Sibenik Croatia - attractions, accommodation and tourist information
?ibenik 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.
View of Sibenik coast
What to visit in ?ibenik
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 ?ibenik 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
- ?ibenik 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 Drni?. They never managed to conquer ?ibenik.
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 ?ibenik. 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
,
Ro?ki Slap
and
Visovac
. One-day excursions to Krka are organized from
?ibenik
,
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 ?ibenik 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 ?ibenik bridge is organized during summer season.
View of St Michael fortress
History of ?ibenik
?ibenik was first mentioned in 1066 in the gift of the king of Croatia, Petar Kre?imir, to the Benedictine Monastery of St. Mary in Zadar under the title
SIBENIQUO
.
That is why it is often referred to as the Kre?imir town. The monument to the king is at the entrance to the main city park located next to the city library.
Although ?ibenik 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, ?ibenik 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 ?ibenik during first hundred years of existence was piracy. Subsequently, important economic activities become wine and olive growing,
and livestock breeding. In addition, ?ibenik 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 ?ibenik 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 ?ibenik and its culture,
since ?ibenik had been under Venetian rule for nearly 4oo years, until the fall of the Venetian state in 1797.
Thanks to fishery and salt production, ?ibenik's economy grew rapidly until 1649, when it slowed down due to the plague that occurred in ?ibenik in that time.
After recovering from plague, ?ibenik'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, ?ibenik 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 ?ibenik it meant transformation from an agrarian to an industrial city.
In the twentieth century, ?ibenik 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 ?ibenik, the cathedral, was built in the period from 1431 to 1536.
Monument to Croatian King Petar Kre?imir
Cultural and musical events in ?ibenik
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.
?ibenik chanson festival
is a musical event of a long tradition that takes place in ?ibenik 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.
View of St Anthony Channel from St. Michael's Fortress
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 ?ibenik 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 ?ibenik archipelago are:
Kaprije
,
?irije
,
Prvi?
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 ?ibenik 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 ?ibenik 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 ?ibenik 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.
Vodice harbour
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
?ibenik 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 ?ibenik
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 ?ibenik are bus, train, plane and ship.
There are numerous bus lines from major European cities that drive directly to ?ibenik or neighboring Split or Zadar.
From these places, buses to ?ibenik depart every few hours.
The nearest airport is
Split Airport
, which is less than 60 km away from ?ibenik. You can take a taxi to ?ibenik from the airport.
Cheaper option is to take a bus to Split, and again take a bus from Split to ?ibenik.
Railway lines are worse option than bus due to poor rail infrastructure and poor rail connections between ?ibenik and other cities.
If you want to come by train from Zagreb to ?ibenik, you need to change trains in Perkovi?.
Another option is to come in ?ibenik 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.
Sibenik sunset
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 ?ibenik have significantly higher prices. For example, beach resort Solaris
have around 30% more expensive prices than the center of the city.
View of Sibenik from Barone fortress
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 Zabla?e,
Solaris
,
Vodice
or
Greba?tica
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 ?ibenik and its surroundings.
Hotel Jadran
is located close to the city center. Hotel Panorama is located along the ?ibenik 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