What’s your take on Šibenik as a host city for your event? Ever wanted to host a MICE event there, but had some doubts? Well then, read through 10 myths about Šibenik you didn’t dare to ask about or didn’t know who to ask.

MYTH 1: Šibenik is a remote town, difficult to reach.

BUSTED: As a matter of fact, Šibenik is ideally located between two popular Adriatic spots with airports – Zadar and Split – that possess the mildest and sunniest climates anywhere in Europe. For this reason it is very rare for flights to be cancelled, which makes Zadar and Split International Airports two of the most reliable in Croatia. Therefore, Šibenik is anything but a remote town!

MYTH 2: Šibenik has the biggest congress room on the Adriatic.

CONFIRMED: Convention Centre Šibenik has the largest conferencing facilities on the Adriatic, including the single biggest meeting room that can seat 1,500 delegates. Moreover, if it’s a number of seperate events rather than a single one that is required, then you can distribute up to 3,000 people across 11 meeting halls in total. The Amadria Park’s Convention Centre Šibenik offers 4,000m2 of conference and exhibition space, state-of-the-art multimedia technology and 1,100 on-site staff.

MYTH 3: Šibenik is a city of industrial ghosts.

PLAUSIBLE: During the 90s war Šibenik lost most of its industry, so as a consequence some of the buildings are still standing empty and looking rather forlorn. However, most of the buildings aren’t derelict, but rather buildings either hosting new successful industries (like Impol-TLM) and undergoing present or with planned future renovation to become modern venues for hosting events. They also add a particular charm to the city’s landscape that stretches from the industrial suburbs all the way to its one thousand-year-old downtown area.

MYTH 4: People are unfriendly and tell wicked jokes.

BUSTED: Totally busted! The people of Šibenik are extremely friendly, approchable, chatty, kind, smiley, helpful, and overall just incredibly open – the author of this article can confirm from personal experience that they offer one of the best customer services ever, from the exchange office guy to the parking lot cashier, gas station staff, bar and restaurant staff, hotel staff and even people on the street when asking for directions. Šibenik’s residents are, indeed, renowned for some kind of a »wicked« humour and teasing, but this friendly teasing comes as part of the local culture and tradition. Moreover, their motto is: »there is always time for a great laugh«. Jokes are a part of Šibenik’s joie de vivre. Embrace it!

MYTH 5:  Just one more over-crowded Dalmatian town.

BUSTED: For a long-time hidden in the shadow of its famous brothers like Zadar, Split and Dubrovnik, Šibenik is finally gaining in recognition and importance as a tourist and congress destination of its own standing. However, this does not mean that it has become over-crowded by the tourist masses comparable to those of other Dalmatian towns. Even though Šibenik has also hosted the filming staff of Game of Thrones, it remains reluctant to employ this as a promotional advantage, as it wants to keep a managable flow of tourists in order to maintain the town as pleasant for both the locals and the visitors. This has been successful, as its coastline gives you the chance to enjoy the beach and all of its offerings with an enjoyable level of privacy.

MYTH 6: It’s an expensive Dalmatian town.

BUSTED: As in the previous busted myth, Šibenik is not just ‘another Dalmatian town’. Prices in Šibenik are 1-2 times cheaper than in its famous Dalmatian »neighbours«.

MYTH 7: A fairly small town that is walkable in any direction.

CONFIRMED: Šibenik is Croatia’s medium-sized town (approx. 30,000 residents) that offers visitors a pleasant sense of cosiness and easy access to any of the town’s highlights. Getting around the town on foot is easy, whether to the sea or to the fortress on the hill, and even easier by bicycle, as there is a bike sharing system called »nextbike«.

MYTH 8: Has great potential for special venues.

CONFIRMED: Not just with the already mentioned industrial buildings (see Myth 3), but Šibenik also offers special venues in its historical buildings, such as the recently renovated medieval St.Michael’s Fortress nests a venue that can host 1077 guests with a view over Šibenik town and the Dalmatian sea.

MYTH 9: In such a small town there is not enough space for incentive programmes.

VERY BUSTED: The incentive programmes can be either water-focussed, offering diving, snorkeling, recreational kayaking, canoeing, rafting, sailing and wind-surfing, or done on the mainland, with either historical UNESCO heritage or natural and national parks with paths for hiking, trekking, cycling, running and mountain-biking. One can even join in with donkey trekking, fishing, the Street ball school Dražen Petrović, building a dry stone wall, taking the black death tour, or joining culinary incentives like Marenda experience and cooking lesson. And then there’s the Šibenik coffee tour, the Prosciutto slicing challenge and the Marendin (brunch) on the 17th Century Barone Fortress, to name just a few.

MYTH 10: The town has great food, including the best Croatian restaurant.

CONFIRMED: Within its medieval walls and renaissance buildings, as well as on its streets, the coastal town of Šibenik offers a rich selection of local wines and culinary surprises. Alongside the ‘reinvented’ seafood, its restaurants and »konobas« also offer traditional Dalmatian cuisine. The young and the young at heart will find their perfect spot for satisfying their soul in the variety of foods and wines on offer, either in a local small konoba Marenda serving traditional food, or in Pelegrini, the best restaurant in Croatia as voted by Croatian chefs and culinary critics.