Split city guide

Things To Do In Split

A Roman emperor's retirement palace with a living city inside it: 3,000 people still occupy Diocletian's walls, and the ferries to every island leave from the end of the street.

Where to stay What it costs

Hostels in the city

8.6

Average, from 51,833 reviews

305 AD

Diocletian's palace completed

3,000

People living inside the walls

178m

Marjan hill, above the old town

A palace that became a city

Diocletian built a retirement palace here around 305 AD, and when the Roman world came apart, people moved into it and never left. What you walk through is not a ruin: shops, flats and bars occupy Roman substructures and colonnades, washing hangs between imperial columns, and about 3,000 people live inside the walls.

Split is also the Adriatic's ferry hub — Hvar, Brač, Vis and everywhere else leave from the harbour a hundred metres from the palace gate — which makes it the natural base for the islands.

Marjan, a pine-covered hill at the end of the peninsula, is the city's park, with swimming coves around its edge.

In July and August it is very busy and prices reflect it. In May, June, September and October it is one of the best cities on the Mediterranean.

Two or three days, plus island time.

Where to stay

Inside the palace, around it, or out towards the beaches.

Diocletian's Palace

First-timers

Inside the Roman walls: the cathedral, the Peristyle, bars in the substructures and the highest prices. Noisy at night.

Varoš and Radunica

Atmosphere

The old stone quarters either side of the palace, quieter, with steep lanes and local konobas.

Bačvice

Beach and nightlife

East of the centre around the sandy bay, with beach clubs and a ten-minute walk into town.

Meje and Marjan

Quiet and swimming

West towards the pine hill, residential, with coves along the shore and a longer walk in.

Orange labels are neighbourhoods, dots are the 12 top-rated hostels. Map © MapTiler © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Things to do

Things to do in Split

Walk into the palace and get lost — it is free, it is a working neighbourhood, and the Peristyle courtyard at the centre with the cathedral bell tower above it is the best public space on the coast.

The cathedral is a Roman mausoleum turned church, which makes it the oldest building in continuous use as a cathedral anywhere, and Diocletian — who persecuted Christians — no longer occupies it. Climbing the bell tower is a few euros and the stairs are open and steep.

The substructures below the palace are the best-preserved Roman cellars anywhere, and were used as a set for a well-known television series, which the guides mention constantly.

Marjan hill is a pine forest above the city with a staircase up from Varoš, viewpoints, chapels and swimming coves along its shore.

Free things

Free things to do in Split

The palace itself is free — you walk into it from four Roman gates and there is no ticket for the streets, the Peristyle or the vestibule, where a cappella groups sing most days.

Marjan hill costs nothing, and the staircase up from Varoš takes twenty minutes to viewpoints over the city and the islands.

Every beach is free, including Bačvice, where locals play picigin, a shallow-water ball game invented here that is taken more seriously than it looks.

The Riva promenade at sunset is the city's evening ritual, and the fish and green markets by the palace walls are free to wander.

Food and drink

Eating and drinking in Split

Dalmatian food is grilled fish, olive oil and not much interference. Whole fish is sold by weight at €40 to €70 a kilo in restaurants, which usually means €20 to €35 a portion, and a shared plate of fried small fish is much cheaper.

Peka — meat or octopus slow-cooked under a metal dome with embers on top — needs ordering hours ahead and is the meal to plan.

Konobas in Varoš and Radunica serve pašticada, black risotto and grilled squid at €12 to €20, well below the Riva prices.

The green market and fish market by the palace walls are where to buy for a picnic, and a beer is €3 to €5.

Nightlife

Going out in Split

The palace is the nightlife: bars occupy Roman rooms and courtyards, and the streets between them fill from about ten. It is atmospheric and, if you are sleeping inside the walls, extremely loud until three.

Bačvice is the other half — beach clubs on the sand that run from the afternoon into the morning in summer.

A beer is €3 to €5 and cocktails €8 to €12, which is coastal pricing.

Split is also the departure point for the Ultra Europe festival in July and for the island party circuit, so in high summer the city carries a lot of people in transit to somewhere louder.

Getting around

Getting around Split

The centre is walkable and the palace is car-free. City buses cost about €1.50 and reach the beaches and suburbs.

Ferries leave from the harbour a hundred metres from the palace: Hvar in an hour by catamaran, Brač in fifty minutes, Vis in two and a quarter. Foot passengers can usually buy on the day; cars need booking well ahead in summer.

Buses go everywhere the trains do not — Dubrovnik four and a half hours, Zadar three, Zagreb five, Mostar three and a half with a border crossing.

The airport bus takes 30 minutes for about €8, and there is also a train and a local bus that cost less and take longer.

Costs

What Split costs

Expensive in July and August and reasonable either side. Dorms are €20 to €50 depending sharply on the month, a konoba meal €12 to €20, and a beer €3 to €5.

A day is €50 to €90 in season.

The savings are specific: eat in Varoš or Radunica rather than on the Riva, buy at the markets, swim at free beaches rather than paying for loungers, and travel in May, June, September or October when everything drops by a third or more.

Croatia has used the euro since 2023.

Safety

Staying safe in Split

Split is a safe city and the main risks are heat, sea and crowds.

Pickpocketing happens in the palace crowds and on busy ferries in high summer.

Sea urchins are common on the rocky shores around Marjan and the islands — water shoes are worth the few euros, and the spines are unpleasant to remove.

