The Sights and Sounds of Zadar Croatia

Looking out over the Adriatic, Zadar’s old waterfront is home to some lovely sights and watching the sun set over the sea is a breathtaking experience as the water is painted with a thousand yellows, reds and oranges. Away from the waterfront the old town is mesmerising to explore as ancient buildings, fantastic museums and beautiful churches dot its streets. With an intoxicating mix of history, culture and art for visitors to enjoy, it is a great place to visit and in no time at all you’ll have fallen in love with the sights and sounds of Zadar.

Renovated, renewed and rejuvenated, Zadar’s historic waterfront is now a great hangout spot and both locals and tourists alike congregate alongside the Adriatic to kick back and enjoy the sun. Indeed it is here that you can find two of the city’s most famous sights: the Sea Organ and the Greeting to the Sun. These impressive art installations are beautiful to behold and are ingenius in design, highlighting man’s innate relationship with the natural world all about us. Created by the artist Nikola Basic, the Greeting to the Sun installation absorbs the sun’s heat during the day and uses its energy to create art at night as dancing patterns and vivid colours tranform the waterfront, lighting it up in more ways than one. Right next to it is Basic’s other masterpiece, the Sea Organ which uses the power of the waves to create music. The organ pipes are situated below the water and emit soothing noises as the waves roll in. Unique and enchanting to listen to; it really does make the waterfront a special place to visit.

A delightful place to wander around, Zadar’s old town is home to a whole host of ancient churches, ruins and elegant buildings and so simply meandering about in the sun is a lovely way to spend the day. The Roman Forum is particularly impressive to behold and remarkably dates back to from before the third century AD when this stretch of the Croatian coast was ruled by the Romans. With lots of ruins for you to explore, columns and building foundations are scattered about amidst the verdant green grass. Overlooking the forum is the equally imposing St. Donatus Church which itself dates all the way back to the ninth century. Despite its simple look and style, there is something about the church’s rounded features that appeal and it is one of the finest and indeed best preserved pre-Romanesque churches that you will ever come across. Alongside the Sea Organ, St. Donatus is one of the places to head to in Zadar for a unique music experience as it regularly hosts classical music recitals.

For an interesting look at the art, history and culture of Zadar and its surroundings, the Archaelogical Museum is a must-see as it has a huge collection of artefacts for you to enjoy. With over a 100,000 items on display, wandering around the museum is as educative as it is interesting and gazing upon the ancient pots, weapons, mosaics and more is a lovely way to spend an afternoon and you’ll definitely come away having learnt more about Zadar’s history under the Romans, Byzantines and others. With so much to see and do and indeed listen to; step off the beaten path and enjoy the sights and sounds of Zadar.