the Top 7 things to do in Split, Croatia: a 2 day itinerary
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Split, Croatia is unlike any other city I’ve ever been to. It is commonly referred to as an open-air museum, which is exactly what it is. The entire city is completely built around and inside the ruins of the enormous palace of Diocletian; restaurants now occupy what use to be servants chambers, markets fill up ancient dungeons and cellars. It looks like it could be straight out of a movie scene, and I was constantly in awe that it was, in fact, real, and not just a replica. There are so many things to do in Split, Croatia, and you can fit it all in over the course of two days.
To maximize time, make sure you decide which part of the city works best for you to be based in! When traveling, I always try to stay closest to the attractions I’m trying to see, as no one wants to spend their valuable time getting from one place to another.
That being said, Split definitely was not my favorite city we visited during our time in Croatia. The water was packed with cruise ships, the city has adapted to tourism in an extreme way, with cheesy live performances with costumes and props that make the city seem more like an amusement park than an incredible preservation of this ancient palace. Which is a shame, because like I mentioned before, I’ve never seen a city quite like Split.
When you look past the hordes of tourists and casinos and overpriced, low-quality restaurants, you can truly appreciate the work of art that is Split. Despite what it is turning into, a two days in Split is still well-worth your time. here are the top 7 things that redeemed Split for me.
Split, Croatia: a 2 Day Itinerary
Diocletian’s Palace.
The most impressive part of Split, Croatia is the part that resides directly within the walls of some of the grandest rooms of Diocletian’s palace, which easily makes the palace one of the best things to do in Split. The top left photo was taken mid-day, you can see the tourists! The photo next to it involved a 6am wake up call, getting dressed in the dark, and booking it to Peristil to try to get some photos that were relatively people-less. That is the ONLY time you’ll ever see it empty. Take note of the black onyx Sphinx in the bottom left picture! It was a gift from an Egyptian pharaoh to Diocletian, and it has been sitting there, undisturbed, for thousands of years. And it still has its nose. Take that, Egypt.
Directly across from the Golden gate (bottom right) is an enormous, bronze statue of Gregory of Nin. I don’t know who this is or what he’s done, but I do know that if you go rub his toe, you’ll have good luck. Go rub it haha
2. Walking tour of the complex
Our first full day in Split, we decided to pay for a walking tour, as in Split free walking tours are not offered. My family LOVES a good walking tour to orient ourselves in a new city, and to give us a little bit more context to everything that’s going on around us. It took us through the tiny streets, through the dungeons and jails, and back up to the water’s edge.
I was grateful that the tour led us to parts of the palace that I would never have found by myself. That place is a maze. The walls tower above you, google maps doesn’t know what it’s doing, tourists are flooding through the tiny alleyways, it’s crazy. That probably the best thing we got out of the tour.
(Would not recommend going inside the Temple of Jupiter, it was tiny and extremely underwhelming.)
3. Old town
Even the parts of the city outside of the ruins of the palace are stunning. The above pictures really give you a sense of how tall the buildings are and how much the city resembles a fortress. There are so many hidden corners of old town to discover; tiny restaurants in flowering courtyards, art studios tucked in back alleys, and murals where people would least expect them to be.
There’s not much to do besides browse the shops and find restaurants with good menus (I hear the Grotto was a good one, but we wanted to sit outside so we passed on that one.)
Get lost! That’s how you find the most beautiful buildings and corners.
4. Saint Domnius Cathedral
One of my favorite things we did in Split was climb the tower of Saint Domnius Cathedral. It is definitely not for the faint of heart! Let me tell you, it was a LOT of stairs, and not just any old stairs. Steep, rickety, temporary construction-type stairs. I’m sure it’s 100% safe, but it took a while to get up there and we were all pretty nervous!
