Split
A Roman emperor's palace that became a living town, a palm-lined quay facing the islands, Marjan's pine woods at the end of it, and the runway on Kaštela Bay.
- Arrival
- Split Airport · SPU
- To the city
- About 19 km to the centre by road
- Private jets
- Split Airport; book parking early in summer
- Best time
- May to October
The city
The palace that became a city.
Diocletian began his retirement palace here in 293 AD, and people have lived inside it ever since: twenty hectares of Roman walls with shops, flats and cafés fitted into the fabric, and the 57-metre Romanesque bell tower of the cathedral of St Domnius rising from the middle of it. UNESCO listed the palace and the town within it in 1979. In front of it runs the Riva, laid out under French rule in 1807 and lined with palms for a century.
The season is long. From May to September the afternoons run from 23 to 31 °C with little rain, and July and August are nearly dry; October stays near 20 °C, and so does the sea. West of the quay the hill of Marjan rises to 178 metres, a park of 347 hectares, and from the port the boats leave for Brač, Hvar and the islands beyond.
Arriving
On Kaštela Bay.
Split Saint Jerome Airport stands at Kaštela on the bay west of the city, about 19 kilometres from the centre, with a 2,550-metre runway. It is Croatia's second airport, with 3.9 million passengers in 2025.
- Rome 50 min
- Munich 1 h 10
- Stockholm 2 h 40
- Bahrain 5 h 00
- Mumbai 7 h 55 long-range jet
When to go
May to October.
The Dalmatian summer is long and bright, the winter soft and rainy; July and August see the least rain. May to September is the heart of the season, with the sea above 20 °C from June to October. November is the wettest month.
- 11° J 73 14°
- 12° F 64 13°
- 15° M 58 13°
- 18° A 62 14°
- 23° M 58 18°
- 28° J 49 21°
- 31° J 25 24°
- 31° A 32 24°
- 25° S 82 22°
- 21° O 80 20°
- 16° N 120 18°
- 12° D 99 16°
What to see and do
Days in and around Split.
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Landmark
Diocletian's Palace
Roman walls, the Peristyle and the cathedral tower, with a town of 160,000 people grown around and inside them.
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Landmark
The Riva
The palm-lined quay along the south wall of the palace, pedestrian since the 1990s and the place to sit at the end of the day.
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Landmark
Marjan
A wooded hill of 178 metres at the tip of the peninsula, with paths above the sea and the whole city below.
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Culture
Meštrović Gallery
Ivan Meštrović built this villa above the sea between 1931 and 1939, and it now shows his sculpture indoors and eight bronzes in the garden.
Official site -
Culture
Kaštilac (Meštrović's Crikvine)
Close to the gallery, this restored chapel holds 28 wooden reliefs and two sculptures by Meštrović, on the same museum ticket.
Official site -
Opera & music
Croatian National Theatre Split
Opened in 1893 as the municipal theatre, it stages opera, ballet and drama, and its orchestra gives symphony concerts.
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Opera & music
Split Summer Festival
Since 1954 the festival has filled the old town with drama, concerts and dance, and its opera nights are sung on the Peristyle.
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Culture
Archaeological Museum in Split
Founded in 1820, the museum keeps tens of thousands of finds, most from its own excavations at Salona, including carved Roman sarcophagi.
Official site -
Culture
Klis Fortress
Petar Kružić held this fortress against the Ottomans for more than 25 years before it fell in 1537; it stands at 360 metres on the pass above Split.
Official site -
Culture
Salona
Walk the ruins of the capital of Roman Dalmatia, whose amphitheatre held some 15,000 spectators, in the modern town of Solin.
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Nature
Cetina Canyon
Protected for some sixty years, the gorge behind Omiš is explored by river boat, kayak or on foot as far as the Radman Mills, worked since the 16th century.
Official site
Where to stay
Keys across the water.
Shown for information. We have no arrangement with any of these hotels.
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Palace Elisabeth Hvar Hotel A 13th-century palace on Hvar's main square, remade in 1899 with the support of Empress Elisabeth of Austria, whose name it carries, with 45 rooms and a MICHELIN Key.
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Maslina Resort Fifty-three rooms, suites and villas on a bay outside Stari Grad, every one facing the sea, with one MICHELIN Key.
Where to dine
The best tables in Split.
From the MICHELIN Guide Croatia 2026: Krug holds a star and the others are in the selection.
- Krug One Michelin star Creative €€€€ Trumbićeva obala, west of the Riva
- Dvor MICHELIN Guide Mediterranean €€€€ Firule, east of the centre
- Zrno Soli MICHELIN Guide Seafood €€€€ ACI Marina, west of the Riva
- ZOI MICHELIN Guide Mediterranean €€€€ Riva, in the walls of Diocletian’s Palace
- Kadena MICHELIN Guide Mediterranean €€€ Zenta, east of the centre
Elsewhere in Croatia
More reasons to come.
Flying to Split?
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