King Krešimir’s Old Town: A Šibenik Walking Tour

(16 reviews)

Šibenik audio tour: King Krešimir’s Old Town: A Šibenik Walking Tour

This is a 0.7mi walking tour

It takes an average of 60 mins to complete.

Šibenik

Croatia

$11.99

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About the Tour

Discover the history of Šibenik’s medieval Old Town on this walking tour of its historical core.
Our tour starts at the pier near Town Park. From there, you’ll navigate its narrow streets, town parks, and picturesque squares including Medulić, Poljana and Main Square, and I’ll share the Old Town’s history. You’ll hear how it was founded by the Croatian king, Petar Krešimir, and developed into a maritime stronghold. You’ll walk through Perivoj Roberta Visianija, a park named after Robert Visiani, a local doctor and botanist, and hear about the town’s glory days.

By the time you reach the Šibenik Waterfront (or Šibenik Riva), you’ll have heard about what the area was like under Venetian, French, Austrian-Hungarian, and Yugoslavian rule. I’ll show you some of the town’s many churches, including the Church of St. John the Baptist, the Church of St. Krsevan, and the Church of the All Saints. As you make your way to the Šibenik City Museum where our tour ends, you’ll hear about how the building was once part of the Duke’s palace.

Along the way, you’ll have a chance to:

Walk in the maze of medieval streets and find out how the town’s nobility and its poor lived
Sit and relax in Cathedral Square with views of the Old Town Hall and the cathedral
Take in St James’ Cathedral, the grand architectural masterpiece and UNESCO World Heritage site also known as St Jacob’s Cathedral
Find out how stray animals were historically dealt with in the town
Hear personal stories about some of the town’s iconic inhabitants, which bring the old streets to life
Learn about some of the town’s famous scientists, inventors, and visionaries
Stroll down Faust Vrančić Street, named after a very important local engineer, linguist and inventor

By the end of this one-hour tour, you’ll have a better understanding of the rich history, local lifestyle, and peculiar details that make Šibenik so unique. You’ll also get recommendations on what to do and see after the tour.

Tour Producer

Sanja

11 tours

Hello traveller!

I’m Sanja, a licensed tour guide and foreign language teacher. My love for languages and travel began at an early age and, over time, grew into a lifelong profession. I earned my Master’s degree in Linguistics and Literature and have been working as a teacher and guide since 2011.

Fluent in English, Italian, French and Spanish, and conversational in Portuguese, I enjoy connecting with visitors from around the world and sharing the stories of the places I know best. My expertise spans Dalmatia, Croatia and Montenegro.

Through my VoiceMap tours, I explore local history, architecture, culture, gastronomy and everyday life—along with the fascinating details and peculiarities that make each location unique. I’m delighted to guide you through these remarkable places and hope my tours help you experience them with curiosity, insight and joy.

Welcome!

Preview Location

Location 1

Start: The bay and the view of the Old town

Hello dear traveller! Welcome!

My name is Sanja. I am a local tour guide and I will guide you today through the medieval town of Šibenik.

Right now, you should be standing on the pier with views of the old town on one side, and the bay with a maritime exit to the open se... Hello dear traveller! Welcome!

My name is Sanja. I am a local tour guide and I will guide you today through the medieval town of Šibenik.

Right now, you should be standing on the pier with views of the old town on one side, and the bay with a maritime exit to the open sea on the other side. We'll spend a few moments here.

Šibenik is situated in a very favourable position. It lies at the mouth of the Krka river that creates this bay in front of you. The navigable canal of Saint Anthony connects the bay to the open Adriatic sea on the other side. The water is brackish, as the sea and Krka river mix here, so it's not unusual to see swans swimming about. The Krka river is also navigable, so it's possible to sail upstream to the town of Skradin on the river bank, which is one of the entrances to Krka National park with waterfalls. If you have enough time in Šibenik, I definitely suggest visiting this lovely national park that is only about a 20-minute ride by car away.

