Things To Do in Sibenik

Šibenik remains more low-key than Zadar and Split. Its main attraction is the UNESCO-listed Cathedral of St. James in the old town. Two magnificent national parks, Krka and Kornati, can be done as day trips from here, too.

Rest in Peace -- The tiny farming village of Otavice west of Sibenik in the Dalmatian interior is the site of a stately church/mausoleum designed and built by Croatian sculptor Ivan Mestrovic to serve as his family crypt. The road to Otavice from Sibenik is clearly marked, but this is land that was occupied by Serb forces during the Homeland War. If you venture here, you will pass through the town of Drnis, where there is a museum displaying several Mestrovic works. You also will see quiet, pastoral landscapes, some marred by crumbling homes that sustained war damage. Occasionally, you may spot a "Go no farther" land mine warning off-road. The Mestrovic family mausoleum sits on a high hill overlooking the valley and the 1930s-era home the artist built for his mother in town. At the moment the house is in ruins and the mausoleum is neglected. During the Homeland War, Serb forces desecrated the crypt beneath the little chapel in the mausoleum and stole the bronze Mestrovic reliefs of his wife and children that served as decorative panels on the mausoleum door. Today a lone caretaker keeps the mausoleum presentable -- and open -- for tourists.

Krka National Park

Waterfalls, gorges, and traces of ancient settlements along the Krka River are some of the attractions at this national park less than 16km (10 miles) outside Sibenik. Krka was proclaimed a national park in 1985. You can tour as much or as little of the park as you like via boat, car, or shoe leather. All public roads marked on the park map are open to cars, except for pedestrian areas of Skradinski buk and Visovac Island and its 15th-century Franciscan monastery, which are accessible only by bus and the Krka National Park boats.

Like the falls at Plitvice, Krka's were formed from deposits of limestone sediment (travertine). But Krka's are considered more dramatic. In fact, Skradinski Buk is considered one of the best falls in Europe as it tumbles from 46m (150 ft.) over 17 distinct travertine deposits.

Krka National Park begins at the Sibenik bridge and continues to Knin. Road signs along the way are numerous and clear, marking all the park entrances. Each entry point has a parking lot (free), an information office, and a ticket office (60kn adults, 45kn children July-Aug). Like Plitvice, boats connect several parts of the park (Skradin and the Skradinski buk waterfalls, for example). Boats also take visitors to the monastery on Visovac Island.

Krka National Park Tourism Office is at Trg Ivana Pavla II, b.r. 5, p.p. 154, 22001 Sibenik (tel. 022/217-730; fax 022/336-836; www.npkrka.hr).