Croatian holidays during the pandemic

There comes a time when one needs to get away, even though the pandemic does not go away. We really needed a break and a change of scenery.

We were keen on travelling by car to avoid public transport. The choice was quite straightforward, as one of the most beautiful, interesting and sunny destinations that can be reached within an overnight drive from the South of Poland is the Croatian coast.

This time we decided to visit Northern Dalmatia and stay near Zadar. Like other parts of Croatia that we visited before (Istria and Southern Dalmatia), this region offers something to everyone, fans of nature, sightseeing and historic landmarks and beach holidays.

 

Nature: Krka National Park

Most people come here to see the famous Skradinski Buk waterfall and admire it while swimming (!). Yes, it is still possible to swim in some locations of the park, but only until the end of this year, so we decided to enjoy this experience before it’s forbidden 😊.

From the main entrance the waterfall can be reached by a shuttle bus, but as we preferred to avoid public transport, we took a hike. The path was a bit less than 1km long, so we didn’t expect problems, however in the sun, 34 degrees and a baby in a sling it proved to be somehow exhausting. We then took a lovely path (probably similar length) through the woods, where the shade helped us recover from the heat. It’s a longer walk, but if you have time it’s worth it. And this is what you reach at the end:

     

 

We only came here for one afternoon, but if you have more time, I’m sure it’s worth staying for the whole day and taking one of the boat trips to see other parts of the park. Note that different routes are available from different entrances of the park.

Website: http://www.np-krka.hr/en/

Cities: Zadar and Sibenik

Zadar

We stayed near Zadar and visited the city a few times, exploring at a slow pace.

Zadar is a city of rich historical and cultural heritage and in the old town you will see monuments from various ages, Roman ruins including. I loved that you can spot Roman remains in quite unexpected places – like a single column in one of the squares.

In the centre of the old town, you will find remains of the Roman Forum. Unfortunately, its buildings did not survive an earthquake in the 6th century, but the original layout of the forum has been preserved.

On the grounds of the forum, there is my favourite historical building in Zadar, a 9th century circular St Donatus Church. It is definitely different to any church I have previously seen, with its unusual shape, austere interior and the fact that some elements of the destroyed Roman buildings were used for its construction. The building currently serves as a concert hall due to its acoustics. To me, it overshadowed the nearby Cathedral of St. Anastasia.

The waterfront promenade has a modern feel, with Sea Organs at the very end of it. Apparently, these are unique in the world and consist of stone steps with tubes underneath and holes on top. The sea waves interact with the tubes and sounds emerge through the holes - they depend on the strength of the waves.

Next to the organs, there is an installation Greeting to the Sun – a huge circle on the pavement made of glass, with solar panels that absorb the light during the day, to illuminate at night.

Many believe that Zadar has the most beautiful sunset in the world and we can tell why:

For our 7-year old a highlight of Zadar was the Museum of Illusion, so if you have kids it’s worth checking out. We had lots of fun exploring the vortex tunnel, antigravity and infinity rooms and other exhibits. Note there is a scientific explanation next to each!

Sibenik

We love the Adriatic coast old towns, their narrow streets and stone houses with window shutters and can spend hours just strolling around and admiring the views. Sibenik was a perfect example of such a town and – maybe it’s an effect of the pandemic or maybe it’s slightly overlooked by tourists – it wasn’t crowded at all.

As we learned, Sibenik is the oldest originally Croatian town on the Croatian coast, founded in the 9^th century. It’s a city of fortresses – there are five of them, but not all are currently open to visitors. With quite a bit of climbing in the old town streets and steps you will reach the probably most popular one – St. Michael’s Fortress. There is one *big* reason to get here – spectacular panoramic views.

Another must-see place in the old town is the Cathedral of St. James. It is entirely built in stone and combines both gothic and renaissance style, as the construction stretched over a hundred years during the 15th and 16th century. 

Walking through the labyrinth of the old town streets you will find some charming squares, hidden yards and such gems as Medieval Monastery Mediterranean Garden of St. Lawrence – a lovely small garden that follows a medieval scheme and was restored and reopened in 2007.

Beaches

Plenty to choose from and something for different likes. Near our apartment there was a small pebble beach with a shallow entrance to water, perfect for kids. We didn’t need more and were happy that it wasn’t hugely popular, there were usually only several people from neighbouring campsites and apartments in there.

15 mins walk from where we stayed was a public beach Punta, pebbly and shallow too, but of course much more crowded.

Many other beaches within a short drive.

 

Pandemic – rules and restrictions (and practice)

The restrictions seemed a bit selective, but as we all know this is the case also in other countries.

Before travelling to Croatia, you are advised to fill in an online travel notification https://entercroatia.mup.hr/ that is supposed to get you quicker through the border control. This didn’t seem to be checked in any way at the border and there were no separate queues for those who had it and those who didn’t (which apparently was the case a week earlier). The border control was limited to checking the travellers’ ID by an officer who did not wear a mask, gloves nor was seen to disinfect hands.

In Croatia you won’t be let into a shop without a mask and a couple of times we were reminded to put them on before entering. This did not apply to other places though: in restaurants or some of the historic sites staff usually didn’t wear masks and guests were not expected to wear them either, but many did anyway.

Overall, the approach felt quite relaxed, however since we came back the infection rate in Croatia has been raising, so new restrictions might have been introduced.

 

Dates of travel: 8-15 August 2020.