Petrčane – Locality With a Longstanding Tourist Tradition

This locality, along with the locality of Diklo, appears in the documents and grants of the Croatian kings and nobility. Namely, the lands of the present inhabitants of Petrčane were actually royal lands and are mentioned in old notarial deeds.  Petrčane nurtures a centuries-old maritime tradition, which has reflected on the appearance of the locality whose artistic achievements in the old and preserved architecture capture the attention of visitors from all over the world, and particularly when referring to sacral architecture, Tomislav Marjan Bilosnić wrote in his book of histories. However, before the maritime tradition, olive growing, viticulture and agriculture stand out the most in Petrčane.

Located at only a few minutes' drive from Zadar to which it administratively belongs, Petrčane is a locality with a tourist tradition that is more than 70 years long.

In the 1950s started the visits to Petrčane as a resort followed by the  1970s when big tourist complexes were built, while the offer of private accommodation started at the end of the 70s and the beginning of the 80s.

Today the locality has one boutique hotel (Petrčane) and three big hotels - Pinija, and Falkensteiner (Diadora and Iadera) with accommodation capacity of 1,577 beds. 

We were told in the Tourist Office of Petrčane that the tourist season starts around Easter.

- It concerns mainly tourists in hotels, and sometimes in private accommodation. The preseason and postseason last longer in hotels (approximately from April to November), while in private accommodation it is somewhat shorter. Private accommodation lasts from June to October, while the peak season is from July 15 to August 20, when there is hardly an empty bed to find – we were told.  

And here, of course, like in all other tourist localities, the tourist season was somewhat weaker due to the COVID – 19 pandemics, but improvement can already be seen from the beginning of the present season.  Namely, in the past two years foreign tourists could not arrive in the preseason and postseason due to epidemiological reasons and thus the number of visits was reduced. 

The locality consists of several parts that create a whole - Gornje Petrčane, Punta Skala, Donje Petrčane and Punta Radman. They are located between two historical cities – Zadar and Nin, which are at a distance of 15 minutes by car or 30 by bus. Petrčane can be reached from Zadar and Nin by public transport.

Concerning the hospitality and gastro offer, Moonlight Whisky Bar. Then, besides the hotels, other cafes and bars open one by one - Mojito Caffe Bar, Moro Caffe Bar and beach bars Galapagos, Del Sol, Zanzibar, Baby Lu and Fratelli.

When we mention the gastro offer, the Royal Vineyards are an unavoidable mention. Petrčane has had a long tradition of wine and olive growing which is nurtured by the Royal Vineyards.  Their offer is, first of all, the tasting of homemade wines- Pošip, Rosé, Plavac Mali, Crljenak, Muškat and Chardonnay. Besides wine tasting, grilled dishes can be ordered, octopus salad, tuna steak, praline with wine, 1-2 types of cakes and a dishes under the baking lid which need to be pre-ordered. 

Then there is the well-known Pjero Tavern as a family restaurant with a long tradition of fresh fish and homemade food offers. 

Bonaca is the first restaurant to open offering various kinds of pizzas and meat dishes. If tourists are interested in different and more contemporary dishes, I recommend Momento Tavern. Beside the above mentioned, Petrčane also has Dalmatia Superior Restaurant which is not open at the moment but should in the high season, then Orka Tavern, Hana Inn, Sidro Restaurant, Burger House Petrčane, Planika Restaurant and Bracera Restaurant situated in a magnificent location within the Falkensteiner Resort, the Turisthotel Office informed us. 

When speaking about the arrangement of the local infrastructure, over the years the City of Zadar has implemented many projects, thus rooms for the local committee, a toilet and a larger room for cultural, social, recreational and other facilities have been arranged  on the first floor of the school building. 

A parking lot and access road to Petrčane – Phase 1 have been constructed. Supporting walls, canals and drainage water pipes, pavement construction with asphalt, horizontal and vertical signalization and a parking lot with the capacity of about seventy parking spaces are a part of this phase. This is a significant project for Petrčane due to the fact that with a new parking lot the number of parking places has increased, which was especially lacking during the tourist season.