Once at the top, the views are incredible. From one side, you can see the Adriatic Sea glittering with lots of ships in the harbor. From the other side, you can get a better picture of the labyrinth that is the city of Split. The first picture in this post is from the top of the tower, and is one of my favorites. We spent quite a bit of time up there just soaking in the glorious view.
5. Riva Promenade
Now this is the part of Split that can read as tacky tourist. It’s the Walkway that takes you right beside the water, and it extends throughout the entirety of the bay. There are countless gelato stands, palm trees, and street musicians.
But, it’s always listed as one of the best things to do in Split, Croatia for a reason. Regardless of how the area has adapted to tourists, the view of the water is stunning, and it is quite the scene to grab some snacks and sit on the short stone wall separating the promenade from the sea to watch the sunset. We did this every night we spent in Split and it never got old.
If you fancy it, you can also hop on a replica of a pirate ship (or a ship from the time of Diocletian? Not sure) and take a sunset boat ride in the bay.
If you keep walking, all the way to the end of the Promenade, you will come to a set of stone stairs leading up and up. Follow these stairs and start hiking up to Marjan hill. It is QUITE the hike, so prepare yourself for some exercise.
(We also found a lovely DELICIOUS pizza place towards the end of the promenade. It’s called Pizzeria Bokamorra, and their pizza with Brie and caramelized onions spoke to my SOUL. Would recommend. The waiter was cute.
6. Marjan Hill
Once you start the hike up Marjan hill that begins at the end of the Riva Promenade, you’ll quickly realize that maybe the half-way point is good enough for you. There are ALOT of steps, and we were pretty worn down/definitely not wearing the right type of shoes/tired and ready to hit the hay. Luckily for us, however, there is a lovely stop halfway up with a beautiful view and a few park benches that let us catch our breath and gain enough energy for the walk back to the airbnb!
There’s not much to do besides admire the view but it was a good relief from the hordes of tourists that were running rampant in Diocletian’s palace, and also to work off all the pizza and gelato we’ve been consuming this entire trip.
7. Krka National Park
Last but CERTAINLY not least, no trip to Split (or Croatia in general) is complete without a day trip. The one I decided on was Krka National park - but you can also visit a new country by driving over into Bosnia and Herzegovina for the day! Similar to Plitvice, in the sense that they both contain impossibly blue water and gorgeous, cascading series of waterfalls, Krka boasts the ability to actually let visitors swim in the water. Although the grounds itself are not as extensive or impressive as Plitvice, the fact that we spent our day laying on rocks and swimming in crystal clear (freezing cold) water made up for it. My family is a big swimming family so we had a blast. (****2021 update, its been brought to my attention that swimming is no longer permitted, which is a bummer, but I understand wanting to preserve the natural beauty!)
There is more to Krka than just this section of the falls, but once we hopped in the water we really had no interest of exploring further. It was a wonderful, relaxing day.
When you arrive to Krka national park, there is a parking lot where you can hop on a bus that will take you to the start of the trail. You do have to walk for quite a while to get to this iconic swimming spot, but its well worth it, and if you go in the morning, you’ll have your pick of the rocks and better photos.
Theres an overpriced restaurant inside the National park, but we had cooked up a pasta salad to save a little money. I’d recommend packing a lunch!
(pictured below is Mostar - one of the best daytrips from split!)
That wraps up my list of what I think are the best things to do in Split, Croatia! We absolutely loved how central everything was, and that nothing was more than a 15 minute walk away from us Airbnb. The open-air museum vibes were unlike anything we have ever experienced, so despite the tourist trap/mild theme park tinge to the city, Split is definitely a must-see if you travel to Croatia.
Are you still keeping up with the Sturgeon family road trip? Let me know in the comments below!
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Are you looking for an epic Croatia Itinerary that includes the iconic cities of Split and Dubrovnik but also don’t want to miss out on the north of the country and the epic Plitvice Lakes? Follow along with this Croatia Road Trip Itinerary that will take you from Zagreb to Dubrovnik, and everywhere in between.