Most of the Split's visitors remember the city as one of the most beautiful places they have ever been to. It has always fascinated them with its ideal location in the middle of a wonderful landscape that combines the Dalmatian highland, the coast with lots of beaches, rivas and islands, the eventful history, lots of monuments of art and architecture and a rich cultural tradition.

What to see and what to do in Split?

There are plenty of things to see in Split. Most remarkably is the Diocletian's Palace that was built by the Roman emperor Diocletian at the turn of the fourth century AD. It's one of the most significant original structures of the late ancient architecture. This building is the icon of Split and it is since 1979 included in the UNESCO register of World Cultural Heritage. The most imposing structure inside the Palace is definitely the Cathedral of Split called St. Dominus with its famous bell tower constructed in the year 1100 AD. It offers the possibility to climb it and have a great overview of a major part of Split. Inside the walls of the Diocletian's Palace you will also find the Peristyle, the Temple of Jupiter, the cellars of the Palace, the Egyptian Sphynxes, lots of buildings of Roman and Gothic architecture and many more interesting things.

Just outside the Diocletian's Palace on the north you will find the bronze statue of Gregory of Nin built by Ivan Meštrović, the famous Croatian sculptor. There is a legend about it which tells that it makes all wishes come true if you rub its big toe.
On the eastern side of the Palace there is located the Green Market where farmers are selling their fresh vegetables and fruits.
Along the south side of the Diocletian's Palace lies the Riva which is a popular promenade lined with palm trees that offers a great seaside stroll. It is the most popular meeting place for Split's inhabitants, young or old and a great place to spend time for tourists.
During a calmed summer night with a gentle breeze being at this place feels just great.
On the west of the Palace there is situated the famous Fish Market of Split and also the Prokurativa Square designed by an Italian architect to remind him about St. Mark's Square in Venice.

The Marjan Forest Park, also called the "lungs of Split", is one of the places that are definitely worth visiting. The park includes alleys, stairways and forest paths used for walks and bycicle tours leading to landscape sight points which offer a spectacular view on Split and its close area. Many tourists confirmed it is a soul healing place. Down the Marjan hill, there are many sunny and shady beaches, between which Bene, Kašjuni and Ježinac are the most popular. If you climb upon the hill you can also visit the Marjan Zoo.

On the south-west cape of Split's harbour, there is located the Sustipan Memorial Park. It used to be one of the oldest Jewish cemeteries, but the graves were moved on another place while at the Sustipan a beautiful promenade was made.

Split has also a various number of interesting museums and galleries among which the best-known are:

- The Museum of the City Split
- The Archeological Museum
- The Museum of the Croatian Archeological Monuments
- The Croatian Maritime Museum
- The Natural Scienece Museum
- The Etnographic Museum
- The Gallery of Meštrović
- The Gallery of Arts
- The Emanuel Vidović Gallery

For football enthusiastics it will be a great experience to visit a football match of HNK Hajduk Split, Split's main football club, where the atmosphere will be for sure fantastic. During the game all the space is always filled with positive energy and the supporters sing and even shout to encourage their home team.

One of the most beautiful places in Split is represented by the beaches which offer a cool shelter away from the burning sun. From the sandy ones to the rocky ones, Split has a lot to offer either you're basking in the sun or just chilling in the shade. The most popular beach of Split is a sand beach called Bačvice, just 5 minutes away from the international bus station, railway station and ferry port. This beach is well-known as birth place of the popular game called "picigin". Picigin is a traditional beach game, played not only in summer but also in colder times of the year, usually in shallow water with a small tennis ball. It is also worth taking a walk beyond Bačvice to the new made beaches of Žnjan which are among the most beautiful beaches in Split. Other well known beaches in Split are Kašjuni, Ježinac and Bene.

There are also lots of cultural events in the city among which the most popular is Split Summer Festival that takes place every summer since 1954. It is one of the oldest and most esteemed theater festivals in Croatia with major international shows and collaborations. For young tourists, there is a nightlife in Split with lots of discoteques, night bars, coffee bars, and open air parties organizing all over the year.

Split is also the gate to the most beautiful Croatian islands (known as "the Pearls of the Adriatic") Šolta, Brač, Hvar, Vis, Korčula and Lastovo.

Interesting places outside Split

There is also a lot to see in the close area around Split. Head to the South 10km to arrive to the city Omiš where Cetina river meets the Adriatic Sea. Omiš is amazingly framed by a magnificient canyon on one side, rocky mountainous massifs above and the shining Adriatic at its feet. No wonder why it was a pirate stronghold for centuries. This city is well known for its rafting adventure which is offered by several agencies, but also for its beautiful long sand beach and its two fortresses placed on the nearby mountain.

North of Split there is located the ancient city Salona. It's an enormous, mostly unexplored archeological site that still has enough vestiges of its former glory to make a visit very worthwhile. In ancient times it was one of the most important Roman cities with over 60,000 inhabitants. Most of the findings from Salona are housed in the archeological Museum of Split. The best known ruin of Salona is its huge amphitheater.

5km above Salona lies the Klis Fortress that had a very important strategic meaning during history. Perched impossibly high on a rocky butte, Klis was the last stronghold against the Ottoman onslaught. But in 1537 after more than 25 years of fighting, Klis finally fell into Turkish hands. Standing on the ramparts, looking across olive groves and vineyards to distant Split and the offshore islands, the views are stunning.

The coastal stretch between Split and Trogir is called Kaštela. The Kastela region with its Mediterranean tone, picturesque landscape and unique composition of natural environment attracted people since prehistoric times. The area was first settled in the 7th century and later became the bastion of Croatian nobility. During the 1500's there were more than 20 castles, but today only seven are preserved. Today's Kaštela developed around 7 small villages (Kaštel Sučurac, Kaštel Gomilica, Kaštel Kambelovac, Kaštel Lukšić, Kaštel Stari, Kaštel Štafilić and Kaštel Novi) which used to be fortresses and villages with fortified walls beside the coast. Above the towns of Kaštela is spreading the Kozjak mountain which once climbed offers a fantastic view over the whole area between Split and Trogir, the islands and also a part of the Dalmatian inland.

Passing Kaštela, on west, there is Trogir, a town with a historic center that is since 1997 included in the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites. It's a partially walled old town, with ancient streets, has a rare ensemble of Gothic, Romanesque, Renaissance and Baroque buildings and an old cathedral called St. Lawrence that is simply astonishing. Trogir also provides its visitors with fresh and romantic walks on its riva and along its streets and squares.

For more information about Split, Dalmatia and Croatia, visit the following links:

About Split - Wikipedia article

About Dalmatia - Wikipedia article

About Croatia - Wikipedia article