Zaton Holiday Resort Beach, Zadar: 1.5km of Blue Flag Sandy Shore, 5,000m² of Pool Water, and the Tourist Train to Nin

Croatia | Zaton | North Dalmatia

Zaton Holiday Resort is the largest camping and holiday resort on the Adriatic coast north of Zadar — a self-contained destination 15 kilometres north of the city, 1.5 kilometres from the town of Nin, on the bay that faces the Zadar archipelago and the island of Ugljan across the channel. The resort has been operating as a family camping resort since the 1960s and has held the Blue Flag beach certification since 2003, which makes it the longest-continuously certified Blue Flag beach in the northern Dalmatian coastal zone.

The 1.5 km long, mostly sandy beach with a view of the Zadar archipelago is undoubtedly one of the best in Croatia. Perfect for families with children, who can build sandcastles, swim freely in the shallow sea, use numerous playgrounds, or seek refreshment in the shade of pine trees or on a deck chair under an umbrella. Teenagers and adults can choose from a variety of fun activities and water sports. A paved road provides access for people with disabilities.

The scale of the resort — the shopping street running from reception to the beach, the 700-seat amphitheatre, the sports complex with 12 clay tennis courts, the horse riding school, the diving centre, the windsurfing school — is what makes Zaton categorically different from the other resort beaches of the Zadar area. It is not a beach attached to a resort; it is a resort city in which the beach is the main street.

Getting There: 15km North of Zadar by Car, Shuttle Bus, or the Tourist Train to Nin

From Zadar city centre, the drive to Zaton takes approximately 15 to 20 minutes north on the D8 and then the D306 toward the Nin peninsula. The resort is signposted from the main road. Free parking is available within the resort for registered guests; day visitors should confirm the parking and day visit policy at the resort entrance.

By public transport, the Liburnija bus from the Zadar main bus station runs to the Zaton area, with the journey taking approximately 15 minutes. A resort shuttle bus service connects the campsite to Zadar for guests who want to visit the old town during their stay.

The tourist train operating within the resort connects the furthest accommodation to the beach and to the town of Nin, 1.5 kilometres away — the practical internal transport for the resort’s walking distances, which visitor accounts consistently note as significant. The Nin town train connection makes the resort an accessible base for the Nin lagoon, the Queen’s Beach sandy spa beach, and the Church of the Holy Cross (the world’s smallest cathedral, 9th century).

The Beach: 1.5km, Mostly Sandy, Blue Flag Since 2003, Shallow, and the Zadar Archipelago View

The beach at Zaton is 1.5 kilometres of mostly sandy shore — the specific combination of fine sand, shallow water, and the pine forest immediately behind the upper beach that has made it the most consistently recommended family beach in the Zadar north coastal zone for over two decades. The water stays shallow for a significant distance from the shoreline, and the Blue Flag certification since 2003 is the twenty-year quality confirmation that the water management and cleanliness standards have been maintained throughout the resort’s growth.

With 1.5 kilometres of sandy and pebble beach, clear blue Adriatic water, and the pool complex one of the largest on the Adriatic coast, the resort combines the beach and the pool infrastructure in a way that provides alternatives for every weather condition and every preference within the family group. The beach bars, snack bars, and restaurant terrace along the beach front serve the full beach day without needing to return to the resort interior.

The beach view — the Zadar archipelago stretching across the horizon, the island of Ugljan profile on the east, the Velebit mountains visible to the northeast on clear days — is the specific panoramic quality that the bay position provides and that gives the Zaton beach its visual dimension beyond the sand and the pool.

The Pool Complex: 5,000m² of Water Surface and 10 Attractions from 2025

In 2025, Zaton Holiday Resort unveiled a new 2,500m² pool complex featuring a 300m² children’s pool, 6 water attractions, and 2 slides. Together with the existing pool complex, the resort now offers 5,000m² of total water surface and 10 attractions.

The existing pool complex includes the adult and teen pool (825m²), the children’s pool (340m²), the active swimmer pool (174m²), three smaller hydromassage pools (86–115m² each), the sea-view hydromassage pool (182m²), two children’s spray and paddle pools, the spray park, and the sun deck with pool bar. The new 2025 complex adds the second 2,500m² section with slides and the new poolside restaurant and bar. The pools are heated and open from 10am to 6pm.

The pool area specifically was the subject of critical visitor accounts — no shade in the original pool complex, the pools open only 8 hours per day, hydromassage jets not always functioning. These limitations are worth noting alongside the headline 5,000m² figure, and the new 2025 complex’s north-side position “amidst lush pine trees” addresses the shade complaint directly.

The Amphitheatre, Food & Fun Centre, and the Resort as a Self-Contained Village

The 700-seat outdoor amphitheatre hosts the nightly entertainment programme — live music, cultural shows, Dalmatian klape vocal performances, children’s mini-disco, and the dancing and theme evenings that the animation team organises throughout the summer season. The amphitheatre is the resort’s main evening destination, and the combination of the beach day and the amphitheatre evening is the specific Zaton daily rhythm.

The Food & Fun Centre — opened in 2023, a two-storey complex of over 4,000m² — includes a restaurant, outdoor terraces, and bars. The resort’s gastronomic offer includes the Dalmatian tavern, the self-service restaurant (for half-board guests), the à la carte restaurant (Maestral is the confirmed name), the pizzeria, cafés and bars, a pastry shop, grill, cocktail, snack, and beach bars, and an ice cream parlour.

The shopping street running through the resort includes a supermarket, fresh fruit and vegetable stand, butcher shop, bakery, boutiques, souvenir shops, a newspaper stand, a jewellery store, a photo studio, a hair dresser, and an internet corner. A doctor is on site. The resort functions as a village rather than a beach hotel — everything required for a week-long stay without leaving the complex is provided within it.

Sports: Horse Riding, Tennis, Diving, Windsurfing, and the Triathlon

The sports infrastructure at Zaton is unusually comprehensive for a camping resort: 12 clay tennis courts, beach volleyball courts, football fields, basketball courts, mini-golf, adventure golf, a golf practice facility, a fitness trail, horse riding, a diving school, windsurfing school, and a swimming school. The resort has hosted the Zadarhalf Triathlon — a half-distance triathlon (1.9km swim, 90km bike, 21km run) — which uses the resort’s sea swimming zone as the swim venue and the surrounding coastal landscape as the course.

Nin: The World’s Smallest Cathedral, 1.5km from the Resort

The town of Nin — 1.5 kilometres from the resort, reachable by tourist train or bicycle — is the historical destination that makes the Zaton location unusual among large camping resorts: a 7th-century royal town whose 9th-century Church of the Holy Cross holds the distinction of the world’s smallest cathedral, surrounded by the Roman ruins and early Croatian heritage of the original capital of the Croatian kingdom. Queen’s Beach (Kraljičina plaža) at Nin — the shallow, fine-sand therapeutic beach fed by the Nin lagoon’s saltwater — is within walking or cycling distance.

Zaton Holiday Resort Beach is 1.5 kilometres of Blue Flag sandy shore, 15 kilometres north of Zadar, with 5,000m² of pool water since 2025, a 700-seat amphitheatre, horse riding, 12 clay courts, a diving school, windsurfing, a shopping village in the resort, and Nin with the world’s smallest cathedral 1.5 kilometres away by tourist train.

Drive north from Zadar on the D8. The resort is before Nin.

The beach holds the Blue Flag from 2003. The pool opens at 10am.