Split City Break

History buffs, sailing enthusiast and hedonists of all sorts are flocking to Croatia‘s second largest city to enjoy everything Split has to offer: from superb restaurants to trendy cafes lined up on the city’s main promenade, and from UNESCO-recognised historic centre to incredible vistas of the turquoise Adriatic Sea. All this and more is waiting for you if you decide to take a well-deserved Split City Break. As a main transport hub in the eastern Adriatic shoreline, Split has great flight (and/or ferry) connections with most European capitals, especially in the summer months.

HISTORY OF SPLIT

The unofficial “capital” of Dalmatia – as Split is often referred to –  has a long and fascinating history, which you will hear all about once the local guide takes you on a private tour of its historic old centre mostly known as Diocletian’s Palace. It was built between 295 and 305 by the Roman Emperor Diocletian, famous for the reconstruction of the Empire and notorious for persecution Christians. He simply fell in love with this place and decided to built a retirement palace which was later also used by his successors. After the fall of the Western Roman Empire local inhabitants moved in and basically turned the palace into a town, since its walls provided great protection from the enemies.

Later on, Split has been passed on from one ruler to another: Byzantines, Venetians, Ottomans and finally Austrians all left a mark on this historic town which was able to develop regardless of who presided over it.

After WWI, Split with other parts of Croatia became part of the newly established Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. After WWII these South-Slavic nations continued to live in peace with each other in the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Unfortunately after the death of its leader (Josp Broz Tito) Yugoslavia started to fall apart, mostly because of the rising nationalism in some of its states. Things started to fall apart and Croatia suffered a lot during the Yugoslav wars with over 15.000 casualties. But Croats proved to be a strong nation and reconstruction was quick. It didn’t take long before tourists started to flocking back to the Adriatic coast and Split, as the main entry point to most of the islands, suddenly found itself as one of the most important towns in the Mediterranean region. Isn’t it funny how history repeats itself?

Split City Break is a great balance of cultural and sea holidays

SPLIT CITY BREAK: WHAT IS A MUST-SEE?

Interested in visiting Split on a special tailor-made city break? After landing at the buzzing Split airport, your private driver will pick you up and take you to the hotel we will book for you in the heart of the city. Later your private guide will take you around town and show you all the most important corners of the Diocletian’s Palace. This city-within-a-city is one of the most impressive UNESCO sites in Croatia and a popular place for all history-lovers. It was originally constructed in the 4th century from shiny white stone from the island of Brač. Later the palace/fortress has been constantly reconstructed and only professional guides will be able to point out which elements were added at a specific time period. They will walk you along two main streets called cardo and decumanus which connect four monumental gates Porta Aurea (Golden gate), Porta Argenta (Silver gate), Porta Ferrea (Iron gate) and Porta Aenea (Bronze gate). There are more than 200 buildings within the walls, but the ones that should not be missed out are definitely the Cathedral of St. Domnius (originally built as Diocletian’s mausoleum, today it is one of the best preserved still standing Roman structures) and Temple of Jupiter (now a baptistery). For those of you really keen on history, we also recommend entering the palace’s basements and visiting the Split City Museum housed in the beautiful late-Gothic Papalić Palce.

After the extensive tour of the Diocletian’s Palace you will probably want to take some rest and enjoy a lunch or a cup of coffee. Best place to do it is the main Split’s promenade called Riva which stretches along the palace’s southern wall and harbour. Another great place for resting and people-watching is the historic National Square with a gorgeous Venetian palace from the 15th century and the colourful Republic Square.

OUTSIDE THE HISTORIC CENTRE OF SPLIT

To escape the crowded alleys of Split – especially in the summer months – we recommend you a walk (or a easy hike) up to the 178-meters-high Marjan Hill which is looming over Split and provides amazing views of the red-roofed houses and the blue Adriatic Sea. The shade of the dense pine forest will protect you from the hot Dalmatian sun as you climb to the scenic lookouts and explore the once-inhabited caves, medieval chapels and a 16-century Jewish cemetery. You can descent on the other side of the hill and take a swim at the pretty Kašjuni beach.

