First time in Croatia | 3 things in central Dalmatia – Šibenik, National Park KRKA…

The Golden Bun | Nationalpark KRKA, KRKA, Central Dalmatia, Mitteldalmatien, kroatische Nationalparks, Sibenik, altstadt sibenik, stadtführung sibenik, d resort sibenik
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Central Dalmatia. My first time in Croatia! But as it turned out, I wasn’t the only one of our traveling group. The whole country was high on my travel list this year and I couldn’t be more excited about this presstrip. Speaking of Croatia many or you may think of Istria in the north or the city Dubrovnik. More experienced ones have already visited one of Croatia’s beautiful national parks. One of them wasn’t that far away from our destination – the town of Sibenik in Central Dalmatia and its region.

The Golden Bun | Nationalpark KRKA, KRKA, Central Dalmatia, Mitteldalmatien, kroatische Nationalparks, Sibenik, altstadt sibenik, stadtführung sibenik, d resort sibenik

How to get to Sibenik


We flew wih a small propeller airplane from Munich to Split, which is located in Southern Dalmatia. An hour drive awaited us until we’d reach our hotel the D-Resort Šibenik. We passed beautiful turquoise water and the small villages. They were preparing for the upcoming season. We the vineyards of Primošten, which are contender for the UNESCO World Heritage list. Four days were ahead of us to dive into the Croatian culture.

Best time to travel


To travel in the low season has clearly its advantages. It was so nice and quiet that I don’t want to imagine how crowded it is during the high season. Unfortunately, the weather was mixed. One day we were walking in the rain through Sibenik, which luckily was followed by wonderful sunny days. The best time to travel is in late May / early June and again in September.

The Golden Bun | Nationalpark KRKA, KRKA, Central Dalmatia, Mitteldalmatien, kroatische Nationalparks, Sibenik, altstadt sibenik, stadtführung sibenik, d resort sibenik      The Golden Bun | Nationalpark KRKA, KRKA, Central Dalmatia, Mitteldalmatien, kroatische Nationalparks, Sibenik, altstadt sibenik, stadtführung sibenik, d resort sibenik

Oldtown Šibenik

The town of Sibenik is located in central Dalmatia and has about 50,000 residents. A sweet little town with an amazing old town core – winding little streets, where you can get easily los; repeatedly spaces open with beautiful Croatian monuments. The proximity to the water adds a maritime flair. Šibenik lies at the mouth of the river Krka into the Adriatic Sea and provides mixed river and lake water. As a matter of fact, the water quality is great for clam breeding. The Croatian cities are reminiscent of Lake Garda’s little towns. Likewise, people are sitting outside during any kind of weather drinking coffee. The coffee culture is similar to the Italian one here given the fact that an espresso costs around 1€.

Unfortunately the weather has scotched our Sibenik-visit. Therefore, we saw the city just quickly. This is a good reason to come back soon!

The Golden Bun | Nationalpark KRKA, KRKA, Central Dalmatia, Mitteldalmatien, kroatische Nationalparks, Sibenik, altstadt sibenik, stadtführung sibenik, d resort sibenik

My highlights in Šibenik

  • The Katedrala sv. Jakova. Also, St. Jacob Cathedral Šibenik. It is among the most important Renaissance buildings in Dalmatia. There are 71 engraved portraits on its facade, which is quite impressive. Unfortunately, the Cathedral and was renovated during our visit and we couldn’t climb up to the cupola.
  • Lunch at the restaurant Pelegrini. A fabulous gourmet restaurant. A post will follow!
  • Up to the St. Michael Fortress. You’ll have a fantastic view onto the city and the canal. It was renovated some time ago and has a generous Arena, where concerts are held in summer. Admission is here 20-35KN, around 2.6 to 4.6 €.
  • Medieval Mediterranean Garden of St Lawrence Monastery. On the way up to the fort you may stumble over this pretty garden – a small oasis in the city. Admission costs 15KN. Tip: under the garden there is a beautiful Marian grotto!

The Golden Bun | Nationalpark KRKA, KRKA, Central Dalmatia, Mitteldalmatien, kroatische Nationalparks, Sibenik, altstadt sibenik, stadtführung sibenik, d resort sibenik

above the heads on the Šibenik Cathedral with view onto the Crva sv. Barbara, St. Barbara Cathedral
below the town hall with a café on the ground floor

The Golden Bun | Nationalpark KRKA, KRKA, Central Dalmatia, Mitteldalmatien, kroatische Nationalparks, Sibenik, altstadt sibenik, stadtführung sibenik, d resort sibenik The Golden Bun | Nationalpark KRKA, KRKA, Central Dalmatia, Mitteldalmatien, kroatische Nationalparks, Sibenik, altstadt sibenik, stadtführung sibenik, d resort sibenik The Golden Bun | Nationalpark KRKA, KRKA, Central Dalmatia, Mitteldalmatien, kroatische Nationalparks, Sibenik, altstadt sibenik, stadtführung sibenik, d resort sibenik

Nationalpark KRKA

Who would have thought that I can check off a point from my travel bucket list already in the first half of the year. On the second day a visit to the National Park KRKA was on the agenda. Croatians are very smart and have protected most of their nature.

