Top Places to Visit in Zadar and Surroundings

Explore Zadar and Beyond

Zadar is the perfect base to explore Dalmatia. Within a short distance, you can visit national parks, islands, historic towns, and unique landscapes — all in one trip.

What can you discover here?

• 🌊 National parks (Plitvice Lakes, Krka)

• 🏝 Islands (Kornati, Pag)

• 🏛 Historic towns (Zadar, Šibenik, Skradin)

• 🌿 Nature parks and hidden spots

Zadar

Zadar is one of the oldest cities in Europe, where history meets modern creativity. From the Roman Forum and medieval walls to two unique seaside attractions — the Sea Organ, which plays with the waves, and the “Greeting to the Sun” installation.

The city is also famous for some of the most beautiful sunsets on the Adriatic.

Kornati Islands National Park

The Kornati Islands are an archipelago that looks like scattered stones across the deep blue Adriatic. With over 80 islands and islets, a raw, untouched landscape without towns or hotels, and a silence you can actually hear — it’s one of the most “empty” places in Croatia… and that’s exactly what makes it so impressive.

Plitvice is a national park where the water is constantly changing color… and its path. It flows from lake to lake, creating hundreds of waterfalls — big and small. Wooden walkways run just above the water’s surface, and the landscape looks different in every season. Walking here feels a bit like stepping into a living painting.

Plitvice Lakes National Park

Waterfalls Krka National Park

Krka is a national park many people recognize from a single photo… but that’s only part of the story.The Krka River creates a series of cascading waterfalls, flowing through green canyons and past old watermills that show how the power of water was once used.

It’s a place where nature and history walk side by side — quite literally, as parts of the route lead along wooden pathways above the river..

Pag island

Pag is an island of contrasts — rock, wind, and sea in their purest form. A raw, almost lunar landscape meets centuries-old traditions of cheese and salt production. It’s a place you either love instantly… or fall for even more after your first bite of local cheese.

The only island in the Zadar archipelago connected to the mainland by a bridge.

The town of Pag features a well-organized Old Town built according to a Renaissance plan — a rarity on Croatian islands. Wide streets, stone houses, and a long history shaped by salt production, which influenced life here for centuries. Pag is also famous for its lace, listed by UNESCO — delicate, handmade, and strikingly contrasting with the island’s raw landscape.

Pag town

Skradin town

Skradin is a small town that leaves a big impression. Located on the Krka River, it combines the calm atmosphere of a marina, a charming Old Town, and a long history dating back to ancient times.

It’s one of those places where everyone suddenly slows down — even those who planned to stay “just for a moment.”

Sibenik town

Šibenik is a city that doesn’t try to impress — and that’s exactly why it does. A stone Old Town climbing up the hills, a maze of narrow streets, and the Cathedral of St. James — built entirely of stone and listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

It’s one of those places best discovered slowly, with your eyes lifted upward.

Telašćica is a place of contrasts packed into a small area. On one side, steep cliffs drop straight into the sea; on the other, a bay and the saltwater Lake Mir, warmer than the Adriatic.

Telašćica Nature Park shows just how diverse Dalmatian nature can be — all in one place.

Telascica Nature Park

Not sure where to go ?

Check our guided tours from Zadar and explore these places with ease — transport, organization, and local insights included.