For Game of Thrones fans we can organise a half-day excursion to the imposing Klis Fortress, located 12 kilometres from Split. Although interesting on its of, the fortress has become very popular since is starred in the acclaimed HBO television series as the city of Meereen, where Daenerys Targaryen crucified numerous slave-owners.

Another important historic site just outside Split is the ancient town of Salona (modern-day Solin). Once the capital of the Roman province of Dalmatia, Salona’s ruins are considered the largest archaeological park in Croatia and can be a great addition to all-and-all historically-themed Split City Break.

Expand your visit of Split with daily excursions or a week-long tour of Croatia

DAILY EXCURSIONS FROM SPLIT

Since Split is a relatively small city whose main attractions are concentrated in and around the Diocletian’s Palace you only need a day or two to cover its most important sights, especially if you are not crazy about the Roman history.

Therefore we invite you to explore its surroundings and join one of our various private or group excursions. Our agents will be happy to give you all the information on the optional tours. Here are some of the recommendations:

One of the most popular daily excursions from Split is a trip to the nearby town of Trogir, a UNESCO-recognised town of its own. Considered as one of the most picturesque coastal towns in the whole Croatia, Trogir is located on a tiny island, between mainland and much larger Čiovo Island. It’s medieval core features gorgeous architecture resembles strong Greek, Roman and Venetian influence. Our guides will be happy to show you all the details of this “open-air museum”, including its prime jewel – The Cathedral of St. Lawrence.

Another popular daily excursion from Split is the medieval seaside town of Sibenik, known mostly for the UNESCO-listed Cathedral of St. James – one of the most important Renaissance architectural monuments in the region. The guide will be happy to show you around this triple-nave basilica with three apses and a 32-meter dome. They will also explain you the unique architectural technique used for its construction as the cathedral is believed to be the world’s largest church built completely from stone without any brick or wood supports.

Visit of Sibenik is often combined with the nearby Krka National Park, one of the most popular Croatian national parks where you can cool off in the hot summer months. It’s an impressive karstic landscape full of gorges and waterfalls – Skradinski Buk being the most famous one. Besides its natural phenomena you can also explore the cultural sites of Krka National Park: monasteries built by monks who decided to make this pretty environment their home.

VISIT DALMATIAN ISLAND FROM SPLIT

Another option for daily excursions from Split are the always popular Dalmatian islands. Since Split is the main gateway to all the most important islands such are Hvar and Brac, you have plenty of possibilities for daily trips. Don’t worry about checking the ferry and catamaran schedule. Our agents and your driver guide will do it for you.

Most daily visitors of the Brac island take a catamaran to its southern site to sunbathe on probably the most famous beach in Croatia: Zlatni rat (Golden horn). This beak-shaped mass of smooth white pebbles expanding into the Adriatic Sea for approximately 400 meters is a major tourist draw and Croatia’s ultimate poster child. Other places worth visiting on Brac are town of Pucisca, famous for its quarry of white marble which has been used to build the Diocletian palace in Split and the port of Supetar on the northern shore.

With more than 2700 hours of sunshine each year, Hvar is the the sunniest Croatian island and the one that attracts the most luxurious guests. You can choose to stay a night or two in one of the boutique hotels in the old town of Hvar on the southern part, explore its amazing interior and relax on one of its renown pebble beaches. From Hvar you can easily reach the island of Vis and the famous blue cave, as well as the picturesque archipelago know as Pakleni islands.

VISIT CROATIA ANY BEYOND

Why not expanding your Split City Break and take the opportunity to explore other parts of Croatia as well? You can head south towards Dubrovnik – the pearl of the Adriatic – or even further to Bay of Kotor in Montenegro.

The other way is north, towards Croatian capital of Zagreb, passing through the historic town of Zadar and world-famous Plitvice National Park. From Zagreb you can continue to the pretty Ljubljana in Slovenia or visit the peninsula of Istria.

Another way to expand your Split City Break is by heading inland towards Bosnia & Herzegovina. make a stop at the Catholic pilgrimage centre of Medjugorje, cross the historic bridge at Mostar and continue all the way to Sarajevo. If you are keen on visiting more than one Balkan country, we would definitely recommend you the check out our popular Balkan Triangle itinerary.