Zadar has two faces of tourism. We have spoken of one previously, the “panoramic” cut which is characterised by a rich and varied fund of cultural inheritance, attractive spaces and surroundings, high-quality receptive touristic structures, peaceful, intimate, small inkeeping, shopping, servicing, accomodating, recreational and intellectual capacities and contents which spiritually enrich and relax the psyche during spare time, which is all the result of the general development and perspectivity of this city. Today, it is the city of cultural institutions and happenings: periodical exhibitions, galleries, musical evenings in St. Donat, puppeteers, as well as entertainment and sports spectacles, water sports, festivals and basketball.
The second face is just as interesting to citizens of Zadar and to their guests and friends because it offers the surroundings and experiences of intense and varied day and evening entertainment which take place in many places in the city and its surrounding area, and are in conjuntion with many small and large “feštas” and spectacles, along with many traditional and culturally authentic, sports and entertainment manifestations as for example, the mega-project “Night of the Full Moon” held the 1st of August every year, along with disco and night clubs, casinos, dance evenings, excursions and similar projects which are constantly being created. This is why it is said that Zadar is as beautiful as a large city. We conclude by mentioning that Zadar has been compared to Venice and Dubrovnik by many travelers, famous people and artists.
Accomodation and attraction
Zadar is traditionally touristically energetic and full of interesting and picturesque details. The touristic attractiveness of Zadar is built on a foundation of culture and tourism as well as other original and high-quality contents, autochtonic and specific touristic-hotel offerings, which are found: 1) inside the historic city on the peninsula, 2) in the city as a whole and 3) in its attractive spatial, socio-cultural and economic surroundings.
Hotels and other lodgings and the property of Zadar and the surrounding area, especially tourist settlements, marinas and camps, are a recognisable symbol of the quality of Zadar's tourism which is moving towards taking on elite characteristics. Both in the coastal area of Zadar and in the hinterlands there are ideal and autochtonic tourist towns as well as original and traditional eco-settlements, ideal for tourists who like contents and surroundings which are “small”, “quiet”, “mild” or “nostalgic”. There are exciting places as well, places which surprise and which hold many events and thus attain a large and selectively well-kept range of tourist lodgings and contents.
Ambiental happenings, farm, ecological, cultural-entertaining, sports-recreational, gastronomic, religious, health, fishing, hunting, hiking, excursional, elite, adventure, retirement and family tourism, especially different forms and manifestations of summer-swimming and hotel, camping and other forms of tourism. Here (especially on the islands) we single out the development and opportunity of nautical tourism, which is becoming the OLYMPUS of the tourism of Zadar and Croatia.
The islands
The islands of Zadar, three hundred in all, of a lace-like structure, making a part of the whole of the valuble pearl touristic necklace are a true gift and an incredible rarity, a phenomenon which enchants all of its visitors. The islands are a rarity and the most precious value of the touristic area of Zadar: Here modernity and globality are fused with the personal, the traditional, the source and the native-national.
The islands of Zadar are, along with being a challenge and a temptation, an Eldorado with a large number of touristic and economic possibilities: they must be developed and kept safe for generations to come who will ensure their optimistic future by means of a maintainable concept.
Excursions
Arrivals and departures to and from Zadar and the surrounding region incite very positive reminiscences: of a good traffic infrastructure, of the beauty of the region, the prominant capacity for nautical tourism, marinas and charters, the modern service at the new touristic port for cruisers, the mega-polivalent sports-touristic centre on Višnjik, to the fascinant surrounding region of Zadar inside of which there is the touristic riviera which goes toward the first royal Croatian city of Nin in the north and towards Biograd in the south. The opportunities are endless as around Zadar gravitate the historic towns of Nin, Pag, Biograd, Obrovac, Benkovac and others, about 50 small touristic towns blessed with tradition, and national parks: Paklenica, Plitvice, Kornati, Krka, Velebit and the natural parks Telaš c ica and Lake Vrana. There are an endless number of excursional programs and various touristic itineraries in place in both the coastal surrounding area of Zadar and the hinterlands, as well as various hiking, adventure, horse-riding, wine-tasting, gastronomic, diving and other events.
Visit them and discover for yourself!
Zadar Tourist Board