Šibenik has the odd distinction of being a Croatian city founded by Croats rather than by the Greeks or Romans who established most of the Adriatic coast, and its old town climbs a hillside above a natural harbour, a maze of stone lanes and stairs. The harbour is approached through a narrow channel from the sea, and the fort of St Nicholas guards the entrance, standing on a small rocky islet. The Venetians built it in the 1540s to protect the city from Ottoman galleys, and it is a remarkable piece of military design, with a triangular plan and walls shaped to deflect cannon fire. UNESCO has listed it among the Venetian Works of Defence of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, together with the defences of Zadar. The fort is reached by boat from the Šibenik waterfront.
The cathedral of St James in the old town is the other great sight. It was built from the 1430s over more than a century, entirely of stone, with no brick or wood, and its dome and vaults are made of carved stone slabs fitted together without mortar. A frieze of seventy-one carved faces runs round the outside of the apse, portraits of ordinary citizens, in expressions ranging from grumpy to cheerful. The architect Juraj Dalmatinac, and later Niccolò Fiorentino, shaped it, and it is among the finest Renaissance buildings on the Adriatic.
The coast road, the old Adriatic highway, runs through Šibenik, with views of islands and the blue water on one side and the grey limestone hills on the other. The riding here is pleasant rather than demanding, with long, easy bends and a mostly good surface. In summer the traffic is heavy, and the bura, a cold, gusty wind from the mountains, can blow in winter and spring with surprising force. Early morning is the best time.
Šibenik has fuel stations, supermarkets and many restaurants, and Vodice, a resort a few kilometres north, is a good place for a swim. The Krka National Park, with its waterfalls, is a short ride inland. Grilled fish and a glass of local white wine are the right lunch, and spring and autumn are the best seasons.