubrovnik, some service destination in Germany.

  3. 03
    Kolodvor Zadar

    The slow trains previously running to Knin and connects with trains for Zagreb and Split have been discontinued.

  4. 04
    Long

    Jadrolinja runs large ferries every few days up and down the coast between Dubrovnik and Rijeka, stopping off at ports including Zadar and islands on the way.

See

Worth seeing

Walk around the atmospheric streets of the old town, located on the peninsula. There are 34 old churches on the peninsula, and all of them with a very rich history. The oldest is St. Simeon (Sv. Šime).

  1. 01
    Crkva svetog Donata

    The church is one of the best preserved pre-Romanesque buildings in the world.

  2. 02
    Katedrala

    Stošije (Zadar Cathedral or Cathedral of St.

  3. 03
    Sveučilište u Zadru

    The university in its current modern form was refounded in 2002, but it was founded 1396, which makes it the oldest university in Croatia, and one of the oldest universities in Europe.

  4. 04
    Forum Romanum

    Remains of the Roman forum - One of the best preserves Roman forums in existence.

  5. 05
    Kopnena Vrata

    Historic entrance gate to the city, built to a design by the Venetian architect Michele Sanmicheli in 1543.

Do

Things to do

Chill in one of the cafes and enjoy the city, the sun, and the people. Walk: take a stroll 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 original 'sea organ' set into the harbour wall.

How locals move

Getting around Zadar the local way

  • Get aroundThe main taxi ranks in Zadar are at the following locations: Autobusni kolodvor (Bus station) Ferry quay at the Liburnska obala in the old town (near the bus stop), tel.
  • Go nextDugi Otok – for its beautiful landscape, salt lake and donkeys at the Telašćica Nature Park Šibenik for the UNESCO World Heritage lists its prominent Cathedral of St.

From Wikivoyage: Zadar, CC BY-SA. Not yet checked by us. Last edited 2026-09.

Text adapted from Wikipedia and Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photograph: Wikimedia Commons (see Commons), Wikimedia Commons.