When you’re visiting a new country, one of the questions is, of course, what should you visit first? So was the case for use when visiting Croatia. And, if one of your dilemmas is what to choose between Split and Zadar, I’ve got you covered. Because, this is what I’m going to talk about, in this article.
If you don’t have the possibility to see them both, maybe I can help you out to choose one of them.
And, to give you my simple, clear and honest answer : I think you should better choose Split. Considering the fact that I’ve visited both cities.
But, let me tell you why.
If you’re new on the blog and you haven’t checked these articles yet, let me point out that I’ve traveled to Croatia recently and stayed there for 2 weeks. So, we tried to see as much as we could of this country.
Our first stop in Croatia was in Zagreb, but only for few hours. Then, we drove down to Plitvice Natural Parks where we found our first camping.
After that, the plan was to stay a few days around Zadar, but, unfortunately we couldn’t find a camping. And believe me, we had enough time to find something. We drove around for hours, visited many campsites around the city and even more far away, but we couldn’t find anything.
So, we booked a room in Zadar, because we needed to stay somewhere for the night. We had the chance to walk around and spend some time in the city. But, the most important thing, we had the chance to see one of the most beautiful sunsets ever.
From my point of view, Zadar is not a big deal. I mean, the city center is nice, very similar to the Italian cities (like many cities in Croatia), but that would be it.
Yes, there are new and interesting things to see: a lot of foreigners, a lot of people walking on the cliff, waiting for the golden hour at sunset.
There is also the famous Sea Organ, an experimental musical instrument, which plays music by the sea waves. There are some tubes located underneath some marble steps and each time the sea waves would touch the tubes, you will hear those beautiful and relaxing sounds.
Another interesting thing about Zadar is the Monument to the Sun. I must say that I never saw something like it before and it really impressed me. The monument is a 22 m circular plate, made out of 300 photo-sensitive glass plates which absorbs the sun light during the day and offers a great light show at night.
The atmosphere of the city is also great and nice to be part of. But, from my point of view, the Sea Organ and the Monument to the Sun are the only two unique things worth to see in Zadar.
If you can live without these things, let me tell you more about Split.
Split is a bit different then Zadar. It is much larger (the second-larger city in Croatia) and it has a different vibe. Known also as ” the Mediterranean Flower”, Split has, definitely, an unique charm. It has a major port, is perfect for nightlife, with multiples bars and terraces and it perfectly combines the historical buildings with the modern activities.
Split was also the home of Diocletian’s Palace and some pieces of the Palace are still standing. In conclusion, it’s very nice to walk around and feel the good energy of the city. Yes, I think this would be the perfect word to describe this city: energized, Split is very energized.
More then this, there was a guy dressed like Diocletian and you could take pictures with him and “his wife”. Pretty funny! And of course I took the picture!
More then this, there are multiple possibilities to take a boat tour and visit other islands, plenty of nice restaurants to have dinner at and a lot of small, beautiful streets to admire.
Split is expensive tough. Actually, in most of the cities in Croatia, the prices are pretty high. But, it depends what you’re looking for and what kind of traveler are you.
But, no more talking, why don’t I show you more of these two cities?
Split 
Split 
Zadar
Split 
Split
In the end, you can decide which one between Split and Zadar is more suitable for you:)
Thanks for reading, M.
