You decided to finally visit Zadar, a 3000-year-old city with a rich cultural history (some say it is even older than Rome). But, as all modern guests, you want to see and experience more. You are not sure whether you should rent a bike or just a car. As local guide experts, we get similar questions all the time.
We are leaning towards a bike renting option since it is more environmentally friendly and flexible.
Top 3 reasons to rent a bike in Zadar
1. Experience more on the bike
When renting a bike and going through another town on two wheels instead of on four you are experiencing a different vibe of the town. I would say “real vibe”. The city seems to be different on two wheels. Getting around the town is much easier. Stopping to take a picture of something interesting along the way isn’t a problem. But besides that, it allows you to “blend” better with locals. To look less touristically. The bike allows you to escape the crowd and enjoy discovering new and hidden streets or areas. Hidden beauties you would never find if you weren’t on the bike.
Take a look at just one example—the Zadar archipelago. Zadar is very famous thanks to more than 100 islands in front of Old town. Some of them are inhabited some aren’t. But they are all beautiful. Getting to them with a car is a real pain. Getting around the island with a car isn’t worth it. But imagine going there on bike. You can cruise around from one beach to another. You can find your own private beach. You can find and reach hidden inlets you would never be possible with a car. Some of the top routes we recommend are the Ugljan Island bike route and the Dugi Otok bike route. Both are great and beautiful but Dugi Otok would require more preparation.
2. Perfect place to rent a bike
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Yes, we agree, that some towns and some areas aren’t best for bike rentals. But Zadar isn’t one of them. Zadar is flat, I mean sea level flat :). Not just Zadar but pretty much the whole area. Take a look at the elevation map below. Most of the town area is under 32ft. It is cyclist heaven.
As you can see from the map, the Old Town of Zadar is small. Most of the attractions are located there. You can just imagine how crowded is inside the city walls during the summer season. I wish you luck getting there in a car and finding a parking spot. Even if you are located in the old town and want to go around by visiting some nice places bike is your perfect friend. Let’s take just one example of visiting Nin, which is just 30-45 minutes away with a bike. You can stop at Kraljevski Vinogradi along the way. Another option is to visit Bibinje, a 4 500 people city just 20 minutes driving distance from the Zadar. For those interested in Yachts and big boats they can visit one of the biggest Marine on the Mediterranean Sea- D Marin Dalmacija. It is located just between Bibinje and Sukošan. Yes, I agree, those places can be visited by car. Even more easily but you will miss a lot along the way.
3. Healthier for you (and your pocket) and the environment
This one is self-explanatory. Renting a bike in Zadar will save you a lot of money. First, you will avoid paying for parking, gas, and car renting. You will feel better and healthier. Even more proud since you will visit all those places thanks to your muscles. Let’s take just one example of going to visit islands in a car instead of a bike. You will pay 10x more for a car on a ferry. I do not even want to mention crazy taxi prices during the summer season.
There is an additional benefit of being a part of the “green traveling” movement. We can all agree car pollution is high. When you rent a car you get lazy. You want to use it as much as possible since you paid for it. So, going to dinner or just to a local market is always in a car.
So save some money, and the environment and hop on the bike. If you are somewhere in my hometown Bibinje and you want to visit us feel free to come to our address and say hello or just test a bike. For those around, in Zadar, Sukošan or somewhere else we have free delivery service. We will deliver a bike for free to your address within 30 minutes. Our rental prices start from 10€ a day.
