Trogir is a charming port city that impresses with its old town entered on the UNESCO World Heritage List, as well as the picturesque promenade planted with palm trees and a large number of atmospheric pubs where you can sit and enjoy the atmosphere of this place. The narrow, stone streets here take us almost to a completely different era, and you can walk along them until sunset.
Trogir is located in Central Dalmatia, in the Split-Dalmatia County. Its historic part is located on a small island, between the land part of Croatia and the island of Ciovo. Moving between them is very easy here, because everything is connected by two bridges.
For this reason, Trogir is often called Little Venice.
Although the name of this town came from the Greek word tragos, which means goat. Apparently, the Greeks who came to this area once saw a lot of grazing animals and gave it the name of Goat Village.
Trogir and surroundings are a fantastic place for day trips, thanks to the local monuments and other interesting places that you can visit. It tempts tourists with one of the most beautiful promenades in Croatia and numerous gastronomic points. If you want to spend your holidays here, you will find a good base both on site and on the nearby island of Ciovo.
Let’s create a plan for visiting Trogir and the surrounding area.
Tourist attractions of Trogir
Trogir is a small town with a population of over 13,000. However, it is crowded here during the season, because it is one of the most visited places in this part of Croatia, next to Split and Korcula.
The biggest tourist attraction of Trogir is of course the historic part of the old town and the picturesque promenade. This is where life pulsates, from early morning until late at night. The promenade adds charm planted here palm trees and countless pubs. It’s a good place both for walks and for a lunch break, with a view of the local marina. In Trogir there is a port that offers almost 300 berths.
In Trogir and the surrounding area there are also interesting places where you can sunbathe or swim in the sea. In the town and in the vicinity there are several beaches to choose from, both typical for Croatia – pebbly and even those with sand.
The nearest of them is Pantan beach, about 1.5 km from the center of Trogir. It’s partly sandy and partly pebble beach, along which there is a pine forest in which you can hide from the scorching sun. The rest of the bathing places are located a short distance from Trogir or on the nearby island of Ciovo. These include the Kava, Medena, Okrug and Slatine beaches.
In addition to typical beach attractions, such as places with sunbeds and umbrellas, and catering facilities, you can try your hand at diving or surfing. See our article in which we described the beaches in Trogir.
People actively spending their holidays will definitely not be bored there. The area and the surroundings of Trogir are attractive in terms of nature. You can use tennis courts or bowling places here.
The area is also good for jogging.
Sights of Trogir
Sights in Trogir are mainly located in the medieval old town. As we have already mentioned, the old town is located on an islet connected by two bridges. It contains not only fragments of well-preserved medieval buildings, but also buildings erected in the Renaissance style and buildings remembering the rule of the Romans and Greeks. For this reason, in 1997 the old town of Trogir was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
The Cathedral of Saint Lawrence is considered the most valuable monument of Trogir. It is a three-nave temple, built on the ruins of the church demolished in 1123. It is worth paying attention to the entrance portal, intricately decorated with biblical characters, which is an excellent example of Romanesque art in Croatia. Inside, it is worth visiting the chapel of St. John Ursini, a stone baptismal font from the 15th century and a treasury located in the sacristy. Right next to the cathedral there is a characteristic soaring belfry from the fourteenth century, which combines two styles – mannerism and gothic.
An equally interesting monument in Trogir, which is worth paying attention to is Kamerlengo fortress. This defensive, four-sided building towers over the city. The fortress was built by the Venetians in the 15th century as one of the elements of fortifications. It also served as a residence for the Governor of Venice. Currently, it is an excellent vantage point to the countryside. The entire fortress consists of a bastion, three towers and a courtyard. Admission to its area is paid.
Another characteristic building in Trogir is the Cipiko Palace. It was built in the Renaissance style by the very wealthy Cipiko family. It consists of two buildings that have been connected. It is worth paying attention to the large triple windows with columns and the balustrade, which are located on the first floor, decorated with angels holding the coat of arms of the Cipiko family.
It is also worth seeing Stafileo Palace, built in the 15th century, on which you can see richly decorated with floral carvings, Gothic Venetian windows. The third similar monument in Trogir is the Garagnin-Fanfogna Palace. It combines two styles of architecture – Gothic and Roman. He was once inhabited by a family of Gagagnin aristocrats from Venice.
