Zadar Boat tours

The archipelago in front of Zadar holds more islands than anywhere else on the Croatian coast, which is why the boat trip is the standard day out rather than a novelty. The long option is the Kornati, a national park of bare limestone islands south west of the city, usually run as a full day with lunch aboard and a swimming stop. Telascica, the deep bay at the end of Dugi otok with its salt lake and cliffs, is often paired with it on the same ticket. Shorter trips cross to Ugljan and Pasman, or run to Sakarun, the pale-sand bay on Dugi otok that fills the photographs.

The short evening cruises are a different product entirely, leaving the Riva for an hour or two around sunset, which Zadar has traded on since Alfred Hitchcock praised it. Speedboat operators run smaller groups faster and reach more islands in a day than the larger wooden boats.

Two practical points. National park entry for the Kornati and Telascica is charged separately and is not always included in the advertised fare, so ask before booking. And the bura, the dry north easterly that funnels down off the Velebit, can cancel sailings at any point in the season, which is why the trips worth doing are best booked early in a stay rather than on the last day.