Looking for a cheap and cheery holiday that won’t break the budget, and to a destination that holds the promise of decent weather until at least mid-October to boot? Follow in the footsteps of a friend and me, who recently returned from a fabulous four-day weekend in Zadar, Croatia.
Air travel was carried out by none other than Ryanair, which added the Frankfurt-Hahn-Zadar route at the beginning of July 2009. Round-trip airfare set us back some 70 euros per person. Traveling to Frankfurt-Hahn from the greater Kaiserslautern area was made easy by the Scherer Reisen shuttle company, which charges 11 euros to depart from the Autohof off the A6 Ramstein-Miesenbach exit. Park your car by the Shell station for 5 euros per day, and plan on up to a good hour and 15 minutes’ ride to the airport.
The booking of an apartment was a stab in the dark, but one that found us staying at private apartments Srsen northwest of the city proper, in the area known as Borik. The location was hard to beat, offering a 15-minute city bus ride to the Old Town, or just three minute’s walking to reach the nearest point from which you could dive into the sea. A handful of decent restaurants could also be reached on foot without breaking a sweat despite the toasty weather. Our apartment, which could accommodate up to five guests, went for 60 euro per night in peak season, and the hospitality of the proprietress, Vojana, could not be beat.
With just two full days to enjoy most of what the area had to offer, we took two totally different tacks on planning our schedule. On Saturday, we booked an all-inclusive tour through an agency, whereas Sunday we forged our own way on public transportation. The contrast between the two outcomes couldn’t have been greater.
Our tour of the Kornati Archipelago, a national park comprised of mostly uninhabited isles, was portrayed to us as a laid-back tour on a boat similar to a cabin cruiser offering ample deck space to stretch out with food and drink aplenty, punctuated by swimming breaks in deserted coves. While I suppose we did technically get everything that was promised to us for our 38 euros apiece, the actual delivery left much to be desired. The ride to the islands took several long, frustrating hours on a crowded vessel ferrying more than 100 persons; “breakfast” was comprised of baskets of wafer cookies and a lukewarm Tang-like drink; the welcome cocktail was a warm grappa poured out of a unlabeled one-liter plastic bottle to selected brave guests only; the fresh meat-and-fish dinner was cooked on board and delivered in two shifts, and featured some of the lesser-regarded species. Despite the tour’s shortcomings, swimming in a salt lake near which donkeys lived and in the coolest of blue sea waters salvaged the day.
Compare this to Sunday’s trek to Nin, a tiny island town some 25 kilometers to the north of Zadar. Its picture-perfect lagoon was reached by intercity buses that left about every hour on the hour at peak times from Zadar’s central bus station. The sandy crescent beach was sparsely populated, and with its gentle tides and shallow waters, would be an ideal spot for children, although there is no lifeguard on duty. Across the bay, a seemingly impenetrable mountain range comprised of whitish-gray barren cliff rose starkly upward. On the shore opposite, scores of wind and kite surfers took advantage of the day’s conditions.
When hunger drove us from the beach, Nin’s tidy town proper offered a smattering of sights, the highlight of which was the St. Cross church. The nearby Aenona restaurant proved to be the only gig open in town at the time we wanted to eat, but the quality of the food and its preparation, along with its shaded garden setting, would draw me back any day of the week. Cost of this outing, a day made in heaven? About half that of the tour, including the restaurant meal, drinks and bus fare. Next time I contemplate an all-inclusive tour, I will try my utmost to read between the lines and with a healthy dose of skepticism.
What else should entice you to choose Zadar as your next destination? The old city, with its ancient churches, marble passageways, and lively squares is a must-see. The new light installation “Greeting to the Sun” and the Sea Organ, which uses the movement of the wind and sea to create music, make a great nightcap to an evening’s stroll. Finally, Zadar’s airport is only some five miles outside town, so you won’t end up wasting half your day on logistics.
Give Zadar a try. I think you’ll be glad you did.
