Split Croatia harbor

Split Travel Guide

Split sign

Split Travel Guide

Split is a popular Croatian city for any itinerary! The lively city, built in and around Diocletian’s Palace, is a great place for taking day trips to some of Croatia’s best spots and also has a lot to offer on it’s own. It’s also earned it’s reputation as a party city, and doesn’t disappoint, but if that’s not your scene you can easily visit Split and enjoy the rest it has to offer without the late nights!

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Disclaimer: This article contains some links where I earn commission through booking. There is no extra cost to you, and I only recommend things I’ve used and love or places I’ve stayed and enjoyed!

*Backpacks & Bubbly – Top Pick for Drinks With A View*

Teraca Vidilica

Sunset drinks or dinner at Teraca Vidilica is a must on your trip to Split. It’s about a 15 minute walk from the Diocletian’s Palace (the main downtown area of Split) It’s mostly uphill/stairs so be prepared, but trust me, it’s worth it for the views!

Sunset from Teraca Vidilica
Split panorama

Where to Stay in Split

Most of the hotels and restaurants in Split are located in the main downtown areas known as Diocletian’s Palace & Riva. Diocletian’s Palace is sprawling and consists of many buildings, streets, hotels, restaurants, etc.

I recommend staying in this neighborhood, as most of the things you’ll want to do on your trip are located here. Also, this is near where the ferries take off, and busses from other cities, like Dubrovnik, or the airport arrive.

Procurator 7 Hotel

I stayed at the Procurator 7 Hotel on my recent trip to Split. It was located right in Diocletian’s Palace area, and right next to Riva, so was super convenient. It also had an awesome rooftop patio.

It’s a four star hotel, but I will say 4 star hotels in parts of Europe are a bit different than what would be considered a 4 star hotel in the US. The room was small with sloped ceilings. It was clean and the bathroom was renovated, but it was very basic. I don’t spend much time in my room when I travel, so it was no problem, but I would set your expectations ahead of time before booking a trip!

Top Things to do in Split

Explore Diocletian’s Palace

Diocletian’s Palace makes up most of the downtown area of Split. It is not a palace exactly, because the whole city of Split has been built in and around the Palace that was once built for Diocletian. It is now filled with wandering alleys of restaurants, bars, shops and hotels intermingled with the historical palace.

Diocletian was a Roman Emperor, known for being the only emperor to ever retire. Diocletian’s Palace was meant to be built as his retirement location and took over ten years to built. The city has continued to grow and the palace has been growing ever since.

Some of the highlights of the original palace that you’ll want to see are:

  • the four “gates” (Gold, Bronze, Silver & Iron)
  • the substructure or basement of the palace, which is where the scenes of Game of Thrones are filmed where Daenerys Targaryen locks up her dragons while in Meereeen
  • Cathedral of St. Domnius & the Bell Tower – the Bell Tower can be climbed, but I prefer the view from here. It allows you to see the entire Split skyline and coast, including the bell tower.

Head to the Best Sunset Spot in Split

Split has some epic sunsets, all of Croatia does really. One of the best places to watch the sunset is Split is Prva vidilica na Marjanu. Located here. It’s about a 15 minute walk from Riva/Diocletian’s Palace, mostly uphill/stairs, but it is worth it for the view!

Wander Riva Promenade

Riva Promenade is the main street along the harbor in Split. It’s filled with bars, lounges and restaurants with perfect outdoor patios for afternoon drinks, dinner, or late night drinks before heading to the clubs!

Venture to Klis Fortress

If you’re a Game of Thrones fan, or a history fan, or just love a good panoramic view, I recommend taking the trip to Kils Fortress from downtown Split.

Klis Fortress is located about 20 minutes north of Split and has gained recent popularity after Game of Thrones filmed there for scenes that took place in Meereen.

In real life, the fortress has been around for thousands of years and has been occupied by a variety of leaders, including the Roman Empire and Croatian Kings.

To enter and wander around Klis you’ll need to purchase a ticket, it costs about $10 for adults.

Klis Fortress can be reached by car if you’ve rented one. Otherwise, it’s a fairly cheap taxi/Uber ride.

There are several local bus lines that go to Klis Fortress. This was how I got there but I really do not recommend taking the bus. The bus to get there was over an hour late based on what was on the timetable and the return bus never came! A few people I met and I ended up having to pay to get out a tour group to get back to the main city center

view from Kils Fortress
Plitvice Lakes

Day Trips from Split

Plitvice Lakes

Plitvice Lakes National Park is one of the most stunning places I’ve visited in my life. It’s comprised of a series of sixteen cascading lakes that are connected by waterfalls.