Summer heat regularly passes 33 degrees and the stone city holds it into the evening.

Jellyfish appear some summers and are usually mild. Cliff jumping around the coves is popular and hospitals here see the results every year — check the depth first. Emergency number is 112.

Day trips from Split

Islands from the harbour, waterfalls inland, and a Roman ruin nobody visits.

Hvar

1 hour · Catamaran, about €12 each way

The party island and a Venetian town, with lavender fields and quieter villages behind it.

Brač and Zlatni Rat

50 minutes · Ferry, about €8

The beach that appears on every Croatian poster, a shingle spit that changes shape with the current.

Krka National Park

1.5 hours · Bus or tour, €30–50

Waterfalls and boardwalks, less crowded than Plitvice and closer. Swimming is no longer permitted at the main falls.

Trogir

40 minutes · Bus, about €4

A UNESCO-listed island town of Venetian stone, small enough to see in three hours.

What's on

What is on while you are there

One enormous electronic festival lands in mid-July.

Staff pick

3 October

Mrduja Regatta

The Mrduja Regatta in Split, Croatia, is a renowned sailing event that brings together hundreds of boats for a thrilling race along the Adriatic…

Međunarodni festival arheološkog filma (International Archaeology film Festival)

Staff pick

26–28 October

Međunarodni festival arheološkog filma (International Archaeology film Festival)

The Međunarodni festival arheološkog filma in Split, Croatia, is a biennial event dedicated to showcasing documentary films focused on archaeology, cultural and historical heritage,…

16 October

Toše Forever: Music That Lives

Toše Forever: Music That Lives brings a tribute to the enduring legacy of Toše Proeski in Split. The concert takes place at Dvorana Gripe,…

19 Sep – 18 Oct

Split Sailing Festival

Five regattas unfold across Split and the central Dalmatian islands from September through October, drawing everyone from young Optimist sailors to skippers of wooden…

28 Sep – 29 Oct

9th International SING(in)SPLIT Song Festival

Choirs, klapa groups, and vocal ensembles from Croatia and abroad gather in Split each autumn for this celebration of sung musical heritage. The 9th…

2 October

Arena Golden Fight 14

Arena Golden Fight 14 brings top European and international fighters alongside rising Croatian talent to Split's Hall Gripe on October 2, 2026. The card…

2–3 October

Mrdujska Regata

Mrdujska Regata 2026 is a sailing race organized by Jedriličarski klub Labud, taking place on a route from Split around the islet of Mrduja…

4 October

Race for the Cure

Race for the Cure brings together runners and walkers across Split in support of women's health, making it Europe's largest sporting event dedicated to…

All events in Split

Hostels

Where to stay in Split

A large scene, much of it inside or beside the palace walls — atmospheric, and loud at night. Live from Hostelworld.

10.0 1,241

When to go

May, June, September and October. July and August are hot, full and priced accordingly.

11°

Jan

Mild, wet and very quiet. The city belongs to itself

12°

Feb

Carnival, and still quiet

14°

Mar

Warming. Good for walking Marjan

18°

Apr

Good. Everything reopening, sea still cold

23°

May

Excellent. Warm, affordable, swimming starts

27°

Jun

The best month. Warm sea before the crush

30°

Jul

Hot and full. Ultra festival mid-month

30°

Aug

Peak everything. Book far ahead

26°

Sep

Superb. Warmest sea and the crowds thinning

21°

Oct

Still swimmable and much cheaper

16°

Nov

Quiet and wet. Ferries reduce

12°

Dec

Mild and empty, with Advent on the Riva

Bar height is temperature. Colour is how busy it gets: quiet busy peak

Average highs. The Adriatic is warmest in late August and September, and the ferry timetables thin out considerably from November to April.

What your trip will cost

Pick how you travel. Per person per night, in euros, in season.

August runs well above these figures. Ferries to the islands are €8–15 each way as foot passengers.

Nights 3

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Beds—
Food and drink—
Getting around—
Doing things—

Split travel questions

The ones we get asked most.

Is Diocletian's Palace a ruin?

No, and that is what makes it remarkable. People moved into it when the Roman world collapsed and never left — around 3,000 live inside the walls today, with flats, shops and bars occupying Roman structures. It is free to walk into at any hour.

Should I sleep inside the palace?

It is atmospheric and it is loud. Bars in the Roman courtyards run until three and the stone carries sound. If you want to sleep, Varoš or Radunica are five minutes away and much quieter.

How long do you need?

Two or three days for the city, plus whatever you give the islands. Split is the ferry hub for the whole central Adriatic, so most people use it as a base at either end of an island trip.

Which island should I go to?

Hvar for the town and the nightlife, an hour by catamaran. Brač for Zlatni Rat, the beach on every poster. Vis for the quietest and most remote, two and a quarter hours out.

Is Split expensive?

In July and August, yes — dorms reach €50 and Riva restaurants are priced for cruise passengers. Eat in Varoš or Radunica, use the markets, and travel in May, June, September or October, when everything drops by a third.

When is the sea warmest?

Late August and September. June has the best combination of warm water and manageable crowds, and October is still swimmable with very low prices.

What is picigin?

A shallow-water ball game invented on Bačvice beach in 1908, played standing in knee-deep water by people trying to keep a small ball off the surface. It is played daily and there is an annual championship on New Year's Day.

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