← Plitvice Lakes Marathon·2 nights

Zadar: Sea Organ and the Old Peninsula

A Roman peninsula city on the Adriatic, with the wave-played Sea Organ and a flat seafront walk that costs nothing.

Duration2 nights
TransitPre-booked transfer, or a direct coach if one runs on your date; Zadar Airport buses to the old town
DepartsPlitvice Lakes National Park (Mukinje)

After the Plitvice Lakes Marathon: Zadar

The Route: Mukinje → Zadar (2 nights) → Zadar Airport Logistics: A transfer or direct coach from the park, then two nights on the old peninsula. Zadar Airport has a bus link to the city. Marathon Month: June Duration: 2 nights

Mukinje ──(pre-booked transfer or direct coach)──> Zadar old town
                                                         │
          Zadar Airport (ZAD) ◄──(airport bus)───────────┘

The Plitvice Lakes Marathon finishes in Mukinje on a Sunday in early June, in forest and lake country well inland of the Adriatic. A transfer to the coast on Monday swaps the hills for sea level and gives you a city where almost everything is within a flat kilometre.

June in Zadar: early June is warm and dry on this coast, and the sea is still cool. Swimming is possible for the hardy, though the water is not at its summer temperature. Evenings on the waterfront are pleasant without a jacket for most of the month.

There may be a direct coach between the park and Zadar on your date. Check arriva.com.hr and the Zadar bus station timetable, and book a pre-arranged transfer if no service fits. Sunday afternoon after the race is a poor time to gamble on connections, so plan to stay near the park on Sunday night and travel on Monday.

Nights One and Two: The Old Town and the Waterfront

Zadar's old town occupies a narrow peninsula, so nothing is far. The streets are paved in pale limestone worn smooth by centuries of feet, which makes them slippery after rain, and the surface is flat. The Roman forum, the church of St Donatus and the market are all within a few minutes of each other.

The best recovery walk is the seafront promenade on Obala kralja Petra Krešimira IV. It is flat, paved and has benches along the water. The Sea Organ, designed by the architect Nikola Bašić and opened in 2005, sits on the steps that descend into the sea along the promenade. Wave motion pushes air through pipes under the steps and produces a continuous, slightly eerie chord. It is free, and it is better at dusk when other visitors gather. A short walk further along the promenade brings you to the Greeting to the Sun, a circle of glass panels in the paving that lights up after dark.

Two hotels listed by the Zadar tourist board are Bastion Heritage Hotel and Art Hotel Kalelarga. Both are in the old town area, but confirm the exact position and whether the street has lift or step access before you book, because several streets are pedestrianised and you will be hauling luggage over stone.

Seafood is the obvious choice. Look for places that show the day's catch on ice, and expect whole fish to be priced by weight.

Getting to Zadar Airport (ZAD)

Zadar Airport connects to the city by bus, with stops at the central station and the old town. Check the current seasonal timetable at zadar-airport.hr and aim to be on the bus at least three hours before an international departure.