Croatia - summer 2021

It seems that Croatia is our pandemic holiday destination – we decided to go back to the same place that we went the year before, and this is a new thing for us to do. You can read about our last year’s travel here.

Croatia has it all, beaches, nature, amazing historical and cultural heritage. I don’t think you can ever be bored in here, even coming two years in a row, there is always new places to see and new things to do. So what was new this time?

Cities and towns

Trogir

This seems to be a rule now that every coastal town of Croatia we visit for the first time leaves us in awe and all we want to do is to wonder on its old narrow streets, wherever they take us. Last year we felt like this about Sibenik, and you can read about our impressions here. Of course, this time we visited Sibenik again, and decided to drive a bit further to Trogir, expecting a similar Mediterranean charm. We made no mistake, Trogir, with its old town on an island, made us equally (or perhaps even more) impressed. Let the photos do the talking.

Trogir's old town and promenade - view from the Kamerlengo Castle

View from the Kamerlengo Castle

Trogir's old town streets and squares

Clock Tower and one of the main squares

Cathedral of St. Lawrence

Nin

A tiny town near Zadar, considered one of the oldest towns in Croatia, and a home to some of the smallest churches. Nin had a great importance during the medieval times, as an episcopal centre and a place where the country rulers were crowned. Nowadays it’s also known for its sandy beaches, and is popular as a holiday destination for families.

Just before you arrive in town, in the middle of empty fields, on a small hill, stands one of the town’s symbols – the 12^th century St. Nicolaus church, where the kings were crowned. The location of this tiny church is really bizarre. 

St. Nicolaus church

Another tiny church of Nin is the Church of the Holy Cross, believed to be the smallest cathedral in the world.

The Holy Cross Church

I shall also add that Nin is a very photogenic town, and (surprisingly) Google photos don't do it justice.

Nin's old town is located on an island, to which you get through a stone bridge. This is the view of the old town from the other side of the bridge.

On the way to Queen's Beach

Queen's Beach in the evening

Zadar

We visited Zadar many times last year, but never after the sunset, so it was time to change it and see the Greeting to the Sun at night. 

The Greeting to the Sun after sunset

And I think I forgot to mention it last year: if you like fresh fish and seafood (to cook it yourself), then the Zadar fish market is your go-to place. Highly recommend it!

Nature

Paklenica National Park

If you like hiking, this is a truly beautiful place to go, however exploring it in the summer heat is quite challenging. We would love to go there again in spring or autumn to fully enjoy it. It is also a paradise for climbers - judging it by their number and happy faces that we saw, as we are not climbers ourselves. 

For our first visit here we chose a path along the canyon of Velika Paklenica, one of the easiest hikes, which can be done with kids, including those carried in a sling.

Velika Paklenica

Worth adding that the entry prices to the Paklenica Park are not as crazy as for some of the most popular Croatian national parks.

Beachtime

Amazing as always.