You can visit the park as a day trip from Split, but it’s a bit of a long trip, so you’ll need an entire day and it can be a little tiring. I still highly recommend!

I took a guided tour, so I didn’t need to worry about renting a car and making the 3+ hour drive. If you don’t mind busses and prefer ease of travel I recommend a private tour.

There was plenty of autonomy to explore on your own during the tour. See my full blog post on a day trip to Plitvice from Split here!

If you’d prefer to plan your own trip, see my full Plitvice Lakes travel guide here for prices, parking, best routes to take through the park, etc. Definitely buy your tickets in advance, as they sell out in the summer!

Krka National Parks

If you’re looking for a landscape similar to Plitvice, but a little bit closer to Split, Krka National Parks are a great day trip option.

Krka is home to Skradinski Buk & Roski Slap, which is series of seventeen and twelve waterfalls respectively. The best way to see the whole park is to take a boat tour, which is included in your ticket for the park.

Tickets can be purchased online here. This will save you long wait times at the entrances to the park. Prices vary based on season and can be found here. Peak season is around $40 for adults, shoulder season is about $20 for adults, and the winter can be as low as $10 or less for tickets.

Getting there:

  • By Car – If you have rented a car, Krka can be reached in about 90 minutes from Split. You’ll want to head to the Lozovac entrance, where you can park.
  • By Bus- From Split you can take the bus to Skradin, where you will get the ferry to Skradinski Buk, the main area of the park. THe busses run several times a day and take a little over an hour.
  • By Organized Tour – sometimes I find it easier to just take an organized tour for things like this. There are tons of great options for day tours from Split that will take you to and from Krka.

Hvar

Hvar is one of Croatia’s many islands and is less than an hour by ferry from Split, making it a great day trip option if you want to explore the Croatian islands during your time in Split.

Hvar has a bit of a reputation for being a party island, but if that’s not your scene the island is still worth a visit for it’s stunning coast lines, charming Old Town & epic sunsets.

If you’re looking to experience the nightlife & partying I recommend spending a night or two in Hvar vs. a day trip.

Many ferries run between Split and Hvar daily, especially during the summer, so you shouldn’t have trouble finding one. I always use Ferry Hopper as they compare prices and times across different ferry companies.

Best Things to do in Hvar:

  • Explore Old Town
  • Take in the view from the Spanish Fortress
  • Explore the beaches of Hvar (some of Croatia’s best!)
  • Catch the sunset from a beach bar

Getting to Split

By Plane

Split has an international airport that is located about a 30 minute drive outside of Split. From the airport there are several ways to get into the city center.

Welcome Pickups allows you to book private transfers. If I’m arriving late at night or early in the morning and am worried about public transport, I always use Welcome Pickups. They’re super reliable and cost about the same as a taxi or Uber.

Shuttle Bus there is a shuttle bus that runs from Split to the city center. The busses leave about every 30 minutes. Tickets are cheap (around $6) and the bus takes you right to the bus station in Riva (the neighborhood along the harbor in Split)

This is also where you get the bus from downtown Split back to the airport.

Taxi you can also find taxis at the Split airport that will take you to your hotel directly.

Getting to Split from Dubrovnik

By Ferry

I recommend travelling between Dubrovnik and Split by ferry vs. bus. The ferry is scenic and far more relaxing! During the high season there are around 4 ferries a day that run between the two and it takes around 5 hours.

By Bus

**Disclaimer, this may be better now that Croatia has joined the EU in January 2023 and you don’t need to go through border control via bus

My experience travelling from Split to Dubrovnik by bus was truthfully horrendous! The bus ride was long, there were no bathrooms (despite the website promising there were) and the bus company chose to go through Bosnia and Herzegovina, which requires getting out twice and waiting in line to go through border control.

This was frustrating since Croatia has built a bridge that allows travel within Croatia without needing to cross the border, and added significant time and inconvenience to the trip.

Getting Around Split

Split is small and super walkable. If you need to go a bit farther it’s easy to get a taxi or an Uber.

I do not recommend using the busses (although they do have them) In my experience they were really unreliable and the published time tables were not followed at all. I ended up waiting over two hours for the bus to Kils Fortress and the return bus never came.

sunset Split
Split Croatia

Safety for Solo Female Travel in Split

5 out of 5

I felt completely safe during my solo trip to Split. It’s a bit of a party city so you’ll find lots of groups of young people there for the clubs and party scene, but I never felt unsafe walking around at night.

It’s also a really easy city to meet people if you’re travelling solo, as there are lots of groups of young friends. I met a ton of people the few days I spent in Split!

Split – Top Blog Posts