# Northern Dalmatia, the coast everyone drives past

> Between Zadar and Šibenik: a riviera of villages, a lake, an archipelago of bare stone, two national parks and prices that have nothing to do with Split. The best base camp in Croatia, and the least known.

- Author : Patrick Faust — founder of e-Croatie and e-Slovénie, French-language travel guides
- Published : 2026-08-21
- Language : English
- Canonical : https://www.e-croatie.com/en/guides/northern-dalmatia-off-the-beaten-track/
- French version : https://www.e-croatie.com/guides/dalmatie-du-nord-hors-des-sentiers-battus/
- Tags : Zadar, Dalmatia, Kornati, Krka, Off the beaten track, Family

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Everyone drives down the motorway from Zagreb towards Split and passes the [Zadar](https://www.e-croatie.com/en/destinations/zadar/) exit without slowing. It is a beginner's mistake that regulars no longer make: the coastal strip between Zadar and Šibenik packs, within an hour's radius, two national parks, three nature parks, the country's largest lake, the wildest archipelago in the Adriatic and a riviera of villages where you can still stay in a family home for the price of a hotel room. And the crowd is elsewhere.

## Basing yourself on the Zadar riviera

Sukošan, Sveti Filip i Jakov, Biograd na Moru, **Pakoštane**, Drage, Pirovac: a string of fishing villages turned seaside without losing their harbour or their square. Each has its promenade, its fine-pebble beaches, its pine woods and its konobas. Pakoštane best sums up the spirit of the place: a village between sea and lake, small-boat excursions leaving from the quay, a clientele of families who come back every year. Zadar is 30 minutes away by bus, Šibenik 40 minutes, the motorway 15.

Why not Zadar itself? The city deserves a day — the Roman peninsula, the sea organ, the "most beautiful sunset in the world" according to Hitchcock — but as a base it combines difficult parking with rising prices. The villages give you the sea at the end of the street and the city within bus reach.

## The one-hour radius

| Site | From Pakoštane | What you do there |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Lake Vrana (nature park) | 5 min | Croatia's largest lake, bird reserve, Kamenjak viewpoint over both lake and sea, cycling on the dyke |
| Vrgada island | 20 min by boat | A car-free island, a sandy beach, one village — the simple day out par excellence |
| [Krka National Park](https://www.e-croatie.com/en/destinations/krka/) | 35 min | All the entrances; see our dedicated guide |
| Kornati (national park) | Day by boat | 140 islets of bare stone, open-sea swimming, fish lunch in a cove |
| Šibenik | 40 min | St James's Cathedral (UNESCO), St Michael's and Barone fortresses, the least touristy of the four big cities |
| Paklenica (national park) | 1 h | Velebit canyons, serious hiking or a family walk to the mountain huts |
| Nin | 45 min | The smallest cathedral in the world, a sandy lagoon, salt pans |
| Zrmanja canyon | 1 h | Rafting or kayaking in spring, vertiginous viewpoints in summer |

## The Kornati by small boat, not by liner

The Kornati archipelago, "the stone labyrinth", can only be discovered by sea. Two worlds: the big excursion boats from Zadar or Biograd (over a hundred passengers, music, a timed programme) and the **small-boat outings** for six to twelve people, leaving from the village quays. The latter cost more — reckon on around €100 per person, meal and swims included — but stop where the water is clearest, adapt the route to the wind and give you time in the coves. Dolphins regularly cross off Vrgada; early-morning outings see them most often. Book a few days ahead in summer, and ask explicitly about the size of the boat.

## With children

This is probably the easiest region of Croatia for families: gently shelving beaches, calm water, swimming in the lake possible, flat cycling between the villages and around Vrana, Vrgada island for a car-free day, a water park at Biograd, and Krka 35 minutes away when a cool day is needed. Accommodation prices get you an apartment with a kitchen for the budget of a room in Split.

## When to come

From mid-June to mid-September everything works: daily boats, restaurants open, parks on full hours. May and late September–October are delightful for hiking, Krka and Paklenica, with the sea still at 22 °C in September; but Kornati outings become uncertain (minimum numbers, weather) and half the addresses close in October. Before May, the region sleeps. See [When to visit Croatia](https://www.e-croatie.com/en/guides/when-to-visit-croatia/).

## Frequently asked questions

### Do you need a car in northern Dalmatia?

For Krka, Paklenica, Nin and the Zrmanja, yes. Without a car, you keep Zadar, Šibenik, Biograd and the islands by bus and boat from a riviera village — a week fills easily. See [Renting a car in Croatia](https://www.e-croatie.com/en/guides/renting-a-car-in-croatia/).

### What is the difference between Zadar and Split as a base?

Split opens onto the big islands (Brač, Hvar, Vis) and the Makarska Riviera; Zadar opens onto the parks and the Kornati. Prices and crowds are markedly gentler in the north. Many combine the two: four nights north, four nights south, 1 h 30 of motorway between them.

### Are the Zadar islands as good as the Split ones?

They are less spectacular and less glamorous, but more authentic: Dugi Otok with the Telašćica cliffs and Sakarun beach, Ugljan and Pašman twenty minutes away by ferry, Silba and Olib with no cars. See [Which island to choose?](https://www.e-croatie.com/en/guides/which-island-to-choose/).

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Source: [https://www.e-croatie.com/en/guides/northern-dalmatia-off-the-beaten-track/](https://www.e-croatie.com/en/guides/northern-dalmatia-off-the-beaten-track/) — e-Croatie, Croatia travel guide by Patrick Faust. Full index: https://www.e-croatie.com/llms.txt