Nin Saltworks

The lagoon at Nin has been worked for salt since antiquity, and the method has not fundamentally changed: sea water is let into shallow pans, moved between them as it concentrates, and the salt raked off by hand when it crystallises. The sun and the bura wind do the work, and the season runs through the dry months. The premium product is the flor de sal, the thin fragile crust that forms on the surface of a still pan and is skimmed before it sinks - collected only in small quantities and by hand. A visitor centre explains the process, and the pans can be walked between during the season.

What you'll find

• Pans worked since Roman times - the method essentially unchanged.
• Sun and the bura wind - what actually drives the evaporation.
• Salt flower skimmed by hand - the fragile surface crust.
• Walkable pans in season - the process visible in stages.

When to go

June to September, when the pans are working. Two hours.

What to expect

Outside the season the pans are flooded and there is nothing to watch. It is fully exposed with no shade and gets very hot. The visitor centre is modest. Mosquitoes are heavy near the lagoon in the evening.

Nearby

Nin's old town and Queen's Beach are minutes away; Zadar is south.