Why you should Visit Šibenik
Šibenik is not one of those places that people mention when listing ‘must see’ destinations in Croatia. Maybe it’s why we didn’t expect much – and also why we came away quite impressed by our visit to this Central Dalmatian city. In fact, while Šibenik doesn’t quite rank up there with Split or Dubrovnik, I think it is just as impressive as the much more popular towns of Trogir and Zadar.
What makes Šibenik impressive? I’ll cover that here.
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1. The Cathedral and one of the most beautiful squares in Croatia
Šibenik is mostly known for its Cathedral, the Cathedral of St. James (Katedrala Sv Jakova). It’s a UNESCO World Heritage site built by the Venetians in the 15th (and 16th century because it took more than 100 years to complete) and is made entirely out of stone. In fact it is the only European cathedral constructed using only stone. The exterior of the cathedral is magnificent and the centerpiece of one of the most beautiful squares we’ve seen in Croatia. Across the square lies City Hall, a 16th century Renaissance building that looks like it was transplanted from Venice
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2. Fortresses
Šibenik has 4 fortresses – 3 in town (all with great views) and 1 a few kilometers out protecting the channel to the city. Two of the fortresses have been renovated, the other two are not.
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St Michael’s Fortress is the fortress you’ll see highlighted in most of those postcard photos of Šibenik . It is the most accessible of all the fortresses (a 10 minute walk up from the main square) and the most popular with visitors. It is totally renovated, has views looking straight down into town, and includes a large theatre for concerts.
Barone Fortress (also known as Šubićevac) is the second renovated fortress in Šibenik. There’s not much to it actually, it is too renovated and manicured for my taste. BUT it has fantastic views of Šibenik. Barone and St Micheal’s fortress are included on the ticket you buy at either ticket office.
St John Fortress is the highest of the fortresses in the city. It is a 5 minute walk from Barone fortress, but unlike Barone it’s been left neglected. People come here to walk their dogs or have a picnic in the ruins…and the views are fantastic. Free entrance, actually signs will tell you that you enter at your own risk.
The 4th of the fortresses is St Nicholas’ Fortress. It is located a few kilometers outside of Šibenik at the mouth of the channel that accesses the city from the sea. It is a massive fortress with huge walls. You can drive up to it and actually walk to the fortress over some rocks when the sea is at low tide. Unfortunately you can no longer enter the fortress in this manner. As I later found out writing to the Šibenik tourist office, the only entrance to the fort (now) is by the sea entrance (that’s due to some restauration works taking place around the fortress). If coming to Sibenik and want to see the fortress, write the tourist office for the latest info: [email protected]
Below: images of the (largely abandoned) fortress today
Related: Castles and Fortresses that you may have never heard of
3. Detail and beauty in Šibenik
I’ve ranted a bit about the fortresses. But where the authorities have done a great job in Šibenik it is in restoring the beauty of its many statues, plaques, and magnificent buildings. Šibenik’s buildings sure seem to have a lot of detail:
More images walking the streets of the old town…
As I wrote at the top: Šibenik is not a place listed as a ‘must-see’ for visitors and we didn’t expect much. We came away surprised and very impressed by our visit. Besides the Cathedral, the fortresses, and the beauty found in the streets, we also enjoyed the geography of the old town with its hills, steps and many viewpoints. We’ve already decided that we’d be back, maybe spend a weekend and take in a concert at St Michael’s Fortress (they hold summer music concerts there which I’m told are very popular).
Practical Information
– Bus. Šibenik has frequent connections by bus. It takes about an hour to get there from Split. The bus station is right next to the old town.
– Car Rental. We rented a car and found parking right next to the bus station. We always use booking.com when renting a car. Warning for drivers: bad signage and some very narrow backstreets in Šibenik (if you get lost as I did. Was a bit of a nightmare). If you don’t know Šibenik, I think best just to park the car somewhere and explore the city on foot.
– Visiting the fortresses. You can walk up to St. Michael from the old town. Barone and St. John’s are a bit further out (a 15 minute walk) – but you can drive to Barone (up a very narrow lane), park, and explore both fortresses.
– Accommodation. A few recommendations: Apartments Laurus, City Rooms Šibenik, Duma Apartments Sibenik. All in the town center, all reasonably priced.
– Tours. A few city tours that might interest you: an evening walking tour or a vintage car city tour.
Related: Why go to Zadar? Here’s why it’s worth a (short) visit
Related: 40 Photos showing why you should visit Trogir
Related: Is Croatia (still) worth visiting?
PS. Looking to book flights, hotels, tours, or rent a car? Have a look at our Travel Resources page.
I visited Sibenik from Zadar and loved it. In fact, I preferred it to Zadar. Oh, to be back travelling around the Balkans!
Unfortunately, a disparaging attitude towards their history (and general sloppiness) is a common feature of all the Slavs.
It’s based on the observation that the people running the entry to these places treat it like a part time job secondary to whatever they seem to want to be doing that day.
In Klis we were actually lucky to get in because the guy drove up to the castle as we were walking up (when it was already supposed to be open). Who knows, he might have been having a coffee somewhere in town when he saw a bunch of tourists heading in the way of the fortress…
Yes, you are so right Tanja. They’ll invest in the highly visible sites where there’s mass tourism but there are many other incredible sites that require some work (or just cleaning up). I actually prefer ruins and not the overly-restored buildings you see in some places…as you say, just about cleaning them up so they’re presentable. And then promoting them somewhat.
Nice to hear from a Croatian