Vodice Town Center

Vodice is a coastal town in northern Dalmatia, between Šibenik and Biograd na Moru, and Vodice Town Center is the compact old core that lies around the harbour. It is a place where the practical business of a small fishing and trading town still shows through a surface of cafés, shops and summer crowds.

The history of the area goes back a long way. Prehistoric and Liburnian traces have been found in the surroundings, and the Roman Empire left villas and farms in the coastal strip, but the town as visitors see it took shape in the late Middle Ages and the early modern period. Vodice is first recorded in the written sources around the beginning of the fifteenth century, and its name is generally explained as coming from the word for water, a reference to the wells and springs in an otherwise dry landscape. During the long conflict of the Ottoman era the local people built defences, and the best known is the Ćorić Tower, or Ćorić kula, a stone tower from the sixteenth century that survives as a reminder of the dangers of that time.

Today the centre is organised around the harbour and a handful of squares and narrow streets. The Parish Church of the Holy Cross dominates the main square, a Baroque building of the eighteenth century with a prominent bell tower, and the square named after the Holy Cross, Trg sv. Križa, is its neighbour. Higher up, the small Church of St. Elijah the Prophet looks out over the town and is a pleasant short climb. Along the harbour front, cafés and restaurants fill the quay, and fishing boats and pleasure craft share the water with the ACI Marina Vodice, one of the larger marinas on this part of the coast.

Vodice has a reputation as one of Croatia’s lively summer destinations on the Adriatic. The beaches are close to the centre, the nights can be busy with music and terraces, and the town is a convenient base for visiting the Kornati islands by boat and Krka National Park inland, both within an easy trip. In the quieter months the town returns to a slower rhythm, and Vodice’s local life centres on the market and the waterfront.

A stroll through the centre takes an hour or so, but it is best enjoyed slowly, with a stop for coffee or grilled fish. Evenings are the best time, when the heat has gone and the stone is lit by lamps. The town suits families, groups of friends and those who want a base with beaches, food and nightlife.