Nin, Croatia: Worth a visit?
It was good enough for a Queen so there is a chance it will be good enough for you :)
History of Nin
Nin is a small town located about 20 minutes drive from Zadar. The center of the ancient city is on an island with two bridges connecting it to the mainland. The island is about half of kilometer in length so when you get there you can easily walk around the whole place.
Nin has a rich history. It was the seat of the first Croatian bishop and a significant center of political and cultural life. It was destroyed several times in battles through the period of Ottoman and Venetian Rule.
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| Nin is considered one of the oldest towns in the region. | Roman Temple build around 69-79 AD, time of Emperor Vespasian |
Church of the Holy Cross, Nin
The church of Sveti Križ (Holy Cross). It was build in the 9th century and it is often called the smallest church in the world. It is probably not but it is still a beautiful and historic building that offers a glimpse into the rich past of Nin.
As you can see i was fascinated by the orange wheel :)
So with basic out of the way, here are my impressions. I came to Nin pretty randomly, first i was thinking about Zadar, but after all the craziness and "chaos" of HiveFest in Split i thought Zadar will be a bit crowded.
After searching for some interesting beaches in the north area (no idea why as the weather was not great last couple of days) i stumbled at Nin and thought it will be a nice place to wind down a bit for few days. As it turned out, almost too much :)
Nin, Croatia - First impressions
After the boat ride in Split and two and a half hour drive to Nin i came a bit after 9PM.
And i noticed something strange right away.
Let's spoil it right away. There was a serious lack of people.
As i discovered in next few days Nin is inhabited by creatures opposite of Vampires. You can see them going around their business while the sun is out but as soon the sun is gone, they are all gone. I couldn't figure out what those creatures are called, but now thinking about it, Normal Regular People?
So after 9AM you could maybe stumble upon some nightwalkers.
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Jokes a side, start of the September this year was hit by the bad weather and the summer season ended pretty abruptly. Temperatures went down to low 20 Celsius through the day and even down to 12-14 at night. And a good amount of rain.
So if you were there for the classic sunbathing and swimming vacation it made no sense to stay.
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Mage casting a spell. Judging by his expression in is not a healing spell. But a lot of people are touching his big toe so maybe it is a luck spell.
Again jokes a side Gregory of Nin was a prominent Croatian bishop who lived in the 10th century. He was pretty important in Croatian history. And people rub his toe, for luck. Why? Probably the same reason you find shiny parts of statues all over the world 🤷♂
I spent two full days in Nin. If i came with no serious sleep deprivation that would maybe even be enough to check it all out.
But my first morning was waking up a bit before noon, with an idea of maybe going to a beach. I even got all ready for it, went out, turned around to change for a quick stroll to the town to get lunch and some essentials from the store. Mostly coffee.
There is a good amount of restaurants in Nin. I ate at two of them. No complaints there. I liked Mad Duck a bit more than Providenca maybe because the burger was really good.
There is only one grocery store in the old town. It is a small store but you can buy the essential stuff. In the off season they only work till 2PM. Most restaurants work till 10PM but realistically nothing was open after 9PM the last night i tried to go for dinner.
Beach Ždrijac, Nin
In the afternoon i took a photo walk to the beach that was closer to me. Beach Ždrijac. It is probably 15-25 minutes walk from anywhere you would be staying in the Nin old town. Took this photo as it was interesting to me how the money from projects is spent. Maybe it is helpful for someone.
And when ever i see the sign "No dogs allowed" (just realized allowed is misspelt :) ) i say it in my head with the voice from Snoopy the movie.
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Beach Ždrijac is interesting because there is a sea on both sides of the beach. I would guess it is pretty good even in the peak season as there is a lot of space. The water is shallow for a long time, so it is probably pretty popular for families with smaller children.
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It is also pretty popular for people that like Kite Boarding. As you will notice in the photos from the next day. There is a KiteBoarding School and rental place.
A look at the place i was staying in, from the beach. Apartments Branko, Nin. Nice place, good location with a private parking. I would say you can jump from the dock and swim to the beach with ease. Maybe even walk to it, but i am not sure is the water that shallow. Weather didn't let me try it out.
Not so great weather gave me an opportunity for some photos that i am happy with. The crises of landscape travel photography is real. If you are there just for few hours, from a photography perspective you need a lot of luck for a great photo. I am not sure would anyone say those are great photos, but i am happy with few of them (first photo was also taken from here).
I was just waiting to see what will happen with the sunset so i took few photos of stuff i had with me.
Kraljičina plaža - Queen's Beach, Nin
Next day i decided to take a walk to the Queen's Beach. It is 20-30 min walk from the Nin old town. As you can see kiters were at full swing.
Again an interesting beach. I would assume it changes the shape depending on how much water there is. And again the Queen's Beach is shallow for a long time. Ideal for non swimmers and children. And apparently for Kite Boarders.
Maybe the queen didn't know how to swim and that is why she liked it.
