How many days do you need in Zadar?

1. 1Zadar old town & Sea Organforum, St. Donatus, sunset at the Sea Organ1 day
2. 2Plitvice Lakesday trip, about 2 hours each way1 day
3. 3Ugljan, Nin or a Kornati boatislands and lagoon1 day

The short answer by trip length

• 1 day: the old town in the morning, a long lunch, then the Sea Organ and the Sun Salutation from an hour before sunset until dark. Fine as a stop between Zagreb and Split, but you leave without a day trip.

• 2 days: the sweet spot for most people. One day for the peninsula and sunset, one for Plitvice.

• 3 days: what we had. Old town, Plitvice, and a third day for an island, Nin, or a boat trip toward the Kornati.

• 4 or more: only if you want a beach base. Zadar is a working city with a compact old centre, not a resort, and the next stops down the coast (Šibenik, Krka, Split) are better uses of extra days.

The deciding question is Plitvice. If you are not seeing it from Zagreb, Zadar is the other sensible base for it, and it needs a full day of its own.

Day by day: 3 days in Zadar

Day 1, the peninsula. Start at the Roman Forum, the largest on the eastern Adriatic, with St. Donatus, the round ninth-century church built over its paving, on one side. The Cathedral of St. Anastasia is next to it; its bell tower gives the view over the red roofs. Walk on through the Five Wells Square and out through the Venetian Land Gate, then back along the waterfront. Be at the western tip an hour before sunset: the Sea Organ plays through pipes under the marble steps, and the Sun Salutation glass circle beside it only lights up properly once it is dark. Our Zadar guide has the detail.

Day 2, Plitvice Lakes. Buses from Zadar take about 2 to 2.5 hours each way, with morning departures; check the current timetable, because services change by season. Arrive early: the boardwalks are single-file by late morning in summer. Plitvice is a full day, so do not plan anything else.

Day 3, islands or a slow day. Ferries run from Zadar's harbour across to Ugljan for a quieter swim, organised boats leave the waterfront for the Kornati islands, and Nin, just north of the city, has a shallow sandy lagoon and one of the oldest churches in Croatia. Or keep it simple: morning market by the harbour, swim, and a second sunset at the Sea Organ.

The details of these trips, including what is worth it in which season, are in day trips from Zadar.

Where Zadar fits in a Croatia route

On our route Zadar came after Osijek (3 days, far to the east) and before Šibenik (2 days), then Split (2) and Dubrovnik (3). That order works: Zadar is the first real stop on the Dalmatian coast if you are coming from Zagreb, and each stop south is a short hop from the last.

• From Zagreb: Plitvice lies between the two, so you can stop there on the way down instead of doing it as a day trip from either end.

• To Šibenik: the next town south, and the base for Krka National Park: Skradin, where the park boat starts, is about 20 to 25 minutes from Šibenik. See our Krka guide.

• To Split: Split adds Diocletian's Palace, free to walk; see Diocletian's Palace.

If you only have a week in Croatia, our Croatia itinerary shows how Zadar fits around Zagreb and Dubrovnik, and the Balkans route shows the full 17 days we spent in Croatia.

Where to stay and when to go

Stay on the peninsula or just across the footbridge if you can. The point of Zadar is the walk to the Sea Organ at dusk and back through the lit streets afterwards, and that is easiest from a room inside the old town. Neighbourhood trade-offs are in where to stay in Zadar.

May, June and September are the best months: warm sea, long evenings and fewer people than in July and August. We were there in mid-August, which is peak season on the whole coast: the highest prices and the busiest Plitvice boardwalks. Croatia uses the euro and is in the Schengen Area; see do I need a visa for Croatia.

For the food side, see what to eat in Zadar and our Croatian food guide.

Zadar compared with the next stops south

If you are deciding how to split a week on the coast, it helps to know what each town is for. Zadar is the Plitvice base and the sunset town, with a Roman centre small enough to see in a day. Šibenik, the next town down the coast, is the Krka base: Krka costs €40 (≈ $45) from June to September, €30 (≈ $33) if you enter after 3pm, and the park boat from Skradin is included. Split is the island hub, with ferries leaving beside Diocletian's Palace, which is free to walk. Dubrovnik is the walled city, best given 2 to 3 days.

That is why our 3 days in Zadar, 2 in Šibenik and 2 in Split made sense: each town had one job. If you have to cut a stop, Šibenik is the one to fold into a day, by seeing Krka on the way from Zadar to Split.

Common mistakes

• Leaving before dark. The Sun Salutation is the second half of the sunset show. Stay 30 to 45 minutes after the sun goes down.

• Trying Plitvice and Krka on one day. They are in opposite directions from Zadar. Do Plitvice from Zadar and Krka from Šibenik.

• Arriving at Plitvice mid-morning in August. The lower lakes are a queue by then. The first bus or a very early start makes the day.

• Treating Zadar as a beach resort. The old town has swimming spots off the promenade, but the better beaches are on the islands and at Nin.

Frequently asked questions