North Dalmatia

North Dalmatia is sometimes overlooked as a holiday destination, which is a shame – it is just as lovely as the rest of the Croatian coast, and there are also some amazing historic sights here in the towns of Zadar and Sibenik! The resorts of Biograd na Moru and Vodice are popular with holidaymakers from all over Europe, whilst Kornati islands – the latter in particular – are fantastic for exploring; the 125 islands that make up the archipelago range in size and type greatly.

Set amid the wild beauty of white karstic rock and the azure sea, the Šibenik aquatorium is a yachting paradise, boasting as many as 240 isles and reefs, each of which holds an interesting feature or two. If you want to meet the best known coral hunters in the Adriatic, set sail for Zlarin. If you wish to see the centre of sea sponge harvesting, then Krapanj is your destination. On the other hand, if you seek an experience like no other, then venture into the open sea and discover the Kornati Archipelago.

Two national parks with only 50km between them could not be more different. The Kornati National Park is an archipelago of 89 islands, isles and reefs (numbering in total 152 units) of incomparable beauty which offers the boaters the pleasure of sailing, the formidable sheer cliffs filling them with delight and awe in the same breath. Enchanted with their striking beauty, the famous writer George Bernard Shaw wrote one of the best descriptions of the Kornati: “On the last Day of Creation God wished to crown his work and he created Kornati out of tears, stars and breath”. In contrast, the Krka National Park is full of travertine barriers, waterfalls and lakes the wondrousness of which take one’s breath away. Indeed, they are regarded as one of the favourite tourist picture postcards from Croatia.