Šibenik Croatia

Sibenik Croatia - attractions, accommodation and tourist information

Šibenik is a city located in Croatia on the Adriatic coast, in the bay of the Krka river. According to the 2011 census, Sibenik has 46,332 inhabitants. The city is almost a thousand years old and has become popular tourist destination. It is a great place to enjoy summer break. More than a million of tourists visit the city during year, either in winter or summer season.

What to visit in Šibenik

There are many attractions worth visiting in the city or in some of nearby villages. Many of them are of huge cultural importance, yet some have natural beauty. The city unites buildings and cultural monuments of different artistic styles through history. Some of the monuments come from the Middle Ages.
Here is a list of the most prominent attractions:

• St. James Cathedral is beautiful masterpiece of Christian art built in 15th century. Various architects and builders have been working on its construction for more than 120 years. The cathedral is example of combining different artistic styles of sculpture, painting and architecture into single building.
  An interesting fact is that a part of an episode of the famous Game of Thrones series was recorded in Sibenik Cathedral.

St James Cathedral


• Beach Banj is a great place for enjoying sun and sea. It is located just 1 kilometer away from the center of the city. The beach has many facilities such as volleyball, showers and a beach bar.

beach banj playground


• Beach Jadrija is another city beach. It is ideal place for windsurfing because it is often windy during summer on that beach. Many apartments in Jadrija are located directly by the sea. If you are looking of that type of accommodation, Jadrija may be the place for you.
• St Anthony channel divides Šibenik from near Adriatic sea. The channel is compound of natural beauty and architectural art reflected in a unique fortification system called Fortress of st Nicolas. The fortress was built for a purpose of defense against Turkish invasion in 16th century. Tourists are currently not allowed to enter the fortress, but only explore it from outside. The reason is that the fortress is currently being reconstructed. The reconstruction should be finished till the end of 2018.

St Anthony Channel


• Šibenik fortresses are recognizable symbol of the city. There are four fortresses, two of them receiving tourists, and the other two are not yet ready to receive visitors. St. John fortress is in a process of revitalization which should end in 2019. Visitors are currently not allowed to enter inside the fortress for security reasons.
  Fortress Barone features high-tech museum that gives the visitors a view of the old Sibenik and war with Osman Empire by using the technology of Augmented reality. In 1647. Turkish army attacked Sibenik, but after a month siege, Turkish invaders were forced to retreat to the interior, towards Drniš. They never managed to conquer Šibenik.

St. Nicholas Fortress


• The old town of Sibenik contains numerous buildings from the Baroque and Renaissance. Among them are churches of the Holy Cross, St. Dominic, St. Barbara, the Holy Spirit and numerous palaces including the Palace of Knights, the Bishop's Palace, the Town Hall, the Palace of famous Sibenik's families Pelegrini and Rossini. In the Pelegrini Palace there is a famous eponymous restaurant known for its high quality home-made food.

Palace Pelegrini


The Renaissance Church of the Holy Spirit


• The Kornati is archipelago located northern from Šibenik. The archipelago have status of national park. Numerous tourist agencies organize one-day excursions from Vodice to Kornati.
• Krka National Park is an example of an extremely preserved nature and landscape located along the River Krka. The National Park can be visited on multiple locations. I would like to point out following: Skradinski buk, Roški Slap and Visovac. One-day excursions to Krka are organized from Šibenik, Vodice and Skradin. Hoverer, cheaper option is to go there by car. Another important fact is that the visit during the summer season is much more expensive than during the winter season. If you want to visit Krka during January, February or March, you are likely to pay less than 5 euros for one ticket which is valid for all terrestrial locations. By contrast, if you decide to buy a ticket for visiting terrestrial locations during July, you will pay around 28 euros per person. Krka is definitely not a cheap place to visit during summer season.
  Skradinski buk waterfall
  
  

What to visit first

If your time in Šibenik is limited, and you are wondering which places to visit and which not, then I recommend to spend at least one morning (or evening) in the old town. Must see attractions include The Cathedral and fortresses Barone and St Michael.
It would be a good idea to spend one day visiting National park Krka because it is really beautiful. That is true especially for winter season when the ticket is cheap.
What I would still recommend is just to walk through the old town and take a coffee on the coast.
For those more courageous, activity of a bungee jumping from the Šibenik bridge is organized during summer season.

