Travel Blog: Šibenik Revisited

23.July.2009

After talking to a good deal of people including hostel owners from Sarajevo, Niš, Belgrade and Zagreb it had come to my attention that my idea to build a hostel in the city of Šibenik was a good one. Every single person stated as much when I told them my thoughts on it so Hana and I took a scouting trip out there for more photos and to pick up some real estate intel.I already wrote about the city the last time I passed through but this was a more thorough examination of the pros and cons of building a hostel for backpackers there. The list I compiled is long on both sides which makes me think that I really took a realistic view of things there. In the cons for example is the fact that there’s no beach on the city side, but there are a few on islands easily reachable by water taxi. Even better if I am running a water taxi myself. Another con is that parts of town are dirty but I’m sure that an influx of new tourism revenue could be used to persuade some city officials to see the value of a city cleanup campaign.  A few other cons are the fact that the town is small and relatively unknown and that the entire area could be seen in a day or two.

On the plus side, there are many interesting things less than 30 minutes bus ride from the city including the major attraction Krka National Park replete with waterfalls and wildlife, hiking and more. There is also bungee jumping from the Šibenik bridge, ferries to some islands and some interesting old towns like Primosten. It’s relatively cheap to eat and drink, an old fortress or two to climb up to, lots of old churches and a cathedral. It’s not aimed at tourists and so is not generally very crowded and there is an active nightlife both in and out of the old town center.

Here’s the second gallery with new views of some things I saw the first time round. Plus there’s a video from the top of the fortress so be sure to visit the gallery itself: Chris’ Second Šibenik gallery

KPICASA_GALLERY(Sibenik2)

In case you missed my first visit to the town you can read the blog entry (which was terribly short) and see the gallery.

The town exudes a certain charm. The white marble paving stones are nothing exceptional on the Croatian coast but the town hides its charm in the narrow, winding streets, hidden churches (no less than 15) and wonderfully friendly people. While it’s missing a load of things I think it could be a great destination for backpackers and other travelers alike…

Yes, I’m looking for investors in the latest plan, if interested, email me.