Zadar, Croatia is a very pleasant place to visit. It is a beautiful town divided between old and modern by a small peninsula. It is very well kept, has natural beauty all around it and the small Adriatic city is a great place to walk and bike. There is nothing mind blowing about it, there’s no must-see landmark. Simply put…Zadar, Croatia is a very pleasant place to visit.

I arrived early into Zadar onboard the Azamara Quest cruise ship as the first stop on my 8th cruise with Azamara and first of three this year. I had never been to Zadar so I was excited. In fact, I was actually the first one off the ship to go exploring.

I walked around the perimeter of the Old Town and then crossed the pedestrian bridge into the modern city. The modern city is nothing really to write home about. The second you step off the main road along the marina it looks like a collection of old school Yugoslavian Communist blocks. So there’s really not much keeping you there but the mountains behind do give a great backdrop. The Old Town and the views are why you visit Zadar.

I had lunch on the gorgeous promenade along the ramparts of the Old Town on the Adriatic Sea. The views were stunning and the Istrian truffle pasta was strong but very good. Meanwhile the cappuccino was phenomenal. For me, coffee in this region is some of the best in the world if not the best.

Afterwards I had signed up for a bike tour of the Old Town and other local parts of the city of Zadar. This was part of the new Azamara program ‘Cruise Global, Bike Local’. I am an avid cyclist so I was excited to do this although I wasn’t thrilled about the little hats, haha!

The first 90 minutes or so was essentially a walking tour with bikes of the Old Town because you’re not allowed to bike in the Old Town for obvious reasons. Our guide gave us a nice history lesson of the Roman ruins, little pathways and other nuances of the Old Town. Then we got to really cycle around town.

I loved going along the ramparts out to a community of local people who actually speak another dialect altogether because of the ethnic differences in much of the old Yugoslavia. We headed down to the beach where we stopped at a lovely beach bar/restaurant for refreshments and got to know our fellow riders.

 

As the weather had started to turn the photos didn’t turn out great but it was a lovely place to relax before heading back. I really enjoyed the Cruise Global, Bike Local and will definitely do it again on future cruises.

 

Before heading back onboard I got to see firsthand the Sea Organ. This is essentially a musical instrument made out of the sea wall using the sea to push out of air holes purposely put in to make natural music. It was pretty unique I must say and worth a look for sure. Just another example of why Zadar, Croatia is a very pleasant place to visit.

Disclaimer: I am a global ambassador for Azamara Club Cruises and receive financial compensation.  This post was written by me and all opinions given are mine and have not been influenced in any way.

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