There is so much to do in this beautiful city- in fact I’d argue that there’s more to see and do in Split than in the more well-known city of Dubrovnik. Here are the best places to visit in Split, Croatia.
*This site uses affiliate links, where I may receive a small commission, at no cost to the reader.
We finally made it to Croatia a whole 24 hours later than we’d previously expected, due to a ginormous thunderstorm that had been rumbling all over Europe. So when our plane glided down over the bright Mediterranean Sea and touched down at long last at Split airport, I heard my pal Rachel sitting in the row behind me give out a ‘Yessss!!!’ in pure victorious relief that we’d actually reached our destination. It had been a very strange twenty-four hours, I’ll tell you that for free. Although this rumbly old storm had thwarted our plans to visit Dubrovnik, it did mean that we’d be spending a couple of extra days in the ancient Croatian seaside city of Split, which actually turned out to be a jolly good time all around.
It’s a Funny Feeling to be in a Country by Accident (That time we got stuck in Italy)
An extremely brief history of Split
Split is a port city cradling the Adriatic Sea, and ownership of this beautiful place has changed hands many a time throughout history. From Greeks and Romans, to Byzantine and Venetian, evidence of all these so called ‘owners’ can be seen in the city’s architecture, basically everywhere you look. Eventually Croatia became part of socialist Yugoslavia, and you can get a sense of those socialist times in the gigantic concrete housing blocks as you leave the city. It all seems pretty mental to me, you guys, however after the Croatian War of Independence was over in 1995, tourism steadily became kind of a big deal for this part of the world.
And once Game of Thrones started filming in Croatian hotspots like this one, things really exploded.
Wander the alleyways of Diocletian’s Palace
Perhaps what Split is most famous for is Diocletian’s Palace, built by the Roman Emperor Diocletian in the 4th century AD. Technically this was actually Diocletian’s retirement home. Fancy schmancy.
I hadn’t done a whole load of research and naively thought that this UNESCO World Heritage location was like most palaces in the world. I googled ‘how much is ticket entry to Diocletian’s Palace?’ and didn’t come up with many results. Surely you need a ticket to enter Diocletian’s Palace…right!?
Well no way Jose, that is just not the case with this particular palacio.
Diocletian’s Palace is a living, breathing part of the old town of Split, filled with restaurants, shops, and around 3000 actual real life residents. Although there are walls surrounding it, meaning you can only enter on foot (there wouldn’t be room for cars to enter even if you wanted to drive in), there’s no actual gate, ie there is no closing time for Diocletian’s Palace. Although- there are churches and temples within the palace, some of which obviously do have opening and closing times.
There’s a Massive Roman City Near Split!
Wandering these narrow cobblestone alleys is full on magical, and we were lucky enough to stay for one night in an apartment within the palace walls. That did mean that we were woken up at the ultimate crack of dawn by the clattering of the cafe opposite us opening up, and the subsequent gathering of the locals for a 6am coffee. But it all just added to the beauty of the experience in my opinion! If New York is the City That Never Sleeps, then Split is the City That Doesn’t Even Know the Meaning of the Word Sleep.
I am quite the twenty-nine year old grandma, and have never watched a single episode of Game of Thrones. But for those die-hard fans out there in the world, part of Game of Thrones was filmed in Diocletian’s Palace. Whether you’re here because of the TV show or not, there’s no denying that walking through these streets transports you right back into some other worldly part of history, and I am all about this kind of place.
Night time in Split
When I first visited Split in the middle of Summer, it was peak time for not just tourists, but more specifically cruise ship tourists. The city was heaving with people during the daytimes, a great number of whom were clearly passengers from the ships docking in the port. (In contrast, when I revisited Split on a cruise ship in October, the streets were a lot quieter. We were the only ship in port that day.)
Nighttime in an ancient city is just as magical if not more so, than the day, and this was also the time that we stumbled across many an unexpected scenario.
The Split Summer Festival was taking place while we were in the city, which meant that there was no shortage of events going on all over the place. One evening we ran into a performance of Croatian folk dancing next to the harbour which was just about the most awesome thing I’d seen on the whole trip (second only to my pal Rachel’s performance of Baby Got Back in a Budapest karaoke bar). Croatian folk dancing involves a great deal of whirling, shuffling and jumping. The dancing is accompanied at some points by a whole band and at other moments by just one man on a stringed instrument which looks as if it’s played with an actual saw, calling out commands in a matter-of-fact but highly joyous fashion.
I was ASTONISHED.
From Split to Krka National Park
Another night we wandered along a narrow alleyway with just the pools of light from the restaurant doorways to light the way. There was a sudden flurry of movement ahead of us as a group of what appeared to be Ancient Egyptian guards crossed our path and vanished down an adjoining alley. Naturally the only thing to do in this situation was follow the Egyptians.