History of Šibenik

Šibenik was first mentioned in 1066 in the gift of the king of Croatia, Petar Krešimir, to the Benedictine Monastery of St. Mary in Zadar under the title SIBENIQUO. That is why it is often referred to as the Krešimir town. The monument to the king is at the entrance to the main city park located next to the city library.
Although Šibenik was mentioned for the first time in the 11th century, it is assumed that the first inhabitants arrived earlier. The first migratory waves originate from Bosnia and Dalmatia.
By the 19th century, Šibenik was considered a "dry place". The reason for this was the lack of a water network which was built late in 19th century. Despite that fact, the location was interesting because of its strategic position. The problem of water shortages was solved by the construction of water wells. The place Bunari, located near center of the city, was known as the main source of water.
The main economic activity in Šibenik during first hundred years of existence was piracy. Subsequently, important economic activities become wine and olive growing, and livestock breeding. In addition, Šibenik was known for salt production in the 15th and 16th centuries. In the town itself and the surrounding area there were several salt pans.
People in Šibenik had only a bit of a fishing experience until the 15th century, when fishing became an important economic activity. The reason was the lack of knowledge about fishing tools. This knowledge was acquired in the 15th century thanks to Venetian fishermen and technology.
Venice generally had a great influence on the development of Šibenik and its culture, since Šibenik had been under Venetian rule for nearly 4oo years, until the fall of the Venetian state in 1797.
Thanks to fishery and salt production, Šibenik's economy grew rapidly until 1649, when it slowed down due to the plague that occurred in Šibenik in that time.
After recovering from plague, Šibenik's economy was more based on industry and service activities. At the end of the 18th century, the first post office was opened, and in the late 19th century, Šibenik became one of the first cities with electricity supply. In 1895 the first hydro power plant was opened on the river Krka and it was one of the first in Europe. For Šibenik it meant transformation from an agrarian to an industrial city. In the twentieth century, Šibenik became the center of metallurgical processing industry in Croatia and whole Yugoslavia. Today, the most important activity is tourism.
The most important cultural monument in Šibenik, the cathedral, was built in the period from 1431 to 1536.

Cultural and musical events in Šibenik

Most interesting events take place during the summer season. In early summer in Sibenik is held an International Children's Festival, an event that has a tradition of more than 50 years. The festival lasts about two weeks and consists of numerous events for children and young people. Šibenik chanson festival is a musical event of a long tradition that takes place in Šibenik in the second half of month August. The festival gathers the best musicians of Dalmatian music.
Usually, once a week, there are concerts of Dalmatian Klapa Music in the city center. On the fortress of St. Michael there is a summer stage where various musical events of domestic and foreign performers are held.

Characteristics and customs of people

The city and its people have predominantly the characteristics of Mediterranean culture and tradition. This means that people are emotionally linked to sea and sea activities. Children and youth are often engaged in water sports such as snorkeling and swimming. Many people enjoy traditional maritime activities such as fishing and shellfish farming. Some of them do it professionally, yet some as a hobby. The most common shell is mussel. Their largest breeding grounds are located near the Šibenik bridge, which connects the city with northern part of Croatia.
Traditionally for Mediterranean culture, olive and grape vines are grown in the city and surrounding locations.
Each of the villages located outside of the old city have its own tradition, culture and specialty. Especially I would point out the settled islands that reflect the original Mediterranean spirit in many ways. The settled islands in the Šibenik archipelago are: Kaprije, Žirije, Prvić and Zlarin. The islands of Obonjan and Kornati are not inhabited all year long, but only during the summer season.

