Map and Travel Guide
Everything you need to leisurely explore some of the best places to see in Zadar Croatia
Zadar Croatia history goes as far back as the Stone Age where evidence uncovered showed settlement from the Neolithic era. It’s highly favorable geographic location made the city a well known port and trading center but the downside was that it also became a target of invasion. Today modern Zadar is a blend of old and new existing in perfect harmony making it a favorite seaside vacation destination.
The best time to visit Zadar, Croatia is late spring or early autumn where the weather is pleasant and sunny and the tourist season is not yet in full swing. The peak season from June to August brings scorching heat, open air cafes and a vibrant scene buzzing with tourists. If you are visiting in the summer months, escape the heat by visiting one of the many fabulous beaches.
Itinerary and Walking route of Zadar, Croatia:
The Google Zadar tourist map below will guide you on a self guided walking tour of the Eastern side of Zadar. Western half of Zadar walking guide is available HERE.
Walking route of tourist attractions of eastern half of Zadar, Croatia using travel guide below:
The map and travel guide will take you on a walking route that takes you to the eastern part of Zadar Croatia including museum, churches, past the city defence system towards the city park and Zadar University. Western half of Zadar Croatia walking guide is available HERE.
The destinations (A-F) 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, it 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 or INTERACTIVE: click on the links below or the icon on the title of the map:
Click HERE for INTERACTIVE map
Click HERE to access Zadar Croatia PDF of walking map for download
A. Archaeological Museum
The self guided walking tour starts at the archaeological museum, next to the well preserved Roman forum in Zadar, Croatia
The museum is the second oldest museum in Croatia founded in 1832 showcasing artifacts in chronological order, starting from pre-historic times. The highlight is a model of the Roman Forum as it once looked
Use google map destinations to proceed to the next destination which is Duke’s Palace or known locally as Kneževa palača
You will be heading east on Široka ul which is also referred to by the locals as Kalelarga meaning Wide Street. This streets predates the city of Zadar was built around this ancient Roman road. Imagine as you walk on it, how many Roman soldiers and citizens walked the same path as you in Zadar Croatia.
On the way to Duke’s Palace, you will pass People’s Square on your left, with the Clock Tower and Ethnographic Section of the National Museum. Refer to Zadar Side self guided walking tour for details on both the Roman Forum and People’s Square. If you haven’t been here before do spend some time in people’s square before continuing on Široka street towards Duke’s palace.
B. Duke’s Palace, Kneževa palača
The palace was built in the 1200’s surviving a number of attacks and occupations in Zadar, Croatia. It has undergone two major renovations in both the 16th and 19th century so that the modern day building now incorporates a variety of architectural styles. The palace has become the cultural center of Zadar, housing the city music school, the public library, concert hall and future home of the city museum.
C. Church of St Simeon, Church of Sv.Simon, Crkva sv. Šime
To the left of Duke’s palace is the Church of St. Simeon built to house the remains of the Saint. What’s truly special is the sarcophagus, a silver chest that holds the remains and is located above the alter and flanked by angels. The artisans of 1380 made the chest from cedar, however it’s gilded inside and out with pure silver and is purely breathtaking! The scenes adorning the chest depict the legends and miracles of the saint
The 2,000 year old mummy of the saint can be viewed daily behind a glass partition at the Church. It is also shown in the casket to the public on October the 8th, patrons day. It’s an hypnotic, yet eerie sight!
Use google maps above to proceed to the next destination Trg Pet Bunara. 5 Wells Square
Queen Jelena Madijevka Park . Dukes palace is on the right and Church of St. Simon on the left (image from street view google maps)
D. Five Wells Square, Trg Pet Bunara
Queen Jelena Madijevka park, 5 Wells Square and Captains Tower Silverije
A former moat built in Zadar, Croatia in 1574 the square is an elongated irregular structure enclosed on three sides with the 26m high Captain’s Tower. The words “Pet Burnara” mean five wells in Croatian representing the 5 wells found in this Square. As you look around, you will find a large drinking water tank decorated with the five wells that supplied Zadar with water until 1838
Several attractions in this area include: the Captain’s Tower, Fortified Walls, and the Queen Jelena Madijevka Park which is unusual for a park as it is actually built above the fortified walls. You have to climb up the stairs to access to the park and a well placed cafe where you can enjoy a nice drink in a relaxing atmosphere
You should spend time exploring this area before moving on to Lands Gate, and then heading back to the Roman Forum via the sea promenade
E. Captains Tower
The Captains Tower is named after the Venetian city “Captain” and it was built to strengthen Zadar’s fortification against attacks by the Turks.
Queen Jelena Madijevka Park
The oldest city park and first public park in Dalmatia, named after Queen Jelena Madije was built on top of the bastion by Five Wells Square. It provides a lush escape from the old town, with the gardens, a few benches, walking paths and a café
We had drinks at the park, a lovely place to relax after the walking tour
Land Gate, Kopnena Vrata
The impressive city walls were built to fortify and protect Zadar from the Turks who mounted several attacks on the city. The walls have several entrances and the most impressive of these is the Land Gate which was the main entrance to the city. Land Gate was built in 1543 and has the city coat of arms engraved on it
From here, head towards the sea and the sea promenade and you will see the University Of Zadar. You should go across the park to the sea promenade instead of following the street route highlighted by google maps because it is a more scenic route
E. University of Zadar Croatia
This is an ancient European university that can trace its roots back to 1396 when it was part of the Dominican Monastery. It currently has 5800 students enrolled in undergraduate, graduate, post graduate and doctoral programs supported by 500 staff members
F. Roman Forum in Zadar Croatia
Use google maps to head back west to the Roman forum via the sea promenade.
The Roman Forum founded by the Roman Emperor Augustus is the largest forum on the eastern side of the Adriatic Sea. The forum is a well preserved Roman Square which was constructed between the 1st and 3rd century BC when it was the center of public life and is currently dominated on one side by the Church of St. Donata.
Croatia Travel Destinations and Guides
- 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
Airport Transfer
- Zadar Airport Transfer – Public Transport route and information from the airport to Zadar
- Split Airport Transfer – Public transport information from Split airport to main bust station in downtown Split
- Zagreb Airport Transfer – Directions to take public transportation from Zagreb Airport to downtown Zagreb
- Book in advance a Shared Airport Transport to and from Dubrovnik Airport to Dubrovnik Town
