THINGS TO DO
Walk the Palace and the Riva
Walk Diocletian’s Palace — the Peristyle, the cathedral, the cellae and the gates — and end on the Riva promenade.
Cities & Culture
Split
A living city built inside a Roman emperor’s palace, the heart of Central Dalmatia.
QUICK INFORMATION
- COUNTRY
- Croatia
- REGION
- Central Dalmatia
- BEST TIME TO VISIT
- May–June and September for warm coast and fewer crowds
- DURATION
- 2 days
ABOUT THE DESTINATION
Split is the second-largest city in Croatia and the capital of Central Dalmatia, a city that grew up inside and around the vast palace the Roman emperor Diocletian built for his retirement in the 4th century. The palace is now the old town itself — a warren of Roman walls, medieval houses, squares and the cathedral built into the emperor’s mausoleum — and the harbour fronts the islands of Brač, Hvar and Vis. It is the ferry hub of the coast and the natural base for Central Dalmatia.
MAP & LOCATION
Split
THROUGH THE LENS
From the road
HISTORY & CULTURE
The Story Behind the Place
Split began as the retirement palace of the Roman emperor Diocletian, built around 300 AD on a bay near his birthplace. After the fall of the empire, refugees moved into the palace, turning it into a medieval town whose walls and gates are the palace’s own, and the mausoleum became the cathedral of St Domnius. The city grew into the chief port of Central Dalmatia under Venice and then Yugoslavia, and is now the region’s capital and the ferry hub for the islands — a UNESCO site of continuous habitation rather than an excavated ruin.
TOP THINGS TO DO
Experiences Not to Miss
TOP ATTRACTIONS
Sights & Highlights of Split
FOOD & DRINK
WHERE TO EAT
01
Konoba Varos — old-town Dalmatian cooking
02
The Riva’s cafés and wine bars
HOTELS & STAYS
WHERE TO STAY
01
Hotel Vestibul Palace — boutique inside the palace
02
Old-town apartments near the Riva
ITINERARIES
Keep Driving
More here soon — the road is still being mapped.
NATURE & WILDLIFE
The Living Landscape
Split’s nature is Marjan and the sea. Marjan hill, the forested park above the city, holds pine forest, Mediterranean scrub and the wild coves on its seaward side, with the birds and the lizards of the coastal karst. The harbour opens onto the channel to the islands of Brač, Hvar and Vis, with dolphins occasionally seen from the ferries, and the beaches of the Bačvice and the Marjan coves are the city’s swimming spots. The whole Central Dalmatian island world — karst, pine and clear water — begins at the Split ferry terminal.
PLAN YOUR VISIT
Practical Information
Getting There
Split has its own airport with year-round and seasonal European flights, about 30 minutes from the centre. By car it is about 4 hours from Zagreb via the A1, and 1 hour from Šibenik. Direct buses run from all major Croatian cities, and the ferry terminal connects to Brač, Hvar, Vis and the Italian coast.
Getting Around
The old town and the Riva are walkable; Marjan is a walk or a short bus ride. The islands are reached by ferry from the harbour — book ahead in summer.
How Long to Stay
Two days cover the palace, the Riva and Marjan. More days are best used for island trips to Brač, Hvar or Vis.
When to Go
May–June and September for warm weather and fewer crowds; July and August for the ferries and the beaches, though the old town is at its busiest.
WEATHER
Split — Current conditions & forecast
Forecast data from Open-Meteo. Updated regularly.
TRAVEL GUIDES · STORIES
More here soon — the road is still being mapped.
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