Top of any list should be the huge Diocletian’s Palace. It’s important because it is in excellent condition and has so many attributes of a Roman town including a forum. Not surprisingly it’s on the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites along with the next on the list; the world’s oldest cathedral, St Duje’s, which was built as a mausoleum for Diocletian in the 4th century. Of particular note there is the beautiful bell tower.
Finally if you want yet more history, take your hire car to the neighbourhood of Varoz, the old town of Split, with beautiful, centuries old houses.
Split Mini Guide
Split is a magnificent city at the northern end of Croatia’s Dalmatian coast. Originally built around an emperor’s Diocletian palace, Split is a very interesting city to walk around and admire fine architecture while enjoying Croatia’s excellent weather. Like many of Croatia’s cities it has fantastic Venetian architecture and the houses have red topped roofs.
Split has its own international airport which has flights to and from destinations all over Europe including Austrian Airlines with flights to Vienna, Malev with flights to Hungary, British Airways and easyJet which go to Gatwick, and German Wings which goes to various German destinations.
For flights within Croatia you can use the national carrier Croatian Airlines and get to cities such as Zagreb and Osijek, as well as places all over Europe. Another company which does cheap flights to countries in Eastern Europe is SkyEurope.
The airport is actually located about half an hour away from Split in the city of Trogir, but you can collect your Rhino car easily at the modest sized terminal and make the drive. It is all one long route and so you should not have any problems finding your way. Meanwhile you can drink in the wonderful scenery along the coast.
Once you have arrived in Split a good method of finding your way around is to take one of the informal and relaxed walking tours to see the palace which is designated as a World Heritage Site. You will also be shown around many ancient Roman monuments such as cathedrals and churches.
There are bicycle tours too for those who prefer to be on two wheels and you will see such landmarks as the old harbour and the city park. One of the best places to see and be seen in Split is the waterfront promenade which is lined with many good bars and restaurants and hours can be spent there enjoying the climate. In this part of town there are some good outdoor markets where you can pick up a gift or a souvenir of your trip.
There is also a very fine modern marina in which you may be able to charter boats and go out and see the Croatian islands with one of the trained skippers who are usually very friendly. This is worth doing as although Split has beaches they are not nearly so fine as the ones to be found on islands like Hvar and Brac.
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