Currently, there is the City Museum, the library of the Garagnin-Fanfogna family, a picture gallery and a lapidarium with sculptures over the centuries.
Visiting Trogir
In Trogir it is definitely worth visiting the previously mentioned City Museum, which was opened in 1966. You can admire archaeological findings from the times of the Greeks and Romans. The most valuable exhibits come from the period of the city’s greatest prosperity, which took place from the 13th to the 16th centuries.
A must-see on the map of visiting Trogir are also the walls and gates of this city. They come from the 13th century and a large part of them have survived to this day. The most interesting are the two gates that lead into the city. The first of them called the Land Gate, whose current (bright) appearance comes from the 16th century. Its decoration is the lion of St. Mark and figure of Jan of Trogir. It is often called the North Gate because it led to the city from the north.
The second within the city walls is the Sea Gate. As the name suggests, it leads from the city to the sea. Apparently it was created by Trifun Bokanic and was to serve late travelers when the city was already closed. Right next to the Sea Gate there is a porch, which has now been adapted by the local fish market.
The main city square of John Paul II is also worth visiting. This is where many interesting buildings are located. One of them is definitely the town hall (Palace of Rectors), built in the style of Venetian palaces. Interestingly, it is one of the few free-standing buildings in the historic part of Trogir, because not everyone could afford it, in a very tight urban building. Next to the town hall there is also a quite characteristic clock tower, which was built in the place of the church of St. Sebastian.
Today, the tower houses the Museum of Sacred Arts.
At John Paul II Square in Trogir, you can also pay attention to the urban loggia covered with a wooden ceiling with coffers, mounted on six columns and the church of St. John the Baptist with a rather unusual bell tower on the roof of the temple. Despite the modest external facade, the temple hides, among others the grave of the Cipiko family and medieval frescoes.
Interesting places in Trogir
An interesting place in Trogir is the Vitturi Tower with a characteristic, quite large stone balcony. This is another building that belonged to a wealthy Trogir family, with Venetian roots. At the top of the tower is a fragment of the well-preserved city walls with a tower and a Benedictine monastery hidden behind them, with an openwork Renaissance belfry.
Around the middle of the Trogir promenade there is a magnificent building of the Dominican monastery complex. It consists of a church and a monastery inhabited by religious. In the fourteenth century, the building was extended, and then a new facade was added to it.
At the northwestern edge of the city there is another interesting defensive structure – the tower of St. Mark. It dates from the 15th century and at one time was connected by the way to the defensive walls, which in turn connected to the Kamerlengo Fortress.
A good place for a panoramic, commemorative photo is the bridge connecting the old town with the island of Ciovo. On the other side of the canal there are perfect conditions to cover the whole view of the old city.
What to see in Trogir
In addition to all historic buildings, which are an undoubted attraction of Trogir, it is also worth seeing the cultural face of this city. Special events and concerts of all kinds are organized here mainly in the summer, which means that there is a good chance of participating.
And so during “Trogirsko kulturno ljeto” or Cultural Summer in Trogir, you can take part in one of the concerts, be it classical, opera or chamber music. Theatrical performances as well as performances of folklore and artistic groups are also taking place then.
In the summer, “Fisherman’s Night” is also organized, which is a party where everyone is enjoying good food (fish dishes are served then) as well as music and wine.
Trogir is also a city where ‘Moondance‘ electronic music festivals have been organized for years. Interestingly, this event takes place within the walls of the Kamerlengo Fortress.
In August, “Slavuji Kamerlenga“, which is a festival of Dalmatian music, also takes place. It is organized in honor of the famous Trogir tenor – Vinko Coce, and also takes place within the walls of the Kamerlengo Fortress.
In addition, in Trogir you can come across the City Days and related events, as well as the Grape Harvest Days, during which not only the grape juice is pressed, but also selects the most beautiful legs and it is possible to see the performances of local folklore groups.
It is also worth going to the nearby island of Ciovo, which can be ideal for trips to the beach. Trogir is also a good starting point and to nearby Split or Šibenik a bit further away. From the town you can also go to the nearby islands. Such one-day cruises from Trogir are very popular among tourists.
Check also the current weather in Trogir.
Map of Trogir
Locate on the Trogir map all the interesting places, monuments and tourist attractions mentioned in our tourist guide:
What attractions and monuments in Trogir do you recommend? We are waiting for your opinions. Trogir and the surrounding area is finally a place where you can create a really good sightseeing plan.