Šibenik continues to surprise. Like Zadar, it took a hammering in the Yugoslav War and is still recovering, but change is evident. The sprawling industrial suburbs, a reminder of its past and significance as a port, camouflage a delightful Old Town. Alleyways and stone steps threaten to lead nowhere but are full of surprises – historic churches and atmospheric squares are tucked around almost every corner, and the golden globe atop the unmissable Cathedral of St James pops up in the distance, over the rooftops, when you least expect it.
With the reopening of the Bunari Museum, Šibenik now has another great venue to accompany restaurants Peperoncino and Pelegrini and there’s more to come. The busy promenade lined with bars and restaurants thrives in summer, overlooked by the ancient network of crumbling fortresses atop the city, guarding the entrance to the Krka estuary that leads to the town from the open sea. The biggest drag on the pace of tourist development has been the poor hotel stock with only one, somewhat jaded, hotel in town. Strange then that it’s been announced recently that a luxury dog hotel will be constructed in the enterprise zone of Podi at a cost of 5.5kn million.
Humans will have to wait for NCP (www.ncp.hr) to continue the development of their existing marina in the Mandalina area as part of an upscale resort still in the planning stages. The blueprint includes two luxury hotels, villas, a business centre and the inevitable shopping zone. In the meantime, there are good lodging options outside Šibenik with the nearby Solaris resort (www.solaris.hr) investing heavily in renovations to its extensive premises, and a couple of good options on the nearby unspoilt islands of Krapanj, Zlarin and Prvić. Spongiola (www.spongiola.com) built on the grounds of a sponge co-operative in Krapanj is a prime example. For the future, French entrepreneur, Bernard Lamy, is in the early stages of a project for the construction of a tourist village in Zablače and a golf course and leisure complex stretching from St Nicolas’ fortress, across the salt lakes, to Solaris.
Šibenik is also a convenient base from which to explore the Krka National Park; Etnoland discovery park; the Dubrava Sokolarski Centar for falconry – and the key nightspots of Hacienda in Vodice and Aurora in Primošten.
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