From our hotel, the D-Resort Sibenik, it was a short 20 minute drive. We left around 9:00 am and we could get a glance from the top onto the beautiful sea landscape. My tip here – start much earlier, because the park is a popular destination. In particular, the basin of the waterfall Skradinski buk quickly fills up with American travel troops jumping into the water in every season to take pictures.

Admission to the park costs 30-95 kunas (5-12 €) depending on the season. This includes the park, the ethnographic museum and also a half-hour boat ride from Skradin and Lozovac a rail shuttle service.

The Golden Bun | Nationalpark KRKA, KRKA, Central Dalmatia, Mitteldalmatien, kroatische Nationalparks, Sibenik, altstadt sibenik, stadtführung sibenik, d resort sibenik
The view of the water is really impressive – the wonderful blues and greens. The viewpoint above was my favourite. I can only repead myself how diverse Europe is. I was more impressed by the colors of the water than the famous Skradinski Buk, the largest waterfall. Maybe I’m a little bit spoiled having visited the Iguazu Waterfalls and Jiughzaigu National Park in China.

The Golden Bun | Nationalpark KRKA, KRKA, Central Dalmatia, Mitteldalmatien, kroatische Nationalparks, Sibenik, altstadt sibenik, stadtführung sibenik, d resort sibenik

above the Skradinski Buk, the most beautiful travertine waterfall in Europe (unfortunately the sun was already too high for the picture. It must be beautiful in the evening).
below the boat tour taking us to Skragin

The Golden Bun | Nationalpark KRKA, KRKA, Central Dalmatia, Mitteldalmatien, kroatische Nationalparks, Sibenik, altstadt sibenik, stadtführung sibenik, d resort sibenik

The Golden Bun | Central Dalmatia, Mitteldalmatien, Sibenik typical konoba Pirovac, Kuća dalmatinskog pršuta Roca, traditional croatian food, konoba roca near Sibenik, travel to eat

Dinner at a traditional konoba Kuća dalmatinskog pršuta Roca

As wonderful end to our press trip we had dinner at a typical Konoba, a Croatian tavern. We visited the Kuća Dalmatinskog pršuta Roca in Pirovac, which is a 25 minute drive away from Šibenik. A beautiful traditional hide living from wine and olive growing and selling one of the best ham and various sausages.

Everything is homemade, smoked, boiled and grilled. From the pig to the finished smoked Dalmatian Pršut. The ham and the sausages taste great and delicious potato bread fits only too with it.

The Golden Bun | Central Dalmatia, Mitteldalmatien, Sibenik typical konoba Pirovac, Kuća dalmatinskog pršuta Roca, traditional croatian food, konoba roca near Sibenik, travel to eat

The Golden Bun | Central Dalmatia, Mitteldalmatien, Sibenik typical konoba Pirovac, Kuća dalmatinskog pršuta Roca, traditional croatian food, konoba roca near Sibenik, travel to eat The Golden Bun | Central Dalmatia, Mitteldalmatien, Sibenik typical konoba Pirovac, Kuća dalmatinskog pršuta Roca, traditional croatian food, konoba roca near Sibenik, travel to eat      The Golden Bun | Central Dalmatia, Mitteldalmatien, Sibenik typical konoba Pirovac, Kuća dalmatinskog pršuta Roca, traditional croatian food, konoba roca near Sibenik, travel to eat The Golden Bun | Central Dalmatia, Mitteldalmatien, Sibenik typical konoba Pirovac, Kuća dalmatinskog pršuta Roca, traditional croatian food, konoba roca near Sibenik, travel to eat The Golden Bun | Central Dalmatia, Mitteldalmatien, Sibenik typical konoba Pirovac, Kuća dalmatinskog pršuta Roca, traditional croatian food, konoba roca near Sibenik, travel to eat
The Dalmatian cuisine has a typical dish called Peka, which is prepared in a big aluminum pot. Potatoes, various sorts of meats (usually lamb but you can order other kinds) and onions will be covered with coals and cook for two hours. The result is juicy meat whose sauce was also absorbed by the potatoes and onions. A dream! We ate at a quaint cellar that reminded me even more of our South Tyrolean Törggelen. The chicken was so tasty and a light salad with wild asparagus suited perfectly. I highly recommend a visit to a typical tavern!

The Golden Bun | Central Dalmatia, Mitteldalmatien, Sibenik typical konoba Pirovac, Kuća dalmatinskog pršuta Roca, traditional croatian food, konoba roca near Sibenik, travel to eat
These were my tips for the region Šibenik. Of course, the days were way too short to explore more, which is one more reason to come back soon. Next time in summer, though. In order to enjoy all those beautiful beaches, which I’ll show you in the next post!

The Golden Bun | Central Dalmatia, Mitteldalmatien, Sibenik typical konoba Pirovac, Kuća dalmatinskog pršuta Roca, traditional croatian food, konoba roca near Sibenik, travel to eat
Croatia / Central Dalmatia Region Šibenik

April 2016

Helpful links
Tourismusverband der Stadt Sibenik

photos – moi

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