There is a big parking lot right above the beach with plenty of space even in the peak season. And a bar with food and drinks. It was closed at the time but judging by the state of it, it was open just few days ago.
The beach looks interesting with its strange shape and water on both sides of it.
The beach goes for several kilometers. It is the longest sandy beach in Croatia. So you can find a place even in peak season.
Kraljičina (Queen’s) Beach is also famous for largest site of therapeutic mud in Croatia. No idea what that does and how it works.
I also found a phone while on the beach. If you lost your phone at Queen's beach in Nin you can check if i found yours here in this story I am on a Quest. There is a big chance that i still have the phone with all the data intact so if it is you, feel free to contact me :)
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So a quick summary:
Nice place for families with small children for a full classic summer vacation
Two really nice sandy beaches. There are not a lot of sandy beaches in Croatia
If you want to check it out in a day, you will have time to "run" through the town get a nice meal and few hours on the beach
2-3 days if you want to check everything in the town. I was in the lazy mode so i missed Nin salt museum (Nin was famous for salt production), a Museum of Nin Antiquities, church of Sv Nikula (St Nicholas) and probably few other things.
If you missed any of the previous post you can click on the image and check that out:
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Photography Basics: Learn Manual Mode (tutorial, Part 1)
Photography Basics: Learn Manual Mode, Shutter speed (tutorial, Part 2)
Photography Basics: Learn Manual Mode, Aperture and ISO (tutorial, Part 3)
Photography Basics: Learn Manual Mode - Thinking process (Tutorial Part 4)
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They are!
Overcast weather is much more interesting for photography although it isn't so great for vacations :)
i do have a problem with landscape photography as i know how much time is spent by photographers who do it professionally. how much of it is a waiting game for all conditions to align. (or now just use AI to replace it all 😂 )
This evening clouds and sun did that and i must say i was pretty happy with it while taking it. That strip of clear sky did a good job to add to it.
Only thing i missed is taking the tripod with me for few of those shots taken later. reflections on the water were painting like.
Yes I know what you mean. I am myself very far from the level (and the patience) of a pro landscape photographer but I still enjoy talking a good one once in a while :)
Stunning panoramas 😍😍😍 And the lack of people usn't a disadvantage for me, LOL. Looks like a place that worth stopping by.
I wonder if you will find the owner of the phone... ☺️
Lack of people is often an advantage. sometimes you do want one or two in the photo, but it is the lack of anything else being open when there is lack of people 😄
i tried in the first few days, i was not sure do i want to try to make her famous just to try to give the phone back. we will see :)
Thanks.
It is she then 😅😅😅
it is a guess by the print on the mask cover :)
Lovely photographs. I really like the second one. It's cool how you captured the city in between the dark clouds and the water.
I also really like the shots you took at night.
that is when the nature says you are here for just few hours but we will make it happen :)
i am often not happy with travel landscapes, i was with these ones as i was taking them :)
Sometimes you're just on the right spot at the right time! 👍
Nin is new for me, and I am familiar with the Croatian coast. It looks great with all its history. Even beaches look fantastic. And free phones? This is the best as I will need a new one soon !LOLZ
i didn't know about it. it was a really random search of interesting beaches. It is a nice small town.
I have noticed I haven't followed you yet! 😳 Corrected! 😉
We haven't managed to see much of Croatia except of a couple of places, so we will have to go back and I think we'll put Nin on our list as it looks great on your photos. I love the night shots!
i was also surprised with few people i was not following. i see them regularly from communities or lists i made so i never clicked the follow button :D
Croatia has so many cool small towns + islands. A few weeks trip through the coast would be pretty interesting.
Wowwww, dear @bil.prag, I don't remember ever seeing more beautiful photos of this beautiful town on the Adriatic in my beautiful Croatia. They are beautiful, well done! I am glad to see when someone promotes my Croatia and its beauties. I try to do that myself with my posts, but this post put me to shame, I could do a lot better.
i find landscape/nature photography quite difficult for getting great photos if you are just a traveler and not actually on the spot. There is so much that needs to align for a great photo. Good photos are possible :)
i was lucky with the clouds that afternoon for the photos. but unlucky for taking a swim :) you win some you lose some.
Thanks.
Your captured the charm and beauty of the place so well
Thanks :)
Those who dislike overtourism (just like me) will prefer going to this kind of place, I guess.
Such a tranquil one. I love your shots, they are stunning, especially these 👇
!PIZZA
but only in September :) my host says that July and August is pretty crowded because the town is pretty small.
Oh . Really need to check the right time to visit beforehand
only if you want small number of people :)
The pictures are enough ways to help us know that it is worth a visit
Nice pictures!
It is a nice small sea town. Worth a few days visit.
Thanks.
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STOPAmazing shots! I especially like those with the landscape, sea and mountains, clouds. My favourite one is the one that looks like a painting, really great shot!
thanks :)
the weather was not great for the beach, but was pretty lucky with it for photography. Something that needs to happen to get nice landscape photos.