Croatia's Dalmatian Coast Is Spot On For A Holiday With Something For Everyone
You’ll need more than one trip to discover the 101 delights of Dalmatia – the rugged central coastline of Croatia, protected by a gorgeous Adriatic archipelago and backed by the dramatic Velebit mountain range.
Head out from the beautiful and vibrant 3,000-year-old town of Zadar and you’ll find a destination that has plenty to Cro about.
Relatively undiscovered by Brits, expect spectacular scenery, a fascinating heritage and an unrivalled array of activities that will suit both the sporty and the sedate.
We stayed at the lovely four-star boutique Hotel Bastion at the head of the small peninsula on which the old walled town stands.
It’s ideally placed overlooking the busy harbour and, behind it are the narrow streets and alleys running down to the ancient town gates, which were laid out by the Romans.
The Roman forum is well preserved as are the medieval and Renaissance buildings. The church of St Donatus dates from the 9th century, while St Anastasia’s Cathedral goes back to the 12th. The Franciscan monastery is still inhabited and it has a superb 16th century cloister.
Zadar has a excellent restaurants to suit all pockets and some lively bars. And your money really does go a long way in Croatia – beer costs just £2 for half a litre and we had excellent freshly-made pizzas and wine for £15.
Oh, and none other than movie legend Alfred Hitchcock proclaimed the sunset at Zadar to be the best he’d ever seen.
If you want a typical beach break you can find superb family accommodation such as the Zaton Holiday Resort, near Nin, or the Solaris resort in Sibenik, but the area is really geared up for independently minded travellers who want to explore. And, boy, is there plenty to see.
Nin is the perfect place to start. The first capital of the Croats, it has an unexpected link with Tenby in South Wales through the European Walled Towns Association.
It has the largest area of sandy beaches in Croatia including the rather special Queen’s Beach, hailed by some as one of the most beautiful in the world.
Next to it you’ll find an area of medicinal mud where all manner of health treatments are available. And across the lagoon are the salt works at Nin. Started by the Romans, they are still harvesting one of the world’s finest salts purely from sun, sea and wind.
The area is also a haven for birdwatchers and there are the remains of Croatia’s largest 1st century temple, a lovely museum and several excellent restaurants.
Across the sea from Nin is the island of Pag, which since 1980 has been accessible over a magnificent bridge thanks to the late Yugoslav President Tito, who ordered its construction after it took him more than 10 hours to get there by boat.
Driving across the bridge is a real wow moment.
Pag is well known to the young festival crowd for its summer beach bashes and is popular with cyclists and tourers too.But go in June or September and you will have more than 30 beaches almost to yourself.
Pag town is a historical gem and the island – which gets covered in salt when the winter Bora wind blows – is famous for both its lamb and sheep’s cheese.
It’s an insult in the region not to provide your guests with a Pag lamb at a celebration or to forget a gift of Paski Sir, the most popular sheep’s cheese.
At the Na Tale restaurant I tucked into a plateful of Pag lamb, followed by Paski Strukli Od Skute – a sweet and savoury dessert made from Pag’s own type of cottage cheese.
Turn away from the coast and you’ll find even more spectacular sights at the Paklenica National Park and in the Zrmanja canyon.