While Dubrovnik and Split – Croatia’s de facto capitals – have had to adjust more than any others because of best-in-travel listings, overtourism and the cruise ship economy, Sibenik to the north has been able to avoid any stain on the city. So far, it retains the feeling of an outlier. It’s the Dalmatian coast as it once was.
In this respect, Sibenik’s majestic forts, Unesco-worthy cathedral and pedestrianised Old Town seem almost unique. Here, locals sip espresso, slurp ice cream, sit on steps and – more or less – master fjaka, the Dalmatian art of aspiring to do nothing. And that’s not mentioning the slow-motion pace of life in its cradle of islands beyond glimmering Sibenik Bay and St Anthony Channel.
