Lying on a truly unique stretch of Croatia’s coast, the city of Šibenik is famous for many things.
History, heritage and events
Barone Fortress © Šibenik Tourist Board
Sitting above the city are three fortresses. Historically, they defended Šibenik from attack made by any possible direction. There’s another fortress below the city, in the middle of St. Anthony’s channel. It guards the entrance to Šibenik from the sea and is a UNESCO protected heritage site. It’s not the only one here.
Events at Barone Fortress © Šibenik Tourist Board
Šibenik’s spectacular Cathedral of St. James is also a UNESCO heritage site. Understandably so. It’s an architectural treasure. These five titanic landmarks are cornerstones of Šibenik Old Town. Its historic streets are among the most charming and atmospheric in Croatia. During warmer months, Šibenik’s renowned music, children’s, dance, theatre and cinema events spill out onto these streets.
Special gastronomy
Inclusive Šibenik: Bakalar (salt cod), served traditionally with potatoes © Maja Danica Pečanić
Šibenik has long been known for its classic Mediterranean brunches – marenda. For as long as anyone can remember, these simple yet tasty dishes have been enjoyed casually in the back streets and stone-paved alleys of Šibenik Old Town.
Inclusive Šibenik: Octopus © Maja Danica Pečanić
Consistently voted Croatian Restaurant of the Year, the international reputation of Šibenik restaurant Pelegrini received a boost in 2018 when it was awarded a Michelin star. Not only does it still hold the award, but its presence in the city has also helped raise the bar for fine dining throughout Šibenik’s eateries.
Inclusive Šibenik © Maja Danica Pečanić
Furthermore, in the hills surrounding Šibenik, you’ll discover some of Croatia’s greatest small-scale wine producers. They might not be the most famous, but the winemakers of Šibenik-Knin County are consistently among the most highly decorated producers featured at elite international wine awards.
Landscape, nature and recreation
© Krka National Park
Few Mediterranean cities can boast natural assets like Šibenik’s. And nowhere else looks exactly like this city.
Just 20 minutes drive from the town is Krka National Park. It is one of Croatia’s most famous, most popular and most spectacular National Parks. Within 100 square kilometres of epic river valley, green wilderness and karst rock canyons, you’ll discover seven spectacular waterfalls and a variety of birds and animals.
© Antonia Viljac / Šibenik Tourist Board
Closer to the city centre, St. Anthony’s channel is a natural waterway that flows from Šibenik’s sheltered harbour out to the open Adriatic. Running along the length of the channel’s southern shore is one of Šibenik’s best-loved areas of recreation. There you’ll find St. Anthony’s walking path and beaches with endless promenades.
Warm welcome
© Antonia Viljac / Šibenik Tourist Board
When talking about the distinct qualities of Šibenik, sooner or later you need to mention the welcome. Šibenik loves visitors. Šibenik residents appreciate nothing more highly than those who come to look and spend time here. That’s why the city and Šibenik Tourist Board make a special effort to ensure Šibenik is accessible and a city for all. Recent EU project Tourism4all has helped to significantly improve Šibenik’s ability to receive all visitors, including guests with disabilities and seniors.
Inclusive Šibenik History and Heritage: Fortresses and Old Town
Inclusive Šibenik © Šibenik Tourist Board
Šibenik Old Town wasn’t designed with accessibility in mind. In fact, it wasn’t strategically planned at all. Instead, the Old Town simply evolved over several centuries, rising up slopes when its expansion made that necessary. In total, there are over 2000 stairs and steps running through the Old Town. Charming to some, they are an obstacle for others. To help overcome those obstacles, Šibenik Tourist Board – with support from local associations of persons with disabilities – have mapped the accessibility of all the public buildings and tourist attractions. You can check out the map here.
