Zadar

Nikola Bašić's 2005 sound installation: 70 m of broad stone steps descending into the Adriatic, with 35 polyethylene pipes underneath that resonate as waves push air through them. The result is a continuous, never-repeating organ chord powered by the sea. Fully open-air and welcoming to leashed dogs.

A 22 m circular solar panel of 300 multi-layered glass plates set in the pavement next to the Sea Organ, also by Nikola Bašić (2008). By day a vibrant public space; at sunset and through the night, embedded LEDs cycle through a light show choreographed to the rhythm of the waves. The solid glass is paw-safe.

The 1st-century BCE Roman forum at the heart of the Old Town, still strewn with column drums and the medieval Pillar of Shame, is the largest of its kind on the eastern Adriatic. Directly on the forum rises the 9th-century circular Church of St Donatus, Croatia's largest pre-Romanesque structure. Forum and church exterior entirely dog-friendly on leash.

Zadar's largest urban park, 5.5 hectares laid out 1888–1890 on the site of a 16th-century Venetian fortress, with winding gravel paths, century-old pines and cypresses, and a small pond. Known among locals as the main dog-walking ground; leashed dogs welcome throughout.

Zadar's continuous 2 km stone-paved seafront that loops the entire Old Town peninsula, from the ferry port to the Sea Organ. Traffic-free, broad sea views, plane trees and dozens of benches. Where locals walk their dogs at sunset year-round.

An officially designated, fenced dog beach (plaža za pse) over 100 m long near the Virski most (Vir bridge), 10 km north-east of Zadar. Gravel-and-pebble entry to shallow Adriatic water, parking on the access road. The best fully-equipped dog beach in the immediate Zadar area for summer swimming.