Things to do in Split
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Split
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Best months: warm sea, full timetables, long days and crowds and prices a step below peak. September is the single best month.
Glorious and alive, but book everything and expect Ultra week distortion and high prices.
Worst for crowds and heat: 30 to 35 degrees, full cruise and festival load and the year's highest prices.
Worst for weather: bura wind, rain, shortened hours, reduced ferries and many seasonal restaurants closed.
Advent markets on the Riva, mild and quiet, a locals' city that works as a winter weekend.
What's on
- Sudamja (Feast of St Domnius) 7 May
Split's patron saint day: procession, open air Mass, fairs and concerts, the most local date in the year.
- Mediterranean Film Festival Split early June
Mediterranean and Croatian premieres with open air screenings, including at Bačvice's summer cinema.
- Ultra Europe Usually a weekend in early to mid July
Huge electronic festival at Park Mladeži stadium; book many months ahead or avoid the dates entirely.
- Split Summer Festival (Splitsko ljeto) mid-July to mid-August
Opera, theatre and ballet in the Peristyle, at Sustipan and in historic venues.
- Days of Diocletian (Dani Dioklecijana) September
Roman re-enactments, legionaries in the Peristyle, period food and parades in the best weather month.
- Split Marathon late February
Scenic coastal route and the keen runner's off season excuse to visit.
- Advent in Split December
Riva and palace square Christmas markets, food stalls and music, smaller and more local than Zagreb's.
Best things to do in Split
Diocletian's Palace
A living Roman palace with no gate: lanes, the Peristyle and the Cellars, best seen early or after 19:00.
Cathedral of Saint Domnius
Diocletian's mausoleum turned cathedral, with a bell tower climb giving the best view in the city.
Marjan Hill
Split's pine forest peninsula: viewpoints, hermitage churches and Sustipan for sunset, all free.
Meštrović Gallery
Croatia's greatest sculptor in his own villa and garden above the sea, Split's best museum visit.
Kaštelet Chapel
Small chapel holding Meštrović's wood reliefs on the Passion, ten minutes west of the main gallery.
Pazar
Split's everyday market by the Silver Gate for Pag cheese, pršut, olive oil and picnic supplies.
Peškarija
The morning fish market in Marmontova showing the Adriatic catch residents buy and konobas serve.
Veli Varoš
Split's oldest suburb of steep stone lanes, down to Matejuška harbour and an evening walk on the Riva.
Where to stay in Split
Veli Varoš
first trip, all-round base
Stone lanes and local konobas west of the palace, quiet at night and five to ten minutes from the Peristyle.
Inside Diocletian's Palace / Old Town
short, sightseeing-first stay
Sleeping inside Roman walls is the Split experience, with small rooms, stairs and summer bar noise as the trade-off.
Meje
quiet, upscale, sea-view stay
Affluent slope on Marjan's south side above Ježinac and Kašjuni, 15 to 20 minutes on foot from the palace.
Bačvice / Firule
beach plus transport
Around the sandy beach and near the port and stations, lively and practical for early ferries, calmer in Firule.
Žnjan / Trstenik
families, space and a car
Modern apartments and resort hotels around the rebuilt Žnjan plateau, with pools and parking, a bus ride from the palace.
Spinut
best value for longer stays
Local, apartment led area north of Marjan near Poljud, cheaper and calmer for a week plus base with a kitchen.
Think twice about
- Riva and ferry-port / bus-station block
The most expensive rooms for their size, with touts, cruise congestion and port noise. Great for coffee, poor for sleeping.
- Bačvice beachfront
Nightlife concentrates here in summer, with music and crowds until the early hours. A mistake if you need sleep or have small children.
- Far-eastern high-rise districts (Split 3 and beyond Žnjan)
Not unsafe but inconvenient: tower blocks 30 plus minutes from the palace, sometimes sold as central. Check the real walk time.
- Podstrana / Stobreč resort strip
Pleasant beach resorts eight kilometres south east, but not Split. Every Old Town evening becomes a bus, taxi or drive.
Best restaurants in Split
Dvor
Garden restaurant above the sea at Firule: wood fired grill, day's catch and tasting menus.
ZOI
Contemporary Mediterranean cooking on a prime Riva palace terrace, priced for the view and delivering.
Zrno Soli
Upscale seafood with yacht harbour views in the ACI Marina, a locals' celebration choice.
Zinfandel Food & Wine Bar
Seasonal Dalmatian classics and a deep Croatian wine list in the Old Town, with live music in summer.
Konoba Fetivi
Family konoba in a quiet Varoš lane: fish bought that morning, black risotto and fair priced house wine.
Villa Spiza
Tiny no reservations konoba in a palace lane, its daily menu written from what the market had.
Bokeria Kitchen & Wine Bar
Grand Old Town dining room for Dalmatian sharing plates, brunch and lively group dinners.
