A Rendezvous with Zadar’s Old Town: A Guide to its Medieval Heart

(40 reviews)

Zadar audio tour: A Rendezvous with Zadar’s Old Town: A Guide to its Medieval Heart

This is a 1.2mi walking tour

It takes an average of 60 mins to complete.

Zadar

Croatia

$11.99

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About the Tour

The breathtaking coastline on which Zadar’s Old Town is situated is filled with seaside art installations as well as local peculiarities. On this walking tour, you’ll learn about Zadar's historical sights and unique traditions while crossing its famous peninsula.

Our tour starts in front of the Land Gate, where I'll share the area’s ancient history. I’ll guide you through Roman ruins and picturesque squares including the People's Square and the Forum, before taking you to the waterfront. Along the way, you’ll find out what the area was like under Venetian, French, Austrian-Hungarian, and Yugoslavian rule throughout centuries of conquest.

After visiting the hustle and bustle of Zadar’s Old Town center, I’ll show you the seaside attractions where you can see the Greeting to the Sun, a 22-meter wide solar solar-charged disc that puts on a light show at night. The tour ends with the Sea Organ’s fascinating melodies which are created through tidal airwaves rushing through seaside steps.

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

Receive insights into how well-structured the Roman settlement was here through the remains scattered about the Old Town
Hear why Alfred Hitchcock says that Zadar’s sunset is the world’s best
Go for a stroll along the seaside promenade with views of Ugljan island
Climb the Zadar City Walls for a view of the town
Discover Queen Jelena's Park and learn about the layers of history in what is the oldest public garden in Dalmatia
Learn about the iconic Zadar liqueur that was even served on the Titanic

By the end of this one-hour tour, you’ll have a better understanding of the rich history, local lifestyle, and quirky details that make Zadar 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 Land Gate and Town Walls

Hello dear traveller! Welcome!

My name is Sanja and I will guide you today through the town of Zadar.

Right now, you should be standing in front of the Land gate with views of the town walls. We'll spend a few moments here.

The historic core of Zadar is situated on a ... Hello dear traveller! Welcome!

My name is Sanja and I will guide you today through the town of Zadar.

Right now, you should be standing in front of the Land gate with views of the town walls. We'll spend a few moments here.

The historic core of Zadar is situated on a peninsula, surrounded by the open sea and Foša bay to your left, and by Jazine bay further north on the opposite side. The word Foša means ''moat'' because the old town used to be separated from the mainland by a deep protective moat which has since been filled. On this walking tour, you will cross the full length of the peninsula and reach its peak on the other side. However, you should know that modern Zadar is much bigger than that. It is the 5th largest town in Croatia, and the 2nd largest in the region of Dalmatia, after Split, with the total population of about 71000 people. Its economy mostly relies on tourism, sea trade, agriculture, fishing and fish farming, as well as metal and chemical industry. The modern parts of the town are developing on the mainland to the north of the peninsula that you are visiting today.

The old town was once protected by the walls going all around the peninsula, which is not the case today because they were partially pulled down in the 1800s. Apart from the town walls, there is also an independent fortress called Forte, situated opposite the town gate and behind you, across the street. The town fortifications have been included in the list of UNESCO's World Heritage Sites in 2017 as part of Venetian defensive fortifications. The walls were originally built in the 1100s and 1200s, but significantly reinforced and improved in the 1500s by the Venetian republic that ruled over Zadar at the time, in order to protect the town from the Ottoman or Turkish attacks. The walls proved to be very effective because the Turks never conquered the town. The gate in the town walls was the official main entrance built in the 1500s. It was made in the form of the classical triumphal arch with a triple entrance - the central wide one for carriages and the two narrower ones for pedestrians. On top of the central entrance, there is the figure of Saint Krševan on horseback, the town's patron saint. Above him, a winged lion stands as the symbol of the Venetian republic. On top of the pedestrian entrances, there are coats-of-arms and inscriptions of the town officials who held offices at the time of the gate's construction.

The building that you can see above the town walls to the left of the gate, is the Scientific library with the State Archives, and it is part of a larger complex of buildings that also includes the University of Zadar. Even though this University is of a more recent date, Zadar can pride itself on being the town where the first Croatian university and one of the oldest universities in Europe was founded in 1396 by the Dominican friars. It lasted over 4 centuries, up to 1807. Today's modern University attracts students from all over Croatia who decide to study Humanities, as that is the component the University is most known for. Zadar is therefore, the town of the youth, that can often be seen on the main promenade by the sea in front of their faculty, chatting with classmates between lectures.

