By Kevin Wilkerson, PubClub.com Travel Editor
Split, Croatia, is an ancient destination with modern touches for tourism. But not too much, for that is part of its charm.
The city with the odd name is a jumping-off point for those going to the islands and for boating and sailboat trips. Yet is is also a fine place in its own right, big enough to be busy but not large enough to be complicated.
Here is a simple yet complete guide to Split, Croatia, including the Palace (also known as Old Town) and waterfront, which is where most of the activity takes place.
Introduction To Split – An Orientation Guide
Once you’re in town, Split is very manageable from a getting around standpoint. The airport is 30+ minutes outside of town and airport transportation to Split has several options. There are taxis (60 Euros) and €3 on bus 37 (travel time is approximately 50 minutes, you will have to hold your luggage as this is a city bus and it can be extremely crowded. You also have to take another bus, either numbers 2, 9, 10 and 15 as they go past the Diocletian’s Palace area.) Croatia Airlines has a bus, loosely tied to coincide with its flights for €8; you can pay the driver or buy tickets in advance on the Pleso Prijevoz website. Frankly, I would ask your hotel if it provides airport transportation; most do for €30-40.
Once you’re in Split, getting around is mostly by foot. That’s because it’s a pretty confined area and since you will be spending most of your time in and around the Palace and waterfront, there is no other way to do it. You can walk the whole thing in half an hour if you don’t stop.
The ferries are on the left side of the harbor but when you buy a ticket, be sure and ask where it leaves from, the company and even the color of the boat. Otherwise, you will be totally confused (I know, because I was, along with a few fellow travelers) as there are several ferry companies going to the same islands.
The Split Waterfront
It is a very pleasant walk along the Split waterfront. This is a huge port with ferries to the many islands of Croatia and several tour boats to area attractions. Behind it is Diocletian’s Palace.
The waterfront is spacious, very wide and the only traffic is pedestrians. Along it is a row of some two dozen restaurants, all with outdoor seating as the weather is often sunny and pleasant, as Croatia has a Mediterranean climate.
Diocletian’s Palace (The Old Town)
Diocletian’s Palace was built for the Roman emperor Diocletian at the end of the third century AD. Today, the walls have been torn down and it is the centerpiece of life in Split.
Most of the streets are narrow and unmarked so you wind up walking around it in a kind of lost daze. Eventually you will notice the same restaurants or start to recognize locations; I use the unusual fountain of water pouring into a large cup as a landmark. After much trial and error yyou can make your way through it and find your way out of it to the waterfront or to a main street.
You’ll never master it, but you can manage it. The south side has a market selling all kinds of clothing and goods with a food market during the daytime. That’s another good landmark. Pro’s Tip: Look at this as an adventure so take your time and don’t get frustrated.
The Palace contains countless restaurants, shops, hotels, hostels and most of the city’s bars. Note that due to a 2023 law, the bars must close at midnight during the week tho they do stay open until 1 or 2 a.m., on weekends.
Split Food, Drinks, Bars & Nightlife
Don’t be put off by the signs out in front of restaurants touting hamburgers and pizza. The pizza is fine – there’s a lot of it in Croatia due to the influence from the Italians – but the hamburgers, well, save that for when you are in America.
Croatian food & drinks are, thankfully, much more than those two items. The true traditional meal in Croatia involves fish (tho I highly recommend to avoid the black risotto cuttlefish) and most restaurants serve it and other seafood. Enjoy it with some local Croatian wines because you can’t get them anywhere else but in Croatia.
There are also many to-go places (the pizza at those places is mostly dough and not very tasty) serving flaky pastries and there are a couple of kabob and chicken pita places. There’s even a rotisserie chicken spot that has really good local craft beer.
Speaking of drinks, there is craft beer in Split as well as very good Croatian lagers. You can get these in large cans to go for the drink-em-up low price of just 2 Euros, tho it is actually illegal to drink them within the Palace walls. That seems to be a bit of a buzzkill if you ask me because the place is made for walking around while sipping a 2 Euros beer. If you do it consider yourself warned, but you won’t be the only one doing it.
There are many bars in Split, some quiet sit-down places, others that look innocent enough as restaurants that suddenly become busy. Some little holes in the walls are all-out fun with music and dancing. My favorites are Charle’s Bar, Sanctuary and O’Hara’s Irish bar. These are in Old Town and there are other bars along the waterfront.
Beauty Off The Beaten Path In Split
Behind and to the south of Old Town is what can only be described as beauty off the beaten path in Split. It is in a residential area at what is one of the few sandy beaches in the entire country, Bačvice Beach.
I discovered it because I stayed one night at the Briig Boutique Hotel. There is the small beach with a walkway past cafes along water so inviting that, well, you better have your bathing suit with you. The more I walked the path, the more beautiful the scenery got until I finally stopped to soak it all in so I could fully embace it.
If you can manage to find the shortcut from the Palace you can walk it in 10-15 minutes. Otherwise, go to the ferry dock, to the left and up the hill. Pro’s Tip: Before you enter the water, look for sea urchins. They are prevalent in Croatia. The water is so clear you can see down to the bottom in most places so you can easily avoid them.
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PubClub.com is one of the original websites on the Internet. It features articles on nightlife, food & drink, events, activities, travel and sports. It has been featured in USA Today, the LA Times and American Way magazine, among other major media outlets. Kevin Wilkerson is an award-sinning journalist and travel blogger who travels around the world posting content to PubClub.com and other outlets.