Zadar Self Guided Walking Tour
Use the map of Zadar to tour at your own pace!
Situated on the Adriatic Sea, Zadar is the oldest city in Croatia as demonstrated by the well preserved roman ruins. It became part of the Roman empire as far back as 59 BC. This historic city had all the characteristics of a major city at that time which included a main square, a network of interconnected roads, a temple and fortifications.
In the 7th century Zadar became capital of the Byzantine Empire and like many ancient influential cities, it has undergone rebirth after destruction from various wars. Many of its monuments have been preserved showing its history. A mix of old and new can be seen in the city with its roman ruins, medieval churches, fortified walls and cosmopolitan cafes and museum. This 3,000+ year old city is known for its well preserved ruins, a harbor for cruise ships and its beautiful sunset making it a popular tourist destination.
Itinerary and Walking route of Zadar, Croatia:
The Google Zadar tourist map below will guide you on a self guided walking tour of the Western side of Zadar. Eastern half of Zadar walking guide is available HERE.
The destinations (A-H) can be input as destinations into google maps if you want to follow along on your phone or you can printout the pdf. If you follow the destinations in the alphabetical order listed, they will take you on a specific walking route with the attractions (identified in green on the map) and walking route (identified in blue on the map). To access attractions, destination, and pdf: click on the button below or the icon on the title of the map:
Download interactive Map HERE
To download PDF map click HERE
A. Peoples Square
The Clock Tower
The building housing the clock tower was built in the 16th century, however the central clock tower itself was built at the beginning of the 19th century. It has become a popular choice for rendezvous today. “Meet you at the clock tower!” The holes you can see in the clock tower indicate the placement of cannons. Take your time soaking in the ambiance of this vibrant square and visit the various attractions here.
When you are ready to move on, face the Clock Tower and you will see a pedestrian walk to your left which is the main street called Široka ul.
Turn right onto this street (you will be walking west on Siroka) or use google maps to walk towards the next destination, the Archaeological Museum – Arheološki muzej. This will also take you down Široka ulica (ulica is short for ul. which means street). The locals refer to this street as Kalelarga which means Wide Street and was an old roman road around which the city of Zadar was built
Kalelarga, local name for Široka Street
Široka ul., or Kalelarga is the longest street in Zadar and at the western end of this street is the Small Church, Crkva Gospe od zdravlja (destination G on our waking tour). Kalelarga has a numerous stores, ATM’s, ice cream shops and the franchise bakery called Mlinar which serves a variety of Croatian baked items including Strukli which is a great snack but it can also be a meal in itself. You will find Mlinar bakeries throughout Croatia.
At some point after the walking tour I suggest coming back here and exploring the streets and alleys that branch off the Kalelarga. Don’t worry about getting lost because all roads seem to lead to the Kalelarga!
B. Archaeological Museum
C. Roman Forum
Saint Anastasia Cathedral and Bell Tower
Behind the Church of Donata is the Bell Tower of the St. Anastasia Church. Built in the 12th century, it is the largest Cathedral in Dalmatia. The site has been submitted to UNESCO’s Tentative List of World Heritage Sites and was visited by Pope John Paul II on June 9, 2013.
If you want to climb the bell tower, you can access it from Široka ul, and enjoy the spectacular view. You can purchase tickets for the Bell Tower that will exit into the roman forum. On the way you may get distracted by the numerous vendors lined up alongside the cathedral.
St. Mary’s Church
St Donatus Church
Built in the 9th century, St Donatus Church is one of Zadar’s most well-known attractions. Originally dedicated to the Holy trinity, it was renamed after Zadar’s Bishop Donat in the 15th Century but it is no longer used for religious purposes. Because of its its extraordinary acoustic features, the space is used for musical performances today.
Take your time exploring this area as there is a lot to see and when you are finished exploring this area, use google maps to head to the Sea Organ
D. Sea Organ
E. Greetings to the Sun
The Greetings to the Sun is to light what the Sea Organ is to sound. There are three hundred multi-layered plates with solar modules that absorb and convert the suns energy to light energy which then plays out after the sun sunsets into a festival of lights.
Once you have explored this area, you should head back to the Roman Forum using the alleyways. Use google maps to input the next destination of Mali Arsenal
F. The Mali Arsenal
Built in the 16th century as a military warehouse, the Mali Arsenal has been converted into an events hall for banquets, weddings, concert and conferences
From here head to a small local catholic church, Crkva Gospe od zdravlja which is destination G in google maps
G. Crkva Gospe od zdravlja, Small local Catholic Church
Do go in to this small church, it has a real local feel to it. This church faces Kalelarga ie: Široka ul. This street will take you straight back to the Roman Forum.
There is a nice park in the vicinity and a variety of souvenir shops, clothing shops and other local items for purchase
I suggest exploring the alleyways Široka ul., and taking your time heading back to the Roman Forum. Explore the side streets as you make your way back to the Forum
You are now at the western end of Široka ul., ready to head back east to the Forum.