It turned out that the opera Aida being was being performed in the open air of the Peristyle (the central square of the palace, where Diocletian would meet his subjects). Diocletian’s Palace is surely one of the most fitting and majestic places for a performance of Aida. From one end of a dark archway which was the stage left entrance, we could hear the entire chorus of the opera company echoing back to us and could glimpse ballerinas floating their way en pointe across the stage. What a time to be alive!
This was interrupted savagely by a bird targeting us with a grenade of its own poo. Time to go home.
Climb Marjan Hill
It is completely worth walking to the top of Marjan Hill. Covered in forest, this is like an island of peace and quiet looking out across the city and the sea. I cannot even put into words how peaceful it is up there! I hiked to the top, but it’s also possible to hire bikes- and one side of Marjan is even popular with rock climbers.
It’s super easy to walk to Marjan Hill from the centre of Split- just walk around the harbour to the Veli Varos neighbourhood, and keep walking upwards. I didn’t have a map (even a GPS one on my phone), but you really don’t need one as it’s pretty obviously the massive hill, and it’s also really well signposted.
Find the best beaches in Split
Split has tonnes and tonnes of beaches, but the most popular with locals and tourists alike is the sandy haven of Bačvice, right near the centre of the city and only a short walk away from the harbour. I took a walk to Bačvice one afternoon and found that although it’s a beaut beach, it’s also unsurprisingly quite the crowded one! Bars and clubs aplenty are located nearby, and Bačvice really is the place to be seen out and about in the evening as well.
There are plenty of quieter and more secluded places for a swim in the sea if you head to the areas surrounding Marjan hill.
Where to eat in Split…and what to eat
As Split is on the Dalmatian coast, the food around here involves a whole lot of fish and seafood, with a strong Mediterranean vibe from their olive oil, garlic and use of herbs like rosemary and parsley.
(Dalmatia is the name of this particular historical area of Croatia. We did keep our eyes peeled for Dalmatians the whole time we were there, but never managed to spy one, alas)
For seafood we headed for a square near the fish market where we were told we’d get some full on amazing fish dishes, and chose Restoran Bajamonti which was an absolutely ideal choice. Whether just freshly cooked fish on its own with vegetables, or brudet- a type of fish stew- the food here was delicious. Oh my goodness me. We watched a table next to us gasp in amazement as their waiter expertly deboned a freshly cooked fish for them.
But the cherry on top was the fact that each table is provided with their own button to call their waiter with. When we decided to make a few boomerangs of me pressing our button a couple of times in awe of the whole situation, our waiter who was a real jolly lad came past on the double and declared-
“You press it again- I kill you.”
Well there’s no arguing with that, is there. Both of us nearly died laughing.
Pasticada is a delicious traditional dish which I loved, consisting of beef marinated in wine vinegar, cooked in a red wine sauce, and served with gnocchi. And although we didn’t get to try it as you need to order in advance, peka is a dish of any kind of meat or even an octopus or two, baked with vegetables in a pot with a bell-shaped lid and cooked for several hours. One day I shall be back to sample that delight.
Pršut is a type of Dalmatian smoked ham (basically the Croatian form of prosciutto), which is absolutely AMAZING. It didn’t surprise me after tasting some of that smoky delight to know that Croatia and Italy are in a mild battle over who truly created smoked dried ham first. This stuff is DA BOMB.
And if you need to find somewhere with less heavy food to sample, head on over to Kat’s Grab ‘n’ Go. They do great coffee, breakfasts, sandwiches, salads and fruity delights.
A Day Trip from Split to Klis Fortress
What to drink in Croatia
Croatians are full on proud of their wine and have been producing it since the Greeks brought the idea of vineyards to the country in the 5th century BC. (So clearly, these Croatians really know what they’re doing.)
Although the majority of Croatian wine is white, red wine is produced along the coast of the country and we obviously felt the need to sample both. I mean, why wouldn’t you!? When we went to Hvar Island after our first few days in Split, we were overjoyed to discover some vineyards one day whilst cycling around the countryside, and this just added to the whole experience.
In other beverage news, one of our AirBnB hosts left a selection of homemade rakija for us to try. This is strong stuff, and although I’d already tried it when I visited Serbia, this time we had a whole selection of flavours. My favourite by far was orahovac, or walnut. Of course you can find rakija for sale in bars in Croatia, but if someone offers you a taste of their homemade rakija, you should most definitely oblige.
Risk death by climbing the tower. Not even joking.
