Vodice

Vodice is a coastal town in Šibenik-Knin County, on Croatia's Dalmatian coast, located 11 kilometres northwest of Šibenik. According to the 2021 census, the town has a population of 8,649, with about 6,592 people living in the urban settlement itself.

The name Vodice comes from the Croatian word for water and refers to the freshwater springs that once supplied the surrounding area; the settlement is first documented under this name around 1402. Local historical sources trace an earlier settlement on the same site back to Roman times, when it was known as Arausa. From 1412, Vodice came under Venetian rule, a period that shaped much of the old town, including the Parish Church of the Holy Cross, rebuilt in 1662 on the foundations of an earlier church and consecrated in 1769, with its bell tower completed between 1752 and 1772.

Today Vodice is known for its beaches — among them the Blue Beach (Plava plaža) and Hangari — and for ACI Marina Vodice, which offers several hundred berths for yachts and gulets. Sitting close to the islands of Prvić and Zlarin, the town makes a popular stop for gulet charter guests exploring Sibenik.