Ma:Toni
Creative Dalmatian cooking in a stone walled basement near Bačvice, with thoughtful vegetarian plates.
Best coffee in Split
D16 Coffee
Specialty coffee stop in the Old Town, one of the cheap coffee picks named in local guides.
Meštar o' Kave
Local coffee roaster cafe, one of Split's best cheap coffee stops.
Outdoor things to do in Split
Blue Cave and Five Islands speedboat tour
The signature boat day: Blue Cave, Vis, Hvar, the Pakleni Islands and swim stops in 10 to 11 hours.
Hvar
Fast ferry day on your own schedule: Fortica views, Pakleni swims and lunch away from the harbourfront.
Krka National Park
Travertine cascades at Skradinski Buk on boardwalks through mills and pools, best before 10:00.
Cetina River rafting
Nine to ten kilometres of Grade II to III rapids with cliff jumping and a cave swim, gear included.
Zipline Croatia
Eight cables over the Cetina canyon, the longest about 700 metres at 150 metres above the river.
Via Ferrata Fortica
Three hours on cables and rungs above Omiš with huge views over the Cetina mouth and the sea.
Cetina extreme canyoning
Hike, swim, abseil and cliff jump through the Cetina canyon past the Gubavica falls over six hours.
Zlatni Rat Beach
Croatia's famous white pebble spit on Brač, reached by ferry to Supetar and bus to Bol, best early.
Best hotels in Split
Hotel Vestibul Palace
Small heritage hotel built into the palace walls by the Vestibule, the romantic once only Split sleep.
Cornaro Hotel
Larger polished hotel just north of the palace walls with a rooftop pool and easier vehicle access.
Piazza Heritage Hotel
Heritage building small hotel on People's Square, characterful and central at a mid range price.
Hotel Marmont
Heritage building small hotel in the western Old Town, central and mid range for the location.
Hostel Dvor
Credible central hostel with dorms and private rooms, a budget sleep just north of the palace.
En Route Hostel
Rated central hostel with dorms and private rooms for budget stays near the Old Town.
Hotel Ambasador
Modern glass fronted hotel at the west end of the Riva by Matejuška, with harbour views and a pool.
Briig Boutique Hotel
Design hotel overlooking Bačvice bay from its west side, the style led beach pick.
Is Split expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | €90 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | €170 a person |
| Splurge | €400 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Private after-hours Palace walk: weeks ahead
- Blue Cave and Five Islands speedboat tour: a few days ahead
- Hvar: a few days ahead
- Krka National Park: a few days ahead
- ACI Marina Split: weeks ahead
- Dvor: a few days ahead
- Konoba Fetivi: a few days ahead
- Good Varoš and palace rooms go months ahead in July, August and Ultra week; shoulder season is far cheaper.
- Book the return catamaran when you book the outbound in summer, especially Fridays, Sundays and festival weekends.
- Blue Cave and Krka entries are capacity managed in peak season; book early in your stay to keep a rebook day.
- Dvor, Zinfandel and Fetivi need summer reservations; peka and pašticada need hours to a day's notice when you reserve.
- No advance system fixes a midday Bell Tower or Cellars queue in August; go at opening time.
Is Split safe?
- Pickpocketing in the port, station and crowded palace lanes in summer is the realistic risk; use a cross body bag on ferry days.
- Swimwear, shirtless walking and public drinking in the Old Town core are finable offences Split actively enforces in summer.
- Wear water shoes on rocky entries for sea urchins, carry water on Marjan and Mosor, and respect bura wind closures.
- Avoid port exchange kiosks with poor rates, use a bank ATM and decline conversion, and check a fiscal receipt is issued.
Split travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Riva front restaurants with touts and photo menus; check the per kilo fish price is written and the fish is shown first.
- Bačvice as your only beach: go once early for picigin, then swim at Kašjuni or Žnjan.
- The largest, cheapest Blue Cave and party boats rush stops and comfort; mid range small group is the value point.
- Game of Thrones tours that are only screenshots, and skip the line palace tickets: palace streets are public streets.
- Klis Fortress as a Thrones only photo stop disappoints at midday; go early or at sunset and pair it with Salona.
Getting around Split: public transport and more
- Walk the centre: palace, Riva, Varoš, Bačvice and the stations are within 20 minutes of each other.
- City buses serve Žnjan, Solin, Trogir and the airport corridor; buy via the Promet app and validate on boarding.
- Book summer catamarans to Hvar, Brač, Šolta and Vis days ahead and arrive at the port 30 to 45 minutes early.
- Split Airport is about 25 km west at Kaštela; the shuttle bus to the main bus station is the cheap, reliable default.
- Do not rent a car for Split itself; the centre is pedestrian and parking is scarce and expensive in summer.
Who Split suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Great |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | Good |
| Families | Great |
| Bachelorette parties | Good |
Make Split your trip
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