5 Days in Split

Split was our last stop in Croatia. We decided to take the bus from Kotor, which included multiple border crossings plus a bus connection in Dubrovnik. You can rent a car from Kotor but since you’re going from one country into another, you have to pay an additional fee at the rental agency and a fee at the border crossing. A normal 7 hours bus ride turned into a 10+ hour journey. There were delays at the borders and Dubrovnik where we waited an hour for the connecting bus. We arrived to Split at 4 AM super tired and in need of a comfy bed to pass out in. Our amazing Airbnb host had stayed up to let us in the apartment. We slept in that day but we began eating and exploring the moment we woke up. Here are my top things to do:

Diocletian’s Palace

Roman emperor Diocletian built this palace as his retirement residence along with a military camp. You can still see Peristyle/Peristil (central square of the Palace), Temple of Jupiter, Cathedral of Saint Domnius (tickets are available to climb up for views over the old town’s rooftops), and the four gates into the Palace. All of these attractions are located throughout the heart of the city.

Rating: 8.1/10.0
What Have I Learned: The Emperor wanted to arrive at the palace by ship so the lower part of the palace used to be submerged by the sea. The Emperor’s ship had to avoid the columns as they arrived.
Cost: FREE to see everything from outside/ 25 KN (4 USD) ticket to go inside the cathedral and the Temple of Jupiter/ Additional 15KN (2.40 USD) to climb Cathedral Bell Tower
Hours: Opens 24 hours (to see everything from outside)

Bacvice Beach/Museum Bar History

This beach is a 13-minute walk from the Silver Gate. It’s the popular central city beach where locals and young tourists go. We thought it was a bit cold to hit the beach in October but there were a bunch of people in the water. We went to Museum Bar History to grab a drink and watch the sunset by the water.

Rating: 7.5/10.0
What Have I Learned: This area is one of the biggest nightlife in town and is known to be open 24/7. It started getting more lively as the sun was setting.
Cost: FREE (Beach)
Hours: Opens 24 hours

Podrum Underground Market

If you’re looking to buy souvenirs, check out Diocletian’s Cellars/Podrum Underground Market. The entrance can be found at the Peristil. Head down the stairs and you’ll see a bunch of shops. It’s pretty small so you’ll finish checking out the cellar within 10 minutes unless you found something to buy.

Rating: 6.0/10.0
What Have I Learned: If you watch Game of Thrones, Daenerys Targaryen locks up two of her dragons underneath the Diocletian’s Palace. The catacomb looks similar to this cellar.
Cost: FREE
Hours: Opens 24 hours

Day Trips from Split

We planned 5 days at Split and were concern that we wouldn’t have things to do. However, we found a few day trips from Split. We did a Blue Cave tour, Mostar tour, and Krka National Park tour. I’ll be writing about each tour in a separate blog. More to come…

Rating: 9.3/10.0
What Have I Learned: There are a lot of tour agencies throughout Split with a lot of different day trips. The most popular ones were to Krka National Park and the Blue Cave.
Cost: The Blue Cave tour with 6 island stops was 75 Euros (89 USD).

Overall, Split was a city where we spent the majority of the time eating and going to other parts of Croatia. It’s a city where you’ll marvel over its beautiful architecture, and delicious food. It’s also a great city to do day trips.

FAQ

How many days do you need in Split? 1 Day. If you plan to do day trips from Split like us then you’ll need 3 to 4 days. 
What is your main transportation in Split? Walking
How long did it take to get to Split? 10+ hours bus ride from Kotor, including multiple border crossing and bus connection at Dubrovnik. It’s normally 7 hours with no delays.
Where did you stay? We rented a penthouse Airbnb inside Old Town near Peristil. There was live music in Peristil every night so we got to enjoy that from our private rooftop deck.
Is Split expensive? $$$ Average cost for dinner for two was around 40 to 50 USD with no drinks.
When did you go to Split? October 2019. Weather was good during this time of the year. I was able to wear a dress during the day but I did need a cardigan for the morning and night.

If you want more information about Split, feel free to reach out to me. Here’s the Split Google Map I created. Let me know what your favorite things to do in Split.