5 Reasons to Visit Šibenik This Summer

Šibenik, known as the oldest Croatian coastal city that was actually built by Croats, is the city is full of imposing landmarks, awesome museums and amazing beaches. This is a city with very rich cultural and historical heritage and so many spots perfect for relaxation by the sea. We bring you the 5 reasons to visit Šibenik this summer – keep reading to find out why it makes such an amazing summer city break.

Before we start, be sure to download our Cultural Places App, find our Šibenik city tour and turn your phone into a virtual guide.

Now let us show you how amazing Šibenik is…

Šibenik – the City of Churches

Šibenik is full of landmarks worth exploring, and the best one of them is the Cathedral of St. James (or the Cathedral of Šibenik) – 16th-century cathedral that has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This cathedral is unique not only in Croatia but in Europe as well, because of the way it was built – it was built completely out of perfectly carved stone and is geometrically perfect.

Besides the Cathedral of St. James, there are other pretty amazing churches, such as the Church of St. Dominik – gorgeous Renaissance building with an amazing organ and two wooden altars, St. Nicholas Church – the 17th-century baroque church with gorgeous bell tower or Romanesque Church of St. Krševan from the 12th century.

Cathedral of St. James

4 Fortresses around the City

Yes, Šibenik is surrounded with four fortresses that you simply must explore. You have to climb to the top of the St. Michael’s Fortress (Tvrđava Sv. Mihovila) and enjoy the views over the city. Today, inside the fort’s walls you will find a large auditorium, where different events are held, throughout the summer. Besides this amazing fortress, there is St. Nicholas fortress set on a small island near Šibenik – it promises some great photos, especially if you own a drone. There is also St. John’s fortress set up on a hill (best views ever) and just a little bit of walking downhill from it the Barone fortress that we loved just as much.

St. Nicholas Fortress

Amazing National Parks

If you love day trips you will love these, for sure. There are a few really breath-taking national parks a short ride away from the gorgeous city of Šibenik. The two of them are especially amazing – Kornati National Park that surrounds Šibenik from the sea and Krka National Park that surrounds it from the mainland.

Kornati National Park is actually an archipelago that consists of 140 uninhabited islands that are amazing natural sight, with numerous coves and crystal-clear blue waters.

Kornati National Park

Krka National Park is famous for its mighty waterfalls and a beautiful lake with the island of Visovac, and a monastery and a museum on it, and it is especially worth exploring.

Krka National Park

Krka National Park, Visovac Island

Awesome Museums

Šibenik has quite a few amazing museums that you can explore, but our personal favourite is definitely the Šibenik City Museum. This remarkable museum is placed in the Duke’s Palace (historical monument on its own) built during the 13th and 14th century. It is a complex type of museum and consists of archaeological, cultural-historic and ethnographic departments. Its duties consist of collecting, taking care of, elaborating and presenting the cultural-historical heritage of the Šibenik region. The two-floor exhibition is a good balance of interactive displays, local history films, artefacts and original documents, dating from the 6th millennium BC to the end of the 18th century.

If you’ve already decided to travel to Šibenik, you should definitely get our Cultural Places App and find our tours through the city of Šibenik and Šibenik City Museum.

Šibenik City Museum
© Tromber / CC BY-SA 4.0

A Walk through the Old Town

Take a walk around the city’s narrow medieval streets and explore the architecture a bit more – it will leave you breathless. Walking around, you will stumble upon the City Hall – a gorgeous Renaissance building that was once the most prominent building in the city. While you’re there, check out the whole of the Republic Croatia Square where the City Hall is located on – there are some of the most significant architectural monuments of Šibenik, such as the Bishop’s and Duke’s Palace, Mala Lođa and the patrician stone palaces. Keep wandering through the streets of the Old Town of Šibenik – you will love all those picturesque buildings that you will find there.

Šibenik City Hall
© Tromber / CC BY-SA 4.0

Besides exploring the amazing Old Town, there is a lot of other things to do. Šibenik has some great pebbled beaches (the most popular one is the Banj beach for sure), where you can relax and enjoy the sun and the sea. But there are also many summer festivals that you can visit in Šibenik – there are various music festivals (electronic or traditional), dance festivals, a film festival, and a medieval festival that is especially interesting. Just be sure to add our Šibenik tours to your trip planner in our app so you can easily explore the city – even when offline.