It’s the eternal question for active types – would you rather go exploring in the mountains or by the sea? The locals of Zadar on Croatia’s Dalmatian coast needn’t bother answering – this vibrant and welcoming city has the best of both on its doorstep.
Lapped by the Adriatic Sea on its western side and framed by the Velebit mountains to the east, the Zadar region has been inhabited since the 9th century BC and saw the Romans troop in during the 2nd century. Now the city’s ancient heart is the old walled town, a charming warren of cobbled streets flanking a wide harbour. And while Dubrovnik may have Game of Thrones and Split may be Croatia’s capital of cuisine, Zadar has adventure – whether you fancy hiking, climbing, kayaking or sea swimming – on tap.
The mountains are up first – the jagged Velebit massif sits temptingly close to the city, with Zadar’s famed sunsets turning their grey limestone peaks a soft pink every evening. Paklenika National Park, an hour’s drive east of Zadar, a UNESCO world biosphere reserve that doubles up as a playground for climbers and hikers. Velebit means ‘huge’ or ‘magnificent’ in Croatian, and it looks irresistibly untamed on the map – a 145-kilometre-long mountain range criss-crossed by trekking routes and dotted with remote refuges. The national park is watched over by Anika Kuk, Zadar’s version of El Capitan, which draws crowds of climbers each year to its notorious north face. Even in the summer, they’re rewarded for their efforts by the cooling Bura, a cleansing wind which can be so strong it’s been known to blow climber’s helmets off.
