Finding Šibenik and Krka

Days 225-227, July 10-12, 2011

Having done some research while in Split, I decided to head up north a ways to the tiny city of Šibenik. This small city is where one goes to check out the nearby Krka National Park, one of the most beautiful in all of Croatia, second only to Plitvice Lakes National Park. Having seen photos of the park, I knew I had to see it in person.

Getting to Šibenik from Split turned out to be insanely easy. Buses leave for Šibenik at least once an hour and there are also multiple trains each day. I opted for the train so I could have a chance to walk around. And it was a pretty good decision if I do say so myself. It was relaxing and having the ability to walk around when my legs got stiff was definitely nice.

The hostel I booked was located in the middle of the Old Town, not too far away from the train station. But damned if I didn’t have a map on me. Finding it took a lot longer and I ended up walking past the correct street numerous times before I stumbled into the area. It was also the only hostel in the entire city. Whereas in Split you have options galore as to places to stay, including the private homes of locals who wait for you at the bus/train stations, Šibenik is nearly completely devoid of the “sobe’s.” This is probably a product of the fact that so few tourists seem to come to the city, rendering the need for more places to stay useless and financially unsound.

For things to do, Šibenik is admittedly low key. The old town is beautiful to walk through and, compared to Split, very quiet. There were many times, walking through the narrow streets, through the main Cathedral, and up to the cemetery, that I saw nary a soul. In a way, this was nice. It was like having the city completely to myself. And in another way it was sad that such a charming city was, for the most part, ignored by foreigners who come to Croatia for the sole purpose of partying on the islands.

I managed to find out about the beach that the locals go to and took the opportunity to check it out. In the city itself there is no beach(though they are building one!), so to get to the local beach, one must grab a once an hour boat ride out to a large island. The beach is not the nicest I’ve been to but the water was clean and cold which is all I was looking for. There were plenty of little cafes along the waters edge as well. I took advantage of this and got myself a massive banana split for dinner.

But, of course, the main reason for my coming to this forgotten city was to check out the Krka National Park. A German lady from the hostel decided to join me in the journey. We walked to the bus station and grabbed an early departure for the small village at the entrance to the park. From Šibenik, the bus takes you to two separate entrances. The first one is the bus entrance while the second is the boat entrance. I highly recommend the boat entrance. There is no price difference(the transportation is included in the entrance fee), but the views from the boat are amazing.

Krka National Park is comprised of a small network of trails around the main waterfalls, where many people take the chance to swim in the waters. Walking the trails can take you no more than a couple hours if you take your time. The rest of the park is inaccessible unless you pay for a boat tour up the river or if you have a vehicle. This was really the only disappointment to me. But walking through the park, seeing the fish in the clear water, looking at the many different views of the waterfalls, and getting the chance to swim in the river, still made it worthwhile.

Plus, some of the men created a spectacular view.

With the walk able portion of the park being so small, we were ready to head back by 2pm. However, from the small village, the next bus we could take back to Šibenik was at 5pm. A quick stop at the market for some supplies and a nice area of grass gave us the perfect opportunity for a little picnic lunch while we waited. It made for a great day.