By Emma Dodd
Caravan holidays and Croatia’s Dalmatian Coast are the perfect match, so in this edition of Dream Destinations we’re taking you to Sibenik. This often overlooked city has plenty of history to offer, as well as easy access to the Kornati Islands and Krka National Park.
Sibenik’s cathedral occupies an enviable position right next to the sea and is dripping in history. Its construction was funded by local people in the 15th century, who wanted a monument to their faith, and subsequently took 100 years to build.
You can still see the faces of some of the donors, as 74 of them were immortalised in stone on the cathedral’s exterior. Its outer walls also bear the scars of shells used by the Serbs on an attack of the city in the 1990s. Step inside and the sarcophagus of St James rests inside this impressive gothic and renaissance monument.
Just off the coast lies the Kornati Islands, an archipelago of some 140 islands, many of which fall inside the national park. While uninhabited for most of the year, some small cottages are used by farmers from Murter Island to tend to the olive groves, vineyards and orchards during the growing and harvesting seasons.
A boat trip to this stunning island group will show you the very best of the Adriatic, with clear waters in every shade of blue you can imagine and hidden coves contrasting brightly with the sea. The sixth-century Tureta Fort dates back to the Byzantine era and its remains can be seen on Kornat Island.
Just ten kilometres inland from Sibenik is the captivating Krka National Park, which is home to a network of hiking trails, a number of monasteries and a series of seven waterfalls. The most southern of these falls is Skradinski Buk, where you can go for a dip.
Sibenik lies within a wine-growing region, so it’s worth taking a trip to one of the nearby vineyards for a tour and a tasting if you’re a wine aficionado. At the very least, ordering a glass of wine that was made in the local area to go with a meal is a must during your stay.
Where are your post-lockdown caravan holiday plans going to take you? Get in touch to let us know.
