When a country has more than 1200 islands it’s very hard to know them all. That is why we divided our islands into smaller archipelagos.
The three most famous islands in Croatia are Hvar, Vis, and Brač. God knows how many tourists visit those islands every summer.
Šibenik has some amazing island in front of it, too. If you have been to Krešimir’s town you have surely visited some of them. Maybe even with our taxi boat.
Zlarin is the first island in Croatia without plastic.
Murter is full of great events in every town.
But, today we we’ll tell you more about island Žirje.
Difference between Žirje and some other islands in Šibenik’s archipelago is that people live on Žirje whole year. Žirje is also the farthest populated island in front of mighty Šibenik.
Those two facts play a great role in shaping this island. Visiting it can be your trip to the real Mediterranean way of life.
How to get to Žirje?
So, you have decided that Žirje is worth visiting, but you don’t know how to get there.
You have 3 options. One better than another, literally.
Your first option is to go on a ferry. The second option is to go with a catamaran.
Third and best option is to go with a taxi boat.
What makes that option great?
Freedom. When you go with a line that already exists then you have to go where they want you to go. If you go with a taxi boat, you create your lines. You are free, you can see everything you want.
Žirje is an island worth visiting like that.
How do people live on Žirje island?
The interesting fact about Žirje is that most of its permanent inhabitants don’t work in tourism. Most of them have nothing to do with it. That makes this island special. Here you can see a natural way of life. They live with and from nature as we all should.
The last information is that Žirje has only 78 permanent inhabitants. Since then some of them probably died. Most of the younger generations left this island to find an easier life somewhere else. Older people stayed. They liked their agriculture and their fishing, they still do and will as long as they breathe.
Long fishing tradition can be felt on every step. Everybody has some amazing story back from their fishing days. When those old sea wolfs were younger Adriatic sea was full of fish. Listening to their adventures was an amazing experience for me. If you don’t understand Croatian, you’ll need a translator for their words. Their feelings and passion will be clear to you. Enjoy their presence, you will never forget them.
Beside Adriatic sea, olives, figs, grapes, plums, and almonds are feeders of Žirje. The shape of the island is great for agriculture. It has the valley in the middle full of fertile soil.
The rest of the island is cut with drywalls. Another monument of past.
Where land was full of stones it was needed to take the stones out to plant on it. That’s why most of the Croatian islands have kilometers of drywalls. In the past, life wasn’t easy here.
What to see on Žirje?
Žirje has 29 coves. So that is 29 places to visit. How to do that? Drive around the island on a boat. With less than 40 km of coast that won’t take too long and you will see truly breathtaking places.
When you finish with driving around Žirje walking between its houses is the next thing to do.
Some of those houses are older than the whole your family. Except you are 80 and visiting Žirje with your 6 older brothers. Houses are monuments of the past on their own. For the skilled eye and open-hearth Žirje is the island full of inspiration.
Mother nature was especially inspired on Žirje. This small island has 485 species of plants and 253 species of sea algae.
Bring your camera and go earn yourself some respect and money with amazing photos taken on Žirje.
If you aren’t a photographer just come here and let nature take you in her arms. Just a couple of hours will be enough to feel like home. You might even call our taxi driver to tell him: “You can return to Šibenik, thanks. I’m gonna stay for a while.”
