I don’t feel like it would be right to make this a long post since I only spent a day here and almost left thinking it was a pretty average place, until sunset that is.
Unedited photo, still doesn’t do it justice in the least
Alfred Hitchcock apparently said it was the most beautiful in the world, and I think he may be right. So if nothing else, when you’re in Croatia if you can stop into Zadar and stay until the day light fades – it will be worth it.
Crowd gathering by the sea organ for sunset
The city itself is fairly small and the main draw is the ‘sea organ,’ a set of pipes alongside the ocean which sounds like an organ playing when the waves and wind hit them.
It’s pretty cool to listen to (even though you can’t see it) as the sun sets. The other attraction in the area is the ‘Greeting to the Sun’ which is solar powered interactive art piece which lights up once night time begins.
Greeting to the sun, during the day
I personally thought the city gates into old town was very interesting and for the history buff’s there is ancient Roman ruins in the middle of the Zadar.
There is a large amount of dining options given it’s size and as I found in most places in Croatia, strangely Italian food is done very well here!
Roman ruins
City gate entrance
The city makes for a popular base to explore a lot of the Croatian outdoors with many opportunities for hiking nearby, including the popular Plitvice Lakes National Park since it’s only around 90 minutes drive away.
While I probably wouldn’t need to visit again anytime soon, Zadar will always hold first place on my list for the top sunset in Europe (no offence, Santorini).