Split is a city in Central Dalmatia, Croatia. The city was originally built around the Diocletian palace (a palace/fort built for the retired Roman emperor Diocletian) where the locals sought refuge centuries ago. Wandering the historic center of Split you can still clearly see the Roman walls, squares, and temples.
The most interesting part of Split is the historic center built within the walls of the former Roman palace. This centre is a few minutes walk from the ferry terminals and from the intercity bus station. However, the modern center of Split is elsewhere.
PLACE TO VISIT
Diocletian Palace (UNESCO heritage site) - The historic center of Split is built around the remains of this Roman palace. You only need to wander around to experience it but you can also pay to visit the excavated remains of the basement of the palace. The palace has well preserved main streets cardo and decumanus. Roman palace is enriched with some gothic and reinassance buildings which makes a perfect match. Palace has 4 monumental gates Porta Aurea (Zlatna vrata, Golden gate), Porta Argenta (Srebrna vrata, Silver gate), Porta Ferrea (Željezna vrata, Iron gate) and Porta Aenea (Mjedena vrata). It is probably the best preserved Roman palace in general.
St. Duje's cathedral - Originally built around 305. A.D. as a mausoleum of Roman emperor Diocletian (the oldest cathedral building in the world). Cathedral is also a very beautiful mixture of Roman temple and Catholic church. It also has a beautiful belltower which provides you a great panoramic view of Split, nearby islands and Marjan hill.
Peristil square (Peristylium) - Main square of Diocletian's palace with well preserved Roman architecture.
Jupiter's temple - Ancient Roman temple which became St. John's church.
Two original Egyptian sphinxes- One is located on Peristil square, and the other in front of Jupiter's temple or St. John's church. They were brought from Egypt by Roman emperor Diocletian.
Riva is the main city promenade. Since 2007. Riva has a new, "modern" look, which is not accepted by most of the people.
Marjan - a hill situated on the west of Split. Marjan is an oasis for many people who look for a natural stress relief, a great place for long walks, jogging, and bike rides. Marjan's peak, Telegrin is 174 m high and gives a wonderful panoramic view of Split. South cliffs are popular within alpine climbers. St. Nicholas church is situated on the east of Marjan, on it's south side are beautiful St. Jeronimus church and "Gospe od Betlema" church(Madonna of Betlehem). House building is strictly forbidden in order to save Marjan - the lungs of Split.
Varoš - one of the oldest parts of town. A place where lived most of the city peasants and fishermen. Charming streets and and beautiful small houses.
Galerija Meštrović - gallery contains works of Ivan Meštrović, famous Croatian sculptor.
Archaeological Museum - the oldest museum in Croatia(1820.), about 20 minutes walk north of the old town (entry 20 kn). Many artefacts and monuments from Roman colonies Salona and Narona.
Salona - ancient Roman colony, one of the biggest towns of Roman Empire. It had a population of nearly 60000 people. It was a capital of Roman province Dalmatia. Well preserved amphitheater, theater, basilica, cemetery and many other Roman buildings. Situated near town of Solin, 10 minutes bus ride from Split.
WHAT TO DO
Sailing - Majority of sailing charters start from the city of Split. There are many charter agencies where you can charter a sailing or motor yacht which are based in Split. Most of them operate from ACI marina Split, marina Zenta or marina Spinut. There are also many charter agencies based in marina Kastela which is based in the vicinity of Split. When you charter a yacht through charter agency and arrive to designated marina there are a few things that need to be done. The most important thing is the yacht check in (usually Saturday around 04:00 PM). Take your time doing yacht check in. Familiarize yourself with the chartered yacht and with the yacht equipment. The rule of thumb is: the more time you take for the yacht check in, the less time you will need for the yacht check out.
Gajeta Falkusa Comeza Lisboa - Tied-up on the waterfront promenade (the riva) is a small Dalmatian wooden fishing boat. It is one of the few remaining traditional boats. Day tours are available to Brac Island and a sunset cruise is also offered. It is an excellent way to discover the 'true' Adriatic Sea for those spending a short time in Split.
Sunbathe on the beach at Bacvice. To reach this beach walk along the waterfront and follow the road that crosses the railway line and there you will be. There are many cafes and places to eat ice cream. This is certainly not the best beach in Croatia (it is packed solid most of summer), but it will give you a feeling of 'real' Croatia as the vast majority of people who go there are from Split.
Climb the campanile belltower next to the palace mausoleum. The stairs cling to the inside of the tower, and in places the steps cross the large open window spaces. The ascent is certainly not for those with vertigo, but the views from the top are marvelous. It costs only 10 kuna to go up the bell tower.
The historic core of Split with Diocletian palace is among the first urban complexes to enter the list of the UNESCO world heritage in year 1979. Most probably this one of a kind Imperial Palace was built from 298. till 305. AD. and it is one of the most significant original structures of the late ancient architecture mostly because of it’s preservation.
HOW TO REACH
By plane - Split Airport is, after Zagreb Airport, the most important in Croatia. Scheduled services fly to major European cities, with summer charter flights from more. The airport is about 25 km west from Split, near the city of Trogir. Buses run direct from the terminal to the waterfront for 30kn (April 2009), but a cheaper option is to take the frequent local buses stopping on the road outside the terminal. Bus number 37 runs approximately every 30 minutes to Split (you purchase tickets from a conductor on the bus). Bus 37 does not take you directly to the historic center of Split and you must change buses to number 9 or 10. The conductor is generally helpful. A shuttle bus run by Pleso Transport Company operates between the airport and the city center, but, since the shuttle bus operates according to Croatia Airlines flight schedule, it is only convenient if you are arriving/departing with Croatia Airlines flight. A single ticket cost 30kn (about 4eur).
By train - Split train station is right in the city center, it is a few minutes walk from the port and from the old town. Expect very friendly grannies to be waiting with signs saying "Sobe" (rooms) at all arrivals and they will jump on anyone with a backpack. The train station is rather basic, because train travel is not much used to Split. Trains run between Split and Zagreb, Split and Perković (where you can change for Šibenik).
By bus - Frequent buses run to and from Zagreb, Dubrovnik, Sibenik, Zadar, Rijeka etc. There are also a few buses a day to and from Mostar and Sarajevo you can get detailed information on about departure and arrival times. On all intercity buses you pay a fee for luggage. This fee of about 0.5 to 1 euro per piece of luggage is paid to the driver upon boarding. Some drivers are rather picky about being paid in exact change in the correct currency (sometimes a local currency, at other instances requesting to be paid in euros) and sometimes also refuse to be paid in too small coins. So keep some change ready.
By boat - Ferries run daily across the Adriatic to and from Ancona and Pescara (Italy). There is also a large ferry that runs twice a week up and down the coast between Dubrovnik and Rijeka, stopping off at a couple of islands along the way.
Local Boats - Split is the main hub for local boats and hydrofoils in Central Dalmatia. Several a day run to and from Brac, Hvar, Solta, Vis, Korčula and Lastovo.
