Split is a very vibrant place and full of cafes, restaurants and bars. It has some amazing architecture and great shopping. It took me all of about 5 minutes to fall in love with the place, hopefully you’ll do the same.
On the way there – Sibenik
If you are driving or getting the bus from Zadar, the trip to Split takes around 3½ hours so you might want to break up the journey. If so good place to stop is Sibenik which is around the half way mark.
There is a very well preserved compact historic centre about 10 minutes walk from the bus stop which is worth a wander and there are a myriad of cafes scattered along the waterfront where you can get a meal.
I was a little concerned about waiting to get my onward bus ticket to Split until I was ready to leave Sibenik as the guidebooks indicated the queues can be long and the buses full but there were only a few people ahead of me in the queue and I was able to get on a bus leaving in 15 minutes with no problems.
Where to stay
The heart of the city is Diocletian’s Palace, the walled fortress or old town where the majority of restaurants and shops are and it’s where you’ll want to stay. There are plenty of hotels to choose from but a better option, if you want some more personalised service and local knowledge is to stay in an airbnb apartment.
The place I stayed in while fairly compact by Australian standards, was newly renovated and very clean. It was an easy 5-10 minute walk into the main part of town but in a residential area so very quiet and peaceful at night.
What to see and do
Spend plenty of time wandering around the myriad of streets in Diocletian’s palace. It’s a world heritage site and has some incredible Roman architecture.
Most of the sites are within a few blocks of the Riva, the waterfront promenade. It’s pretty easy to take them all in without needing a map or suggested route but if you do want a plan here is Lonely Planet’s walking tour:
About 15 minutes up the hill from the Riva is Marjan Forest Park. Even if you don’t want to do one of the extended trails, it’s worth a short walk through here for the scenic lookouts.
There is also a cafe just near the entrance to the park (Teraca Vidilica) which serves cheap local food and has a terrace with great views down across the city (the two photos below were taken from there). It’s a good place to have breakfast and if you get there shortly after it opens you’ll likely have the place to yourself.
When you’ve had your fill of sightseeing, head to Bacvice beach, which is about 15 minutes walk from the centre of the Riva, past the ferry port. It’s full of locals enjoying the crystal clear water. There are change rooms and outdoor shower facilities as well as a cafe and bar.
If you’re looking for some souvenirs to take home there are a myriad of stalls selling them (as well as towels, hats and other beach gear) along the way to the beach near the main bus station.
Eating and drinking
You’ll find plenty of bars and restaurants on the Riva and the few blocks nearby. As you’d expect, the restaurants along the Riva tend to be more expensive and in most cases it’s the view you are paying for rather than the quality of the food. If you do want to enjoy the view (and some serious people watching) I suggest having a drink at one of the places along the Riva and then going to dinner somewhere inside the walls.
Two places which I went to which I enjoyed were: Zinfadel which is owned by 2 Croatian-Australians. It’s primarily a wine bar but serves a great pasta:
http://www.zinfandelfoodandwinebar.com/
The other was Brasserie on 7 which is especially good if you are getting sick of heavy food and feel like something a bit lighter:
Side trip – Trogir
Trogir is a little walled city sitting on its own island about 30 minutes bus ride from Split. A lot of the guide books recommend it as either a side trip from Split or a stop on the way there (all the buses from Zadar to Split stop here).
For me it probably wasn’t worth the trip. The architecture is not that much different to what you see everywhere else in Croatia and the small streets were pretty crowded with tourists. If you feel like a break from Split or a stop on the way there, then it’s probably worth going, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to do so.
Other places in Croatia
If you’d like to read my posts about other places in Croatia see the following links::