In the video below, I visit the UNESCO-listed St. Nicholas Fortress, a site I have had on my bucket list for many years. I have been to the fortress before, but only from the land side. This time, I actually entered the fortress and experienced it from the inside.
The St. Nicholas Fortress is built on a small island called Ljuljevac. Before the fortress, the island hosted a monastery named St. Nicholas, which, of course, explains the fortress’s name. 😉
The Venetians built the fortress in the 16th century to protect Šibenik against attacks from the sea by the Ottomans. However, the fortress never came under attack.
In 2017, the fortress was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List as part of the “Venetian Works of Defence.” It is currently undergoing restoration, which you can also see in my video here.
Why did i want to visit the fortress?
Years ago, my family and I kind of visited the fortress by driving to Uvala Škar (Škar Bay), which is located less than 1 km from the fortress. From there, a walking path via Školjić Island leads to the fortress.
You can walk this path for free; however, the issue is that you can only reach the fortress, you cannot enter it or see the inside. This is why I had a boat trip to the fortress on my bucket list!
The trip to the St. Nicholas Fortress
Visits to the St. Nicholas Fortress are organized by the Public Institution Nature of Šibenik Knin County. Tickets can be bought online here. Alternatively, tickets can be purchased at the institution’s office, located at 4 Obala Dr. Franje Tuđmana, 22 000 Šibenik.
The adult ticket price is 21€, kids aged 7 to 18 pay 16€, and kids under 7 enter for 0€. There are up to 4 daily tours.
The trip to the fortress and back takes about 2 hours (50 minutes of sailing and 1 hour at the fortress). Bring sunscreen, water, and a snack.
We boarded the ship with a large group of schoolchildren. The staff provided us with a headset and a tablet, which had over 30 videos about the trip to the fortress and specific locations within it.
The sailing trip to the fortress through the St. Anthony Channel was amazing. During the journey, the crew explained the channel’s historical significance.
After about 25 minutes, we docked at the fortress and had one hour to explore it. At each point of interest at the fortress, there was a sign with a number corresponding to a video on the tablet. I found the number of videos a bit overwhelming; I would have preferred a guide walking us through the fortress.
Final Thoughts
I found the sailing trip great; the nature through the St. Anthony Channel is stunning. The fortress was interesting to see, but still kind of disappointing.
The 21€ price felt too high considering the current state of the fortress. (When it is renovated, the price might be justifiable.) I understand that part of the ticket price supports the renovation, so it’s a bit of a chicken-and-egg situation.
The tablet and video system were pretty annoying. It might be better to create an app or, even better, offer a 30-minute tour of the fortress with a guide.
Watch Our Video for the Full Experience!
If you want to know more about our visit to St. Nicholas Fortress, please check out the video above. If you want to learn about alternatives to this trip, please check out our budget friendly island “hopping” trip from Šibenik. Also, visit our channel, where we have videos from all our adventures in Croatia.