Inclusive Šibenik © Šibenik Tourist Board
Experienced guides from the professional Association of Šibenik Tourist Guides Mihovil have recognised that, on average, at least one member of every guided tour group they lead has special needs. In response, they have invested time and effort to create tours adapted to the needs of persons with different disabilities. One additional tool that’s been created to help visitors get around the city centre is a mobile phone app – Šibenik Audio Guide. It was designed with blind and partially sighted visitors in mind, although is useful for everyone. Šibenik Audio Guide is available in English, Italian, German and Croatian and is downloadable from Playstore and iStore.
Inclusive Šibenik: Barone Fortress © Šibenik Tourist Board
Further to these efforts, two of Šibenik’s fortresses – St. Michael’s Fortress and Barone Fortress – have been reconstructed to be fully accessible to persons with disabilities. Inside the fortresses, you can learn how they helped defend Šibenik and more about the history of the city itself. One of the most breathtaking events spaces in Croatia, there’s a spectacular backdrop of city, nature, sea and islands to performances at St. Michael’s Fortress. All of its dance, theatre, music and film events are fully accessible.
St. Michael’s Fortress
The Tourism4all project has supported the introduction of transport services – a minivan that is equipped for the transfer of wheelchair users visiting the city. It is operated by local NGO Aurora.
Discover the Šibenik food and drink that’s right for you
Inclusive Šibenik: Brudet © Maja Danica Pečanić
Within recent memory, many places in Croatia struggled to cater for the growing number of vegetarian and vegan guests arriving at their destinations. But, great advances have been made over the last decade. Nowhere more so than the city of Šibenik, where you can access a food map specifically designed for those with food intolerances or distinct dietary needs.
© Baraka winery
Want to discover more about local food and the celebrated wine of Šibenik-Knin County? Baraka winery, just outside the city, is surrounded by vineyards and olive trees. Their new cookery classes have been designed to be accessible to all and are perfect for small groups. You’ll learn to cook local dishes using ingredients popular to the region. Then, you’ll enjoy lunch or dinner in these beautiful natural surroundings.
Inclusive Šibenik Nature, Wildlife and Recreation
Inclusive Šibenik © Antonia Viljac / Šibenik Tourist Board
The nature surrounding Šibenik is spectacular. Whatever your abilities or level of fitness, this nature can be enjoyed by all. Sections of Krka National Park with broad accessibility are specially designated by park authorities.
Inclusive Šibenik: Krka National Park
There are numerous walks and hikes across the cityscape that are designed for people of all ages and abilities. Family groups with several different generations can enjoy untaxing strolls around St. Anthony’s channel. Above the city, Šubićevac Forest Park has a fully equipped playground area, designed for inclusiveness and accessibility. You’ll get incredible views from both these places.
Inclusive Šibenik: Dubrava Falconry Center © Šibenik Tourist Board
If you want to get up close to some of the animals that live in this area, then there are several options. Located in a dense pine forest less than 10 kilometres from Šibenik centre, at the Dubrava Falconry Center, you’ll meet several different birds of prey.
Inclusive Šibenik: KK Kolan horseriding club at Farma Happy Horse © S. Živković
At Farma Happy Horse you’ll meet horses and llamas. In fact, there’s a range of domesticated animals waiting to greet you on this small family farm. They’re all very friendly. Also, horse riding club KK Kolan operates on the farm. Their experienced team offer specially designed therapeutic horse riding sessions for children and teenagers with disabilities.
Accessible accommodation in Šibenik
© D-Resort Šibenik
D-Resort is a modern hotel resort at the side of Šibenik marina. It sits at the very end of a small, thin peninsula that stretches into Šibenik bay. Its light and spacious rooms have balconies that look out onto the bay, the city and the nature opposite. The hotel has 4 bars and lounges and, just next door, a spa area. The hotel has appointed rooms designed to be accessible and specifically with disabled guests in mind.
© D-Resort Šibenik
Visitors to Šibenik can take advantage of Šibenik Card and obtain various discounts, including 20% discount on accessible rooms at D-Resort. For more information about Šibenik Card, look here.
