Zadar Food Tours & Cooking Classes
Zadar’s table is the north of Dalmatia in one meal: Pag cheese from the salt-scoured island offshore, Pag lamb, šokol from Nin, Maraschino, the cherry liqueur invented here in 1821, and peka from the villages of the Ravni Kotari behind the city. This page compares the top-rated Zadar food tours and cooking classes: old-town walking tours, peka classes in the hinterland, and the wine and cheese day trips to Pag and the Benkovac vineyards.
Food tours: two to three hours through the Roman forum and the old town with Pag cheese, šokol, fish, Maraschino and local wine.
Cooking classes: peka under the bell at a farm in the Ravni Kotari, half a day with lunch.
Day trips: Pag island for cheese and lamb, the Benkovac wineries, Krka and Šibenik to the south.
Zadar food tours and cooking classes
Zadar is a Roman and Venetian city on a peninsula, with a sea organ playing at the tip and a food culture built on what the bora wind and the salt do to the land around it. Pag, the bare island offshore, grazes sheep on salt-crusted herbs and makes Paški sir, Croatia’s most famous cheese, and lamb to match; Nin, ten minutes north, cures šokol, a spiced pork neck; and the Maraska cherry of the hinterland became Maraschino in 1821, when a distiller named Luxardo bottled it here.
Old-town food tours
Two to three hours through the forum, the market and the alleys with six to eight tastings: Pag cheese and šokol, grilled fish or a fish stew, a glass of Maraschino, local wine from Benkovac, and fritule. Small groups, 50 to 80 euros.
Peka in the hinterland
The Ravni Kotari villages behind Zadar run peka classes: lamb or octopus with potatoes cooked under an iron bell in embers for two hours, with bread, cheese and wine while it cooks. Half a day with transport, 90 to 140 euros; always booked ahead.
Pag, Benkovac and the south
Pag island is an hour’s drive over the bridge: cheese dairies, lamb, the salt pans. Benkovac’s wineries make Debit, Maraština and Plavina from bigger estates. Krka’s waterfalls and Šibenik, with Babić at Primošten, are an hour south. See Dalmatia wine tours.
When to come
May, June and September; Pag cheese is best from spring; the Ravni Kotari are hot in August but the sea breeze reaches the old town.
How we choose
We list only experiences with a strong rating over a meaningful number of reviews and free cancellation where available, and we favour small-group and family-run hosts. FindEatLocal earns a commission when you book through GetYourGuide or Viator links on this page; it doesn’t change the price you pay. More about how we choose.
FAQ about Zadar Food Tours & Cooking Classes
Frequently asked questions
Why Zadar for food?
Because it has Croatia’s most famous cheese, its most famous liqueur and its most famous lamb within an hour, and fewer tourists than any city on the coast.
What food is Zadar known for?
Pag cheese and lamb, šokol from Nin, Maraschino liqueur, fish stews and peka from the hinterland.
Is there a cooking class in Zadar?
Yes; peka classes run at farms in the Ravni Kotari behind the city, half a day with transport and lunch.
What is Maraschino?
A clear liqueur from the Maraska cherry, first bottled in Zadar in 1821; tours taste it neat and in cocktails.
Can I visit Pag from Zadar?
Yes; the island is an hour by road over the bridge, and cheese-and-lamb day trips run from the city.
How much does a Zadar food tour cost?
About 50 to 80 euros for the old-town tour, 90 to 140 for a peka class with transport.