Saint Dominus Cathedral in the centre of Diocletian’s Palace is a Catholic cathedral in what was once Emperor Diocletian’s Mausoleum- although it’s officially been a Cathedral since the 7th century BC. The Cathedral is absolutely beautiful, and also houses a whole load of stunning religious artefacts. However for me the most wondrous part was the adjoining bell tower. I say wondrous, but it was simultaneously absolutely terrifying.
The further up the single winding staircase you go, the more dramatically the wind roars through the open stone sides of the tower. And there is not actually anything to stop you from plummeting out of these as you climb your way up. About two thirds of the way from the top, I realised I was completely overcome with fear and stood clinging the handrail and trembling in frozen heart-stopping TERROR.
It was all a bit awkward to tell the truth, but as at that point I was completely going it solo, I realised I had no choice but to force myself onwards and very slowly upwards. The view and sense of accomplishment I was rewarded with once I tentatively stepped onto the top level of the bell tower was worth it. (Just about.)
If it’s exhilaration you’re after, this is definitely one of the best places to visit in Split.
When in Split- talk to the locals
One of the aspects of our time in Croatia that struck me the most, was how friendly, helpful, and absolutely hilarious the people are. This is one hospitable nation. From the hosts of our three separate Airbnbs who readily leapt to assist us with anything we needed, (be it assistance, advice or a funny story), and waiters in restaurants, to random strangers in the street.
As I was attempting to figure out which vegetables to buy one morning, a toothless but twinkly-eyed old lady of approximately 93, no exaggeration, began chattering away in Croatian to me, although it was clear we barely understood a word each other was saying. With the help of the woman behind the counter we had a very stunted conversation which culminated in me saying- “Your country is beautiful! I love Croatia!”
To which the lady replied- “I love queen of England! And I love you!”
And I gave a gracious “Hvala!”
And that was that. Exchange complete.
What an absolute gem.
My one regret- is the best place place to visit in Split, Froggyland?
On a very incredibly serious note. After googling ‘things to do in Split’ we were stunned to discover that one of the top tourist attractions is a place called ‘Froggyland.’ Not far from the port in the Old Town, Froggyland is a 100 year old collection of stuffed frogs, arranged into human scenarios like sitting in a classroom or at the dentist. Seems macabre but after reading the reviews for Froggyland on Tripadvisor which had me dying of laughter, I was SOLD-
“Everything about the trip [to Froggyland] was the best thing in life. Everyone that gave a review of less than five stars is a liar – shame on them.”
“This experience has truly changed my life. After 23 years on this planet, I now know what true love is. I love stuffed frogs doing people stuff and I feel like I should shout about it.”
“From participating in team sports to (albeit rudimentary) healthcare, I can easily see why UNESCO gave the museum a world heritage listing.“
But alas, pals! We ran out of time! Froggyland is just one of those hidden gems that for me at least, will remain a mystery a while longer.
The best day trips from Split
There are so many options of accessible day trips from Split. For Game of Thrones fans wanting to continue fully immersing themselves, head to Klis Fortress which is perched high up on a mountain overlooking the city. It’s not common knowledge but very close to Split is the ruins of Salona, an ancient Roman city. And the pretty town of Trogir is a little further up the coastline, filled with Venetian vibes and a lovely old town.
And for your island-hopping needs…
As a super-busy port city, it’s also very easy to catch a ferry to one of the neighbouring islands. We visited the quieter side of Hvar island, and also spent a few days on the stunning island of Vis, which receives far fewer tourists than the rest of Dalmatia, giving it the atmosphere of being frozen in time.
Logistical Statisticals
- Public buses from Split airport to the city are scheduled to depart 30 minutes after each inbound flight. They leave from just outside the terminal, and go directly to the port in the centre of Split.
- The bus journey from Split airport to Split lasts around half an hour depending on traffic, and costs around €5 each way. Buy your ticket directly from the bus driver.
- If visiting Split during the high season- July and August particularly- be prepared for massive crowds!
- Of course, Croatian is the first language, however English is also widely spoken particularly in a city as touristic as Split.
- If you get tempted to eat at one of those restaurants along the harbour-front- for the love of god DON’T DO IT. Find a local restaurant or taverna instead.
Reblogged this on DESATASCO FREGADERAS BARCELONA URGENCIAS 24 HORAS 698290005.
I also climbed that tower and was petrified – in hindsight on those steps in flip flops it probably wasn’t the best idea, particularly when the bell suddenly rang and scared the hell out of me! Beautiful photos, thanks for sharing 😊
Thankyou!! I’m glad I’m not the only one who was petrified 😂🙈 I felt like such an idiot clinging to the railing for ages just paralysed!!! (And I’m pretty sure I was in flip flops that day too)