A Week in Split, Croatia

Split is a party town according to many of the Croatians we had conversations with during our stay. It’s famous for its nightlife and lively club scene. We saw many groups of visitors clearly in town for a wild weekend – women and men decked out in beach wear, skin tight clothing, and bright shiny tiaras for a bachelorette party (or hen party for my UK readers) and men with bare, painted chests. Loud and laughing, these groups were clearly here for one thing; hardcore partying. They were headed to the bar or the beach; forget Diocletian’s Palace – so boring when there are so many clubs and drinking establishments to discover.

We did not go to Split to experience the club scene, in fact, when we booked our hotel in People’s Square, we had no idea Split was such a popular party town. Thankfully for us, we heard only distant, faint rumblings from the party attendees from our hotel – the Piazza Heritage Hotel, a beautiful, surprisingly quiet hotel given the location.

If you’re more interested in Split’s history than partying, you’ll find that it’s filled with many iconic sites including Diocletian’s Palace, which is probably the most famous site in the city. Built as a retirement home for the Roman Emperor of the same name, construction began in the 3rd century AD. This massive structure which includes much of the old town, was recognized as a UNESCO Site in 1979. The palace is so big that many of its buildings and rooms are spread throughout old town and are used as shops and restaurants today.

When visiting the palace, you’ll see the Peristyle (Peristil) or main courtyard, which was used for entertaining visitors and guests, theatrical performances and as a place to worship the emperor.

Also on the palace grounds is Saint Domnius Cathedral. Originally the emperor’s mausoleum until it was transformed into a Christian church by refugees in the 7th century after Diocletian’s death. In an ironic twist, they named it for St. Domnius, one of the many Christians Diocletian slaughtered during his reign. At one point there were many sphinxes here which Diocletian stole from Egypt; only a few remain today.

A Romanesque bell tower was added to the cathedral between the 13th and 16th centuries. If your knees are willing, you can climb 187 feet to the top for incredible views of the city and beyond.

Palace Basement – this huge underground vault was used for wine storage.

Wandering through the old town and the palace compound, you’ll see the four gates that all lead to the palace.

Much of the palace is free to visit, but click here for information regarding tickets for the museum, bell tower and cathedral.

There is much more to do and see in Split including The Riva, the city’s waterfront promenade. This lovely walkway is lined with restaurants, shops and artisan kiosks offering everything from wine tastings, local arts and crafts to food items.

Pazar Green Market is a lively street market selling much more than just produce. Here you can chat with the locals and learn more about life for the people of Split. As a side note, English is widely spoken in Croatia.

Split City Museum – here you’ll find a good collection of artifacts including tiles, coins, weapons and more. Even some ancient dice and gaming pieces made from bone.

People’s Square, is a lively place with restaurants, boutiques and gelato shops.

We enjoyed lunch in the square on several occasions and saw these little carts buzzing back and froth dodging clueless tourists and groups of partiers. They were ferrying all sorts of items including restaurant supplies, constructions materials and even school children at one point.

And as always, just wandering through town is always a treat.

And of course, we had some delicious meals. Uje Restaurant was one of our favorites. We had a delicious lunch here and the staff was anxious for a sketching lesson from theTravelskether.

Bepa was another favorite with delicious salads and desserts.

After a week in Split, we boarded a ship for a week of island hopping. This small ship with room for just 30 passengers and 6 crew members was quite comfortable and spacious. Much more about our cruise in the coming weeks.

What do you think of Split? As always, I would love to hear from you.

Wishing you grand adventures,

Tricia