We started our Croatian coastal adventures in the small city of Zadar and its surrounds. Although we had initially been attracted to this region thanks to my friend SJ of Chasing the Donkey who lives here, we found a lovely little city with many opportunities for fabulous day trips so we could see more of Croatia.
And wow, we saw some amazing sites. This slice of Croatia is stunning!
Walk around the Old Town
My favourite way to explore a destination is to always just take a walk and soak it all in. Zadar's Old Town is very pedestrian friendly and there is plenty to see as you walk around as well as many bars, cafes and restaurants to take a break.
The best place to start is at the impressive Land Gate, built in 1543. There are also some old Roman ruins, The Forum, of the former main square and medieval churches to explore.
See out of this world scenery at Pag
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I had actually never heard of Pag Island until SJ suggested we visit there. I still didn't know what to expect and was quite shocked when we pulled up to the bridge to the island. Above is what we saw!
It has scenery like nowhere else we have seen - its rocky and the contrast to the blue, blue sea and the sky was just absolutely stunning. It looked other worldly. In fact, it strangely reminded me of a tour I did high up in the Bolivian Andes. I would never have expected to see something similar on the coast of Croatia.
Visit a stunning National Park
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There are some amazing national parks which can be visited on a day trip from Zadar. The most famous of which is Plitvice National Park.
This national park looks and sounds amazing and I think it is a must visit for anyone visiting this area. However, as we are travelling with a three year old who basically refuses to walk and this national park isn't pram friendly. We had to skip it. I hope you don't have to though!