Zadar, Croatia on a Budget — Weird Travel Friend

Zadar is a beautiful coastal city on the Adriatic Sea that also happens to be a pretty popular cruise stop. The main tourist area is quite small, and certainly an area where you may notice that the prices are a little higher than they would be in other areas for things like lodging and food. Coming directly from Zagreb, the sticker shock on restaurants was a little overwhelming. That all being said, it still possible to see Zadar on a budget, while also not skipping out on the big things that make the city so beautiful and interesting.

I also have a post on things to do in Zadar, so when you're done reading this quick post on the

how

I did it,

pop over here

to see

what

I did!

Zadar on a budget

Things to note:

The hotel prices are higher than a budget-minded traveler may like, so keep an eye out for hostels. I stayed in a really nice hostel (more on that below).
Have cash. During my time in Croatia, I could rarely predict when a place would be cash-only. Tt will always be the safe option to have a little cash on-hand.
Food is certainly "tourist prices." Unless you've set up your travel budget with some extra padding for Zadar prices, consider skipping the restaurants.

Where I stayed in Zadar

I stayed at Downtown Boutique Hostel and the location was fantastic. It was about a 20 minute walk from the bus terminal and was less than a 10 minute walk to basically anywhere I wanted to go. The facilities were nice and new (as of November 2018). The lockers in the room were huge and each bed had a nice setup with a reading light, power outlets and a privacy curtain. The top bunks all had steps leading up instead of ladders, which was a really nice touch. There is no kitchen, but they do have a fridge for food storage.I had a fantastic stay right up until I needed to leave and stow my bag. I had checked with reception about how they manage storage and they noted that its in a "common room," which I interpreted as a shared storage room. When I came downstairs and asked to stow my bag, they pointed me into the common room and told me I could leave it anywhere. I had clearly misunderstood what they had told me. When I looked surprised and was like "uh I can't leave my bag there" (think: computer and extra camera lens were in my bag). They seemed annoyed that I was upset and it didn't seem to register that I wasn't simply being difficult and that their description of the storage situation perhaps wasn't accurate (and I say that as someone who both works in hospitality and has a ton of experience working through language barriers). Overall, 10/10 for facilities and 7/10 for staff (figuring in that I had an ok check-in and that the lady at check-out didn't intend to deceive or upset me, but was just rather harsh).

How I saw Zadar

I had a full 24 hours in Zadar and was happy with the amount of stuff I did/saw. My best recommendation is to arrive and depart midday. This allows you to both catch a sunset and get some pre-crowd exploration in the morning. First, I wandered the northern part of the little peninsula, checking out the little alleys and streets, with a trajectory of being to the sea organ to catch the sunset. I passed the Roman Forum, St. Dominus Church, and lots of cafes with outside seating. I passed through the Land and Sea gates on the eastern side of the peninsula and walked along the water from the gates to the organ. After a spectacular sunset, I continued my walk south. Eventually the path ended and I was forced to turn and walk inland, I passed a cute little marina. It was a narrow path and I’m a little bit of a weenie, so I got nervous every time someone needed to pass me because I was worried I would fall into the water.

I passed through 5 Well Square, though I wish it had been during the daylight. With hunger setting in, I grabbed some pizza at Crazy Pizza, stopped into a small mart to get some food for breakfast, and then went to bed early.I got up early and the morning was spent wandering and getting some pictures (I had the dream team of a tripod and camera timer) before the crowds showed up. After checking-out of the hostel, I found a way to climb up onto the city wall, which conveniently put me right in front of my final stop in Zadar, the Museum of Ancient Glass. Now, recall that I was unable to stow my bag at the hostel. So I was walking around with an additional 20lbs (9kg) on my back and was notsosure that would let me into a glass museum with the big bag. Luckily, the Museum of Ancient Glass had a really great storage spot, so it worked out really well. The bus station was only about a 15 minute walk from the museum.

What about food?!

I made the choice to have a "real" meal every other day because some of the tourist areas in the Balkans can be quite expensive. Being able to see Zadar on a budget meant every other refueling was fruits and yogurt from a grocery store and some kind of bread product (Mlinar saved my wallet).

I had a small baguette and an apple when I arrived in the afternoon.
I got a slice at Crazy Pizza for dinner.
Right near Crazy Pizza was a small mart where I got a banana and a yogurt for my breakfast (also got an apple for the bus ride to Sibenik). I also picked up a cherry pastry from Mlinar in the morning.
I also stopped into Coffee&Cake for an espresso

In total, I spent about $25-30usd in Zadar between the hostel, small food items, and the museum entry. Not too bad, eh?

Did I miss anything?

Someone who had read my post about things to do in Zadar made a great point that I had missed out on the local bar and cafe scene. I had thought about taking myself out to dinner at one of the restaurants that I had seen in blog articles, but ultimately decided against it. First, given my tight budget going out for an "expensive" dinner that I wasn't able to share with someone, paired with it all seeming to be non-Croatian food, I just couldn't bring myself to spend on that (I was hell-bent on seeing Zadar on a budget). I do plan to go back in the next few years, and will be a little more liberal with my spending to experience those things next time!

For a full run-down of what I did, check out my post about about Things to do in Zadar!

What things do you cut out/minimize while travelling when you're on a tight budget?
Do you have any tips for seeing Zadar on a budget?
What is the least expensive city you've visited?

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