Split lies midway down the Dalmatian coast, south of Zadar and north of Dubrovnik. It’s a big, active city, but also a tourist attraction. While Rovinj’s harbor is too small and shallow for the big cruise ships, they can come to Split landing right next to the city center and Diocletian’s Palace. People also visit Split as the home base for other trips, to towns like Trogir and Solin, the Klis Fortress, and ferries to the Adriatic Islands of Brac and Hvar. We considered visiting an island or two, but never made it on this trip.
From Plitvice it was another long bus ride south to Split. We took an unnecessary taxi to our Air B&B, but hey, we didn’t know it was just a ten-minute walk. We were on the fifth floor of a high-rise apartment building just a short walk from the old city center. The apartment was lovely, quite roomy, with a great view over the city and the harbor – and thankfully, an elevator. Once settled, we spent lots of time exploring Split, walking the streets of the “Old Town” and beyond, and seeking the best places to eat.
Highlights of our days in Split:
Diocletian’s Palace: Diocletian, a fourth century Roman Emperor, was the last, and perhaps the most brutal, persecutor of Christians. He built a palace here, near his birthplace, for his retirement. After Rome’s fall, the palace was not abandoned and destroyed. Rather, the people of Split moved in, rebuilding and re-purposing the remains. Ironically, what had been Diocletian’s Mausoleum became the Roman Catholic Cathedral named for Saint Domnius, the bishop of Salona, who was persecuted by Diocletian.
- The Peristyle: The center of the palace, and the center of Split itself, is like a beautifully preserved Roman Forum. Today a favorite meeting place.
- Diocletian’s Mausoleum, now the Cathedral of Saint Domnius, is the smallest and oldest Roman Catholic cathedral. Bits of the original Roman decorative carvings can still be seen among all the Christian décor. The original octagonal structure was enlarged a bit, and the impressive Bell Tower that now overlooks the city was added later.
- The Crypt, intended to house Diocletian’s sarcophagus, now sits empty just below the mausoleum
- The Bell Tower: It’s a long climb, but the views across Split are well worth the effort.
- The Temple of Jupiter: Declaring himself to be a god, Diocletian cited Jupiter, the most powerful god in the Roman Pantheon as his father. Today, this is The Baptistry and houses another Ivan Mestrovic statue, this one of St. John the Baptist.
- The Cellars of Diocletian: These huge spaces below the palace itself are mostly empty now but have served many purposes, from sewage, to storage, to winemaking. They too have provided settings for the Game of Thrones TV series.
Other Favorites, also within the palace, but long after Diocletian’s day
- D16 Coffee Shop: For the best coffee in Split.
- The Game of Thrones Museum: Of course, we had to do this one, small but cute. And then we could sit in the Iron Throne for pictures. Of course, the shop was full of GoT souvenirs. My favorites were T-Shirts citing Tyrion Lannister: “That’s what I do, I drink, And I know things,” or just “Winter is coming.”
- Zinfandel Wine Shop: We like Zinfandel wine, so we were intrigued by this one, right on the north wall of the palace. On our first visit, we were the only ones in the store, so we had the server, Goran, pretty much to ourselves. He explained the Croatian source of the grapes that California now markets as Zinfandel. It has another name in Croatia, but the Croatian wines he offered us were very nice indeed. We enjoyed sipping, chatting and then dining for quite some time. The meal was also delicious, so we returned to Zinfandel two more times. Our favorite bar in Split.
Gregory of Nin: Just outside the palace, behind the Golden Gate, is a huge statue. You can see why Evan tended to call him Gandolf, but he was another great sculpture by Ivan Mestrovic. Gregory of Nin was a medieval Bishop who opposed the church’s insistence that services be conducted in Latin. Today he is admired as a defender of Croation language and culture. The statue is 28 feet tall. The legend is that if you touch Gregory’s big toe, your wish will come true. Needless to say, we touched Gregory’s big toe every time we walked by.
Mestrovic Gallery: Gregory of Nin inspired us to learn more about the work of Ivan Mestrovic (ee-VAHN mesh-TRO-vich) (1883-1962), the world-renowned sculptor whose work appears throughout Croatia (there’s another Mestrovic Gallery in Zagreb), but also in Belgrade, Montenegro, Bratislava, Bucharest, Ottowa, New York City, Washington D.C., Chicago, and South Bend Indiana at Notre Dame University. Mestrovic’s work is fascinating with dynamic and impressive posing and face sculpting that expresses so much emotion. This gallery, in what was once Mestrovic’s home, displays an extraordinary collection of his works with a film outlining his life. Outstanding!
Walking Marjan Park: From the city center, we walked directly to this large park on a peninsula reaching out to the west. It’s a bit of a climb, with some ancient churches and structures on the way. We managed to lose our way, which became a bit uncomfortable with the sunset approaching, but we made it back safely even though the one hour trip we anticipated took at least three hours. But the weather was lovely, and the views, back over the city and out over the Adriatic Sea, were just stunning.
Walking the Beaches: On one of the limited sunny days, we walked south from the city center walking beach after beach along the shore. Swimmers were few, but café’s along the beach did a healthy business. Among the swimmers were playful children, and a few men in calf-deep water playing a simple game. With a ball the size of a tennis ball or handball, they would hit it to each other, the point being to keep it in play without falling to the water. So four young men in Speedos would run, and jump, and dive, to reach and keep the ball in play.
Covid Vaccine Booster Shots: We had our second Covid Vaccine shots on March 3, 2021. Some countries, and some airlines, were now asking for vaccines within 270 days, so we knew we were due for a Covid Booster. We had no idea if Croatia would provide us the booster or what they might charge us if they did. So we stood outside in line, for three hours on a rainy morning, to find out. When our turn finally came, they welcomed us, checked our passports, asked no questions regarding our travels, gave us the Moderna booster shot and a document, the “EU Digital COVID Certificate.” At no charge. We were thrilled. A morning well spent in the rain.
Day trip to Trogir: A forty-five-minute bus ride took us to Trogir (tro-GEER), a small city that also boasts a Medieval walled old town, where we met Marina for a walking tour. The town is built with white limestone, reminding us of Rovinj, and Marina provided us a great historical introduction to the town.
More photos of Split
