Croatia, located along the northern border of the Mediterranean and on the same peninsula as Greece, forms most of the Dalmatian coast of the Adriatic. Despite the name, there were surprisingly few dogs to be found wandering the city. (And if you thought I was going to pass on the dog joke because it was too easy, you were mistaken. See if you can spot the others.) It is easily accessible from anywhere in Europe, and growing in popularity, since its climate mimics that of Italy, with warm weather and a nice coastal breeze and a lower cost of living. When Europe was dealing with their recession, many people skipped their annual vacation to Spain or Italy and went to Croatia instead.
Covering roughly 30 square miles, Split is located about midway down the Croatian coastline and it is home to just under 180,000 people. For comparison, Arlington, Virginia has over 230,000 residents. It’s a small town, even by European standards, but it carries all of the old-world charm of Europe that’s been lost in some of the bigger cities. If you want to enjoy Split, it won’t take long. Come. Walk with me.
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Start your tour with a walk down Marmontova street. This is one of the main streets of Split, with several shops and restaurants. It’ll take you about 5 minutes to walk Marmontova from end to end. |
| Don’t forget to stop at the fish market, just off Marmontova street. It’s active in the morning, so if you go before 10:00 AM, you can pick up locally caught seafood. It won’t take you long to see the fish market, unless you’re really into dead fish for some reason. |
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At the end of Marmontova, turn left. You’ll find yourself on Riva, the local promenade. When this area was rebuilt a few years ago and upgraded to be more appealing to tourists, the locals protested, saying that it would take away the charm of the city. Now, locals and tourists alike frequent the dozens of restaurants and cafes along the waterfront. Riva will take you less than 10 minutes to walk from end to end. |
| At the other end of Riva, turn left to Diocletian’s palace. This 4th century palace was built for the Roman emperor Diocletian, and not only housed his family but also a small military garrison. The palace also forms about 1/2 of the total square footage of Split’s old town. The palace is pretty cool to explore, in part because it’s hard to tell what part was the palace and what has since been turned into restaurants. You can easily kill an hour or two wandering the alleys. |
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The Saint Domnius bell tower is located right in the middle of Diocletian’s palace. You can’t miss it. |
| Outside of the northern entrance to Diocletian’s palace, you’ll find the statue of Grgur Ninski, a Catholic bishop who defied the orders of the Pope and delivered religious services in the local language, instead of in Latin as the church had ordered. Across the street from the statue is a local park that locals walk through and picnic in. We’ll say 15 minutes to see the statue and the park. |
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A short 20 minute walk east of the palace will bring you to Bacvice Beach, popular with locals and tourists. It’s not a big beach, either in length or breadth, including the concrete additions to help prevent erosion. Including walking time, exploring the entire beach, and going back to Riva, I’ll be generous and say 90 minutes. It took me less than an hour, but I didn’t stay on the beach very long. |
As you can see, you can do all of that in less than 4 hours if you stop and look at everything, and less than 2 if you look, take a few photos, and move on. Even if you stop for food and drinks, it’s not a very busy itinerary.
| If you’re really motivated, you can walk west of the city to Marjan, the local park. Popular with drivers out for a scenic ride, joggers, and tourists, a full loop of Marjan will cover about 5 miles but will provide you with a great view of Split. You can drive part of it, but not all, so you’re stuck on foot for part of the hike if you want to get to the top of the hill. |
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And from Marjan, you can see the Croatian coast as well. |
You can see most of the sights in a day without too much trouble. From Split, however, you have easy access to some of the local islands, nature parks, waterfalls, and other day trips that make Split a great destination for a few days, not to mention the fantastic seafood that’s caught fresh daily.
I generally advocate learning a bit of the local language before you visit someplace, both because it’s polite and because it can come in handy. But I’m making an exception for Croatian; I can’t see it being useful anytime other than this week, and my brain is still fried from my Spanish lessons. Besides, everyone here speaks English as well as I do, and, if that fails, I can always resort to pointing at things and grunting. It was good enough for our prehistoric ancestors, it’s good enough for me.