On the other side, the old part of the town that you can see entirely from here, developed around a hill with a fortress that was meant to oversee the area and ships that entered the harbour from the sea to sail upstream. It's believed that the name of the town ''Šibenik'' actually refers to a settlement that was built on high grounds. This fortress that you can see on top of the old town is called Saint Michael's fortress and it was built in the 16th century, even though there was an earlier version of it as early as the 11th century. Below that 70-meter or 230-feet high hill and all the way down to the seaside, the oldest neighbourhood in town called Dolac was developed. To the right, the area starting with the Cathedral and going all the way to the pier where you are, is the part of the town where wealthier noble families lived called Grad. And finally, the neighbourhood situated to the right of the fortress and behind nobility's houses, was the area of the poorer population, called Gorica. These three parts of the town were once protected by town walls, that were mostly pulled down, and 2 more fortresses on the hill behind the old town. Those fortresses are well preserved and their names are Saint John and Šubićevac, both from the 17th century. And finally, there is also the 4th fortress in the sea called Saint Nicholas, situated just outside the bay of Šibenik and at the end of the navigable canal leading to the open sea. That one is protected by UNESCO as World Heritage and is considered as one of the most beautiful fortresses of its time. It was built in the 16th century in a triangular ground-plan and its purpose was to protect the town from the sea by stopping enemy ships from entering the harbour. Clearly, medieval times were dangerous here, and the town suffered several enemy attacks, but more on that later.

Modern Šibenik has been developing since the 19th century outside the area that was once protected by walls. Today, the total population is 42000 people.

Before I go any further with my stories, let me briefly explain how VoiceMap works.

It uses your location to play audio automatically, at the right time and place. Don't worry if I'm silent at times, when I'm not giving directions or telling stories. There's a map on your screen if you ever feel lost, and if you do get way off track without noticing, VoiceMap will let you know. That means that you can put your phone away.

Now, let's start walking.

Please go down the pier in the direction of the old town, and then cross the street over a pedestrian island to the right side. You are going towards a town park. At the entrance to the park you will see some steps and a big statue. Read More

View locations and route

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Major Landmarks

St. Nicholas’ Fortress
St. Michael's Fortress
St. John's Fort
Barone Fortress
Krka
Petar Kresimir IV
Gradski park
Perivoj Roberta Visianija
City Library "Juraj Šižgorić" Šibenik
Poljana
Croatian National Theater in Šibenik
Church of the Assumption (Church Uspenie Mother of God)
Church of St. Ivan
Trg Medulić
Church of St. Krsevan
The Monastery of the Holy Luce
Cave of Our Lady of Lourdes
Church of the All Saints
City Hall Sibenik
GRADSKA VIJEĆNICA
St. Jacob’s Cathedral
4 bunara
Statue of Juraj Dalmatinac
Riva
Šibenik City Museum

View all

Getting There

Route Overview

VoiceMap tours follow a route from a set starting point. It’s how we give turn-by-turn directions and tell a story greater than the sum of its parts.

Start location
Trg Republike Hrvatske 1, 22000, Šibenik, Croatia
Total distance

1km
Final location
Obala dr. Franje Tuđmana 14, 22000, Šibenik, Croatia
Distance back to start location

309.87m

Directions to Starting Point

Start: Obala hrvatske mornarice 2, Krka pier

The tour begins at the top of the pier situated at the end of the promenade by the sea Riva, just in front of the old town. You should be able to see the panoramic view of the entire old town, the Cathedral and Saint Michael's fortress from the starting location, as well as Saint Anthony's navigable canal that connects the bay to the open sea on the opposite side. The pier is located at the beginning of Riva promenade if you are arriving from Šibenik intercity bus station.

Show Directions

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Tips

Places to stop along the way

This tour does not require entering any museums or sites (with entrance fees). However, the sites will be suggested for visiting after the tour. The listener may also pause the audio tour to visit the sites when they are mentioned and explained on the recording, and continue listening upon leaving the site (this refers to Saint James's cathedral and Saint Michael's fortress).
If you want to sit down for a while during the tour, it can be pleasant to sit at the cafe on the main square with the Cathedral while you listen to the recording about that site.

Best time of day

It is possible to do the tour all year long, every day of the week including holidays because there is no entry to museums or other sites that operate on a schedule. However, you should bear in mind that if you are visiting from May to October, the busier part of the year, the streets might be crowded with people and there might be background noise. My suggestion is to do the tour early in the morning or later in the afternoon to avoid the crowds. Also, if you are visiting in winter, from November to February, note that it gets dark already by 4 or 5 pm, so make sure you finish the tour before that time. Summer months can be very hot, with scorching sun, and winter days can be rainy and/ or windy.

Precautions

I suggest wearing comfortable walking shoes. The tour is not suited for people who have difficulties climbing or descending steps

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App Store Review

“Great app. walk around at your own pace, stop where you want, move on or speed up when you want. Read the script before you go or during the commentary, speed it up or replay it. Repeat the tour whenever you like.”