Nightlife in Sibenik

The choice of nightclubs in Šibenik is limited. The main reason for that limitation is a few of people living in the city and relatively old population. Many young people leave Šibenik to study in larger cities such as Split, Rijeka and Zagreb. Only few of them return back to the city after college.
During summer season choice of nightclubs is far better than during winter season. Bar Petrus organizes live music events few times a week. The bar is located on the Beach Banj. Club Azimut is also very popular nightclub during summer season.
If you want more nightlife options, then you should consider going to Vodice. Vodice is one of the most popular nightlife venues in whole Dalmatia. Taxi fare from Šibenik to Vodice is about 10 euros. If you choose to drink alcohol, it is certainly better to go by taxi than by your own car because of your own safety and frequent police check-ups during the night.

Climate in Sibenik

The climate in Sibenik is moderately warm, with typical features of the Mediterranean climate. This means that the winters are mild. There are only a few days a year with air temperature below 0 celsius. The summers are mostly hot with air temperature mostly above 30 degrees Celsius. The temperature of the sea in July and August is usually between 22 and 26 degrees Celsius, which is ideal for swimming. June and September are also months with high temperatures of air and sea suitable for swimming and sunbathing

Sibenik map and location

Šibenik is located on east coast of Adriatic Sea (as you can see on the map). Its attractive location is the main reason for existence of many unique places worth visiting.
The pin on the map points to Croatian national theater, which is considered as the center of the city.

How to get in Šibenik

When considering means of transport, there are several options. The first and easiest one is to get in the city by car. A1 motorway leads all the way to the city. Most apartments and hotels have parking places for their guests. Check it out before booking. Also, be aware of the fact that there are no many parking places in center of city. If your apartment is located under 2 kilometers from center of the city, I recommend going there on foot. You will save yourself troubles of finding parking place. And if you find one, it's not cheap. Prices for parking in the center of city are in range of 1-2 euros per hour.
Other options for getting to Šibenik are bus, train, plane and ship. There are numerous bus lines from major European cities that drive directly to Šibenik or neighboring Split or Zadar. From these places, buses to Šibenik depart every few hours.
The nearest airport is Split Airport, which is less than 60 km away from Šibenik. You can take a taxi to Šibenik from the airport. Cheaper option is to take a bus to Split, and again take a bus from Split to Šibenik.
Railway lines are worse option than bus due to poor rail infrastructure and poor rail connections between Šibenik and other cities. If you want to come by train from Zagreb to Šibenik, you need to change trains in Perković.
Another option is to come in Šibenik by ship. Few years ago, in place called Mandalina, marina for yachts and ships of foreign and domestic guests was opened. There are cruisers with visitors from all over the world coming to the marina.

Prices

If you go in a typical bar in the center of the city and take coffee, you are likely to pay around 1-1.5 euros for that coffee. If you take a beer, you are likely to pay 2-3 euros. If you want to take a small pizza in a restaurant, it may cost you 3-4 euros.
However, there are also bars that may charge you more for the same drinks and food. That's why I recommend exploring more than one bar before settling for a drink.
Some places outside of Šibenik have significantly higher prices. For example, beach resort Solaris have around 30% more expensive prices than the center of the city.

Accommodation

Accommodation choice should depend on trip plans and preferences. The most common form of accommodation are apartments.
If you predominantly want to see and enjoy cultural beauties of the city, then I recommend to look for accommodation in the center of the city or somewhere very close to the center. In that case the easiest option for enjoying sun and sea is Beach Banj. However, if beauty of the sea and nature is more important part of choice, then places outside of the city like Zablaće, Solaris, Vodice or Grebaštica should be considered. These places are 5-20 kilometers away from the city but have cleaner sea and more beautiful beaches.
More wealthy guests can find accommodation in one of the hotels in Šibenik and its surroundings. Hotel Jadran is located close to the city center. Hotel Panorama is located along the Šibenik Bridge, on the northern entrance to the city. Large hotels are also located in places called Solaris and Mandalina. Solaris also offers accommodation in apartments and auto camps.

Image gallery

Here are a few photos of attractive locations in the city:

External links

• Accommodation in Šibenik
• Šibenik tourist board
• Vodice
• Barone Fortress
• Kornati
• Adriatic Sea
• Croatian national theater Šibenik