For Additional Croatia Travel Guides, Tourist Maps and Airport Transfer:
- Dubrovnik
- Dubrovnik Game of Thrones and Old Town Self Guided Tour – Follow the Map and Guide to visit the film locations for Game of Thrones, beaches and churches. The self guided tour will take you a full day if you also visit the beaches. Use the map and attractions guide to visit the attractions of Old Town Dubrovnik and the locations of the Games of Thrones Scenes. The map has picture of the sites and how they looked for the film scenes. The walking tour will take you ½ a day. If you visit Lokrum island and spend time at the beach/monastery/fort on the island, this will take you another ½ day to full day. Lokrum Island is the location of the City of Qarth in GoT and is a 10 min water taxi ride from the Dubrovnik Port
- Dubrovnik Day Trips. Spend a day at each of the villages of Ston and Cavtat a short distance from Dubrovnik. Cavtat is a charming village that was invaded by the Slavs. The inhabitants fled and were the original settlers of Dubrovnik. Visit the historical beaches and spend time on the beach or hike the Ronald Brown Pathway. Ston is a small village on a hill surrounded by a 7 km wall that is second in size to the Great Wall of China. It is famous for its defensive walls, its salt “mines” and its oyster bays. The oysters from Ston are well renowned
- Zagreb
- Upper Town, Old Town Zagreb – 15 must see attractions of Old Town Zagreb. Walk the attractions of Upper Town Zagreb, the self-guided walking tour will take you to the various attractions in ½ a day. You may want to explore some of these attractions in greater depth such as the Museum of Broken Relationships or climb the Lotrščak Tower. In that case the self guided tour will take more than half a day
- Zagreb Lower Town, Lenuci Horseshoe – Visit the 7 Squares and Botanical gardens in the shape of a horseshoe, including the under ground 31,000 sq meter shopping mall. A ½ day tour of the U-shaped system of 7 parks and Zagreb botanical gardens. The Lenuci horseshoe in Lower Town Zagreb is a short walking distance from Zagreb’s main Ban Jelačić Square and facing the main train station Glavni Kolodvor. The Square include pavilions, theater, museums, state archives and an underground mall amongst its many historical buildings dotted throughout the horseshoe
- Walking tour Zagreb Lower town and Grič Tunnels – A 2 hour tour of the tunnels under Zagreb old town; they were built as shelter during the war and are now used by the locals to cross Old Town or to go between upper town and lower town. Not only are they a short cut, they are cool in the summer and a welcome relief from the searing sun. Explore the old world war tunnels and visit the sights of lower town
- Unique and Fun things to do in Zagreb – Explore activities and places to visit such as Jarun Lake, the Antiques Fair or discover current events in Zagreb
- Split
- Old Town Split and Marjan Hill – Explore the Old Town Square, then head over to Marjan Hill. This self guided tour can take a whole day as the walking portion of the tour will guide you to attractions in the Old Town and then on to Marjan Hill. This part of the tour will take ½ a day. The tour will end at the beach where you can spend the rest of the day, take the local bus back or walk along the promenade back to Old Town
- Split, Salona ancient Roman Ruins – On the outskirts of Split, don’t miss the roman ruins of Salona, the birthplace of Emperor Diocletian. Step outside of the Old Town of Split and visit the nearby city of Solin (which is the ancient city of Salona, Diocletian’s birthplace). Then continue onto the town of Trogir. This self guided tour has instructions for local buses to take you on a route for a full day trip from Split to Salona (stop in Salona, then continue onto Trojir. Then catch the local bus back to Split
- Trogir, UNESCO World Heritage Site – This attraction is often overlooked. It is a charming, authentic village, a heritage city where the Old Town is on an Island. It is an easy bus ride from Split to Trogir, with a stopover in Salona (Solin)
- Split, Diocletian’s Palace – Not to be missed, the10 must see attractions in the palace to stop and take pictures. The Palace tour is a ½ day self-guided tour through the palace that will end at the market which you can explore
- Zadar
- Zadar Western Half – The old town is located on an island; explore the attractions on the westerns side of the island in this ½ day self guided walking tour. Attractions include popular attractions such as the Sea Organ, Greetings to the Sun and the Roman Forum / Ruins
- Zadar Eastern Half – Take a ½ day to visit the churches, parks and other attractions on the eastern side of Zadar Island. Visit the fish markets and green markets for fresh food and explore the cobblestone alleyways for a touch of ambiance and potential souvenir shopping
- Zadar islands – The Zadar Archipelago has around a 100 islands off its coast, many of them uninhabited. Visit all or any of the 9 popular islands in this map and use the attractions guide to the islands. You can rent a boat rent a boat with or without a captain, get a water taxi, take the ferry/ to visit the islands and swim in the Adriatic or anchor at hidden beach/cove
- Island Visit
- Croatia Islands – Rent or hire a boat to visit the 9 popular islands off the mainland. Visit 1 or 2 or all 9 islands for a fabulous day out to sea
- Hvar Island
- Hvar old town attractions and Španjola fortress (Fortica) – Use the self guided tour map and attractions to visit the popular sites in Hvar Old Town. The tour will take ½ a day to the major attractions in Hvar Town, including climbing to the Spanjola fortress that has been protecting Hvar for hundreds of years. However it could be longer if you want to spend time visiting the museums or spending an afternoon enjoying the magnificent views from the Fortress
- Hvar Island driving tour – Take the local bus, rent a car / scooter for the day to visit the numerous attractions on the island. This can take two days as there is a lot to see and do. It includes: wine tasting, visiting a cave monastery high on the hills, quaint fishing villages, popular beaches, hidden coves and harbours A great tour that will take you across the island
- Hvar Islands and Lavendar Fields Tour – You can rent a boat (with or without a captain) and visit the islands off Hvar Island. The Pakleni Islands are an archipelago of 20 islands off the coat of Hvar. They are known for beautiful beaches, charming village towns and secluded coves. You can take the bus to visit the abandoned villages of Velo Grabjle and Malo Grabjle,. It is a short bus ride or scooter/car trip from Hvar Town. Explore the fields of lavender and Olive Grove farms
- Getting around Croatia – Information on Croatian buses and ferries