Before we get going, 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 pass through the pedestrian entrance in the gate on the right side. As soon as you enter, look for some steps on the right side and climb them to the next location. Read More

View locations and route

How VoiceMap Works

Focus on your surroundings, not the screen

The VoiceMap app uses GPS to play audio automatically, at the right time and place, so you can focus on your surroundings, not the screen.

Follow a route with turn-by-turn-directions

VoiceMap tours follow a route from a fixed starting point. That lets us give turn-by-turn directions and use context to tell a better story.

Resume playback to go at your own pace

If you'd like to stop for a drink or go into a museum, end your tour then use the Resume feature to pick up exactly where you left off.

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Major Landmarks

Land Gate
Zadar City Walls
Foša
University of Zadar
The Five Wells Square
Captain's tower
Queen Jelena Madijevka Park
Petar Zoranić Place
Duke's palace
Roman pillar
Church of St. Simon
Široka ulica
People's Square
Gradska straža
Gradska uprava Zadar
Lovre caffe bar
Cedulin Palace Atrium
Bedemi zadarskih pobuna
City Bridge
Brodarica Zadar
Sphinx
Zadarski Barkajoli
Market Zadar
Fish Market
Church of St. Krsevan
Statue of Petar Zoranić
Saint Chrysogonus Gate
Forum
Archaeological Museum Zadar
Church of St. Donatus
Zeleni trg
Stup srama (Pillar of shame)
Church of St. Elijah
Cathedral of St. Anastasia
Church of the Mother of God of Health
Ulica Perivoj Gospe od zdravlja
Trg tri bunara
Arsenal Zadar MS
Mali Arsenal
The Greeting to the Sun
Sea Organ
Riva Zadar

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
Foša - The Land Gate, Ul. Među bedemima, 23000, Zadar, Croatia
Total distance

2km
Final location
Obala kralja Petra Krešimira IV, 23000, Zadar, Croatia
Distance back to start location

903.25m

Directions to Starting Point

Start: Foša - The Land Gate, Među bedemima street, Zadar

The starting point for the tour is outside city walls and Land gate, in Foša bay.

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. If you want to sit down for a while during the tour, it can be pleasant to sit at a cafe on the square with Roman ruins and Saint Donatus's church 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, even better, in the evening to avoid the crowds and enjoy the famous Zadar sunset and the lightshow of the Greeting to the Sun at the location where the tour ends. 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 steps (there are stairways on the way).

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“This app has become my go-to app for audio tours. I pretty much use it for every trip and it works wonderfully. I highly recommend VoiceMap for travelers to truly experience cities.”

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.”

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Questions and Reviews

4.6 / 5

40 Ratings

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Sense of Place

93%

Navigation

100%

Production Quality

93%

Depth of Info

86%

Route

93%

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A Rendezvous with Zadar’s Old Town: A Guide to its Medieval Heart

About the Tour

Tour Producer

Sanja

Preview Location

Location 1

Start: The Land Gate and Town Walls

How VoiceMap Works

Major Landmarks

Land Gate

Zadar City Walls

Foša

University of Zadar

The Five Wells Square

Captain's tower

Queen Jelena Madijevka Park

Petar Zoranić Place

Duke's palace

Roman pillar

Church of St. Simon

Široka ulica

People's Square

Gradska straža

Gradska uprava Zadar

Lovre caffe bar

Cedulin Palace Atrium

Bedemi zadarskih pobuna

City Bridge

Brodarica Zadar

Sphinx

Zadarski Barkajoli

Market Zadar

Fish Market

Church of St. Krsevan

Statue of Petar Zoranić

Saint Chrysogonus Gate

Forum

Archaeological Museum Zadar

Church of St. Donatus

Zeleni trg

Stup srama (Pillar of shame)

Church of St. Elijah

Cathedral of St. Anastasia

Church of the Mother of God of Health

Ulica Perivoj Gospe od zdravlja

Trg tri bunara

Arsenal Zadar MS

Mali Arsenal

The Greeting to the Sun

Sea Organ

Riva Zadar