The best time to visit Zadar
Zadar month by month in figures — temperature, sun, rain and hot days — and only then which month for what.
- Warmest sea
- August
- Most sun
- July, 359 hours
- Wettest
- November, 123 mm over 12 days
The best month for Zadar depends on what you are after: the sea is warmest in August, July and August each have ten days above 30 °C, and September, October and November are the three wettest months of the year. The figures for each month come from the Croatian met office's long-term average for the Zadar station.
Zadar month by month
Mean monthly air temperature, hours of sunshine, rainfall and days with rain, days with a high of at least 25 °C. Long-term average from DHMZ, the Croatian met office, for the Zadar station, 1961–2024. Sunset is calculated for the 15th of the month, in local time.
The sea warms until August
At every coastal station the sea is warmest in August and coldest in February or March; in September it starts to cool, because there is less sun and the winds are stronger. September in Zadar has 243 hours of sun against 325 in August and twice the rain, 111 mm against 53. If you want the sea without the heat, you choose it for 14 warm days instead of 28.
Ten hot days each
July and August each have ten days of at least 30 °C, and the most sun of the year — 359 and 325 hours. June has three such days, September one, and October to April none. If you are planning walks in the hinterland, choose April, May or October: not a single day then goes above 30 °C, and there are between 190 and 280 hours of sun.
Rain, not cold
From November to January the mean temperature sits between 7 and 12 °C, there is on average not one day of snow, and frost comes on six days in January at most. What you notice is the rain: November and December have twelve wet days each. Sunset in December is as early as 16.21, so the Greeting to the Sun on the waterfront, which lights up when darkness falls, starts before dinner in winter.
Before you go
Short answers to what people ask most before setting out.
When is the sea in Zadar warmest?
In August, as at every coastal station on the Adriatic; it is coldest in February or March. By September it is already starting to cool.
Which are the wettest months in Zadar?
September, October and November: 111, 107 and 123 mm. July is the driest, with 35 mm over five wet days.
Does the Sea Organ work in winter?
It does — the sound comes from waves pushing air through pipes beneath the steps, so it depends only on the sea.
Ready for Zadar?
Where to next
Getting around Zadar
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How well does Zadar suit you?
→Six questions: a score for this place and others like it.
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