Dalmatia: the back story

Dalmatia’s stone towns, its scattered islands and its inland waterfalls each tell part of the region’s story. Here is the background to the places on our list.

Towns of stone

Dalmatia’s towns read like a history book in stone. In Zadar, the round 9th-century Church of St Donatus stands on the paving of the Roman forum, close to marble streets that lead down to the Riva. In Šibenik, the Cathedral of St James rose between 1431 and 1535, built entirely of stone and ringed by a frieze of 71 carved heads.

Islands of the open sea

Offshore, each island has a character of its own. Hvar Town wraps around a harbour of yachts beneath its fortress. On Brač, the pebble spit of Zlatni Rat shifts with wind and current, and Vidova Gora rises to 778 metres, the highest point of any Adriatic island. Farther out, Komiža on Vis keeps a fishermen’s museum in a Venetian tower.

Where water does the work

Inland, water shapes the land. Plitvice, Croatia’s oldest national park, steps down through sixteen lakes linked by waterfalls, while at Krka boardwalks circle the travertine cascades of Skradinski buk. Back on the coast, the sea itself plays music in Zadar, through the Sea Organ built into the waterfront steps in 2005.

Šibenik’s Cathedral of St James was built entirely of stone, between 1431 and 1535.

Our advice: buy Plitvice tickets online and arrive early, then keep Zadar’s waterfront for sunset.