A great mix of old and new. Split has a lot to offer for both history buffs and also holidaymakers.
Most famously known as the home to Diocletian’s Palace, there is lots to see and experience in Split as it is filled with history and modern day culture. Split was day two of our eight day trip and is roughly a three hour drive from Dubrovnik with scenic windy roads and coastal landscape. Be careful with cell phone charges as you do have to pass through Bosnia which is not a part of the EU, therefore they charge you the international roaming rates. One of our friends had to learn the hard way. The most expensive 30 minute Instagram scrolling of his life (60 euros!). Once you get there, we parked barely out of the city for free and rolled our luggage through the Golden Gate stashed our stuff in our AirBnB and went to the following places.
People’s Square
One of the most lively places we visited in Split (again, during COVID times) was the People’s Square. Our apartment looked out onto the square and you can always find someone passing through or on the terraces surrounding the town hall. It’s a great place to grab a coffee in the morning and admire the architecture around as there are nods to Venetian, Renaissance and Gothic architecture
Diocletian’s Palace
A stone’s throw away you can find the Diocletian’s Palace. The original palace heavily destroyed and damaged during a particularly nasty attack by the Avars and Slavs but was rebuilt continuously until the 14th century where two centuries prior they were advancing quite rapidly in architectural development. You can visit this World Heritage site which includes the Saint Domnius Bell Tower, Saint Domnius Cathedral and museum for 9 euros.
Riva Boardwalk
After a day full of culture and learning we decided to relax grabbing a cocktail at the Riva Boardwalk which is right next to the Split Harbour. My impression was that it was quite a popular and lively boardwalk with the price to match. $$! Definitely thought ‘tourist trap’ when I saw the prices and the fancy decorated terraces but after taking a closer look we found we were amongst mainly Croatians and several Croatian families actually just enjoying their day at the promenade. It was a great, sunny afternoon to people and boat watch with the happy ambiance around.
Marjan Hill
We made it a point to get to the Split viewpoint before sunset which meant a quick 10 minute walk to Marjan Hill. Or what we thought would be a quick, easy walk to the top of the hill… Be prepared to get those glutes moving because it felt like a 10 minute stair master class to finally get to the top. But once you get there, you really get to see the beauty of Split. The are in general you could tell was quite well kept with several people around working out, running and enjoying the Marjan area. Later I was told it has always been a place of recreation even for the people who lived in Diocletian’s Palace back in the 14th century.
Have you been to Split? Where did you go?