Musts in Split

Must See

Museum

• Diocletian's Palace (UNESCO heritage site) - The historic centre 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. Bronze gate). It is probably the best preserved Roman palace in general.

• St. Duje's cathedral - Originally built around 305 AD as a mausoleum for the Roman emperor Diocletian (the oldest cathedral building in the world). The 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 min walk north of the old town (entry 20 kn). Many artefacts and monuments from Roman colonies Salona and Narona.

• Poljud stadium. Poljud stadium known to locals as "Poljudska Ljepotica" (Poljud Beauty")is a second largest stadium in Croatia and has a capacity of 36,000 people. The stadium was originally constructed by the Yugoslavian government as part of the facilites for the 1979 Mediterannean Games and was officially opened by Josip Broz Tito, who was avowed fan of the team who play their home games in Poljud HNK Hajduk Split. By far the most important and revered sports team in Dalmatia, a dedicatet fanbase around the world has followed Hajduk throughout the team's history. There are numerous anecdotes about Hajduk never played without at least some of their loyal fans in the stands, the Torcida. It is the oldest supporters group in Europe. If you are going to visit some match do not go on north part, which is the cheapest one, that part is reserved for Torcida.

• Getski vrtal, Dominisova street. is the smallest park in Split, situated in the Diocletian's palace (ONLY GREEN AREA INSIDE OF THE CITY WALLS), Dominisova street (Marko Antonio De Dominis street). In the park there are beautiful traditional Dalmatian tiramolas (that is a way how the locals dry their clothes). During the summer these are full of clothes drying in the sunshine. In every guidebook about Split you have pictures from the Getski vrtal. It is the location of a 500 year old stone house which was destroyed during World War II. On the facade facing towards Getski vrtal you can see two heads made of stones. One of the heads is a sphinx with a Christian cross on the forehead and second one is head of middle age thief. Getski (from ghetto) vrtal (garden) is made and maintained by the locals who live in houses near by. 

• Old graveyards. Sustipan and old Jewish cemetery

Must Do

Riva

• Sunbathe and swim on the beach at Bačvice. To reach this beach walk south along the waterfront from the bus station ant then follow the road that crosses the railway line. 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. There are also beaches around hill Marjan. Most popular are Kaštelet, Kašjuni and beautiful pine forest beach Bene. On Bene beach there is a restaurant and a recreation centre. Bus No. 12 travels there.

• Climb the campanile bell tower 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 15 kn 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 298-305 AD and is one of the most significant original structures of the period mostly because so much of it has been preserved. Later this Palace contributed to the broadening of the town because as the city evolved beyond its walls. The unique substructure halls were newley explored and each year more of them are opened to the public. Some have fascinating artefacts on display. May - Oct 10AM-12 noon-7PM (?). Nov-Apr, opens at 11AM, duration 90 min. In English language. Starts in front of the tourist info centre, please arrive 15 min before tour is due to commence.

• Snorkelling Experience. Snorkelling and diving Experience by boat from Split harbour. Licenced PADI diving center. www.venus-diving.com

• Green Market (Pazar). Split's Pazar is the place to go for a variety of wares such as fruits and veggies, clothing and other odds and ends. Lots of local colour and excitement. 

• Picigin, Bačvice. Traditional beach game with a small ball (Bačvice beach). In summer every year there is a world championship in picigin.

• Grgur Ninski. It is said that if you touch the big toe of the statue and make a wish, your wish will come true. 

• Bike tour, ☎ +385 21388951 (active@meridien.hr), web. Day tour with hybrid, road or e-bike. Explore the old town of Split and Marjan hill. You can also just rent a bike (some also available at northern entrance to Marjan hill) and explore the city on your own.

• St Jeronimus caves and church (Sveti Jere Dalmatinac). 1 hour walking from the Diocletaian palace, situated on Marjan hill. Amazing place with beautiful view on islands. Locals have a story that St Jeronimus (born in Stridon) lived in these caves. More likely to be that he lived in Palestine. But the fact remains that he was proud of his Dalmatian origin. He translated Bible from old Greek language to old Latin language.

Sailing

There are lots of companies running boats, such as Busabout, Topdeck and Contiki.

The 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 a charter agency and arrive to the designated marina there are a few things that need to be done.

The most important thing is the yacht check in (usually Saturday around 4PM). Take your time doing yacht check in. Familiarise 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.

After that you have to do the shopping for the charter vacation. Don't neglect the groceries shopping because the sea is unpredictable and you don't want to get stuck on the boat without sufficient provisions of food and drink.

You can do the shopping in a marina although the prices are usually much higher there, or you can order from yacht provisioning services who usually deliver the products to the marina at no extra fee. In Jam Yacht Supply web offer an online provisioning catalogue and you can order from a large selection of groceries and other products months in advance, everything you order awaits for you at the marina.

• Daily sailing tours, ☎ +385 21 717 813 (info@hvar-adventure.com), web. Daily sailing tours from Split to Brac, Hvar and other nearby destinations.

---