Fifteen kilometres north of Zadar, the ancient walled town of Nin is one of the oldest towns on the Adriatic coast.

A Liburnian centre in pre-Roman times, it became one of the most important towns in Croatia in the Middle Ages, its surviving churches attesting to its former splendour. A small compact place surrounded by water, Nin is a joy to explore.

Church of the Holy Cross & museum

One of the oldest and most iconic ecclesiastical buildings in Croatia is the ninth-century Church of the Holy Cross, still beautiful in its perfectly-proportioned simplicity. The nearby Church of St Anselm contains a small but spectacular treasury packed with medieval reliquaries. The town museum contains ancient Roman artefacts and a reconstructed medieval Croatian sailing ship.

Salt

Nin’s historic wealth came from the salt pans which still stretch south of town and remain in function to this day. There’s a small but engrossing salt museum at the site.

Beach