Packed with stunning Roman ruins and a beautiful waterfront, Split was the final stop on our Western Balkan adventure. We spent our time meandering the marble streets while licking ice cream cones and souvenir shopping. Split is also a great location to use as a jumping off point for excursions to nearby Blue Cave and the island of Hvar. Upon arriving in Split, we wasted no time and began exploring the city’s main attraction; Diocletian’s Palace.
Diocletian’s Palace
The palace is stunning and the center of the city. Roaming around the palace ruins, it is hard to decipher where the palace ends and the city starts. Though strolling through the palace is free, several of the attractions inside are fee based.
We purchased the blue ticket to gain access inside the Cathedral of St. Domnius, St. John’s Baptistery, the bell tower and the crypt. Inside the Cathedral we saw the sarcophagus of St. Domnius as well as the exquisite main altar. After the cathedral, we went back outside and down into the crypt. Early Christian’s used the space as a chapel to Saint Lucia. When we emerged, the line for the bell tower was long, so we crossed the street to visit St. John’s Baptistery while we waited for the crowds to thin out.
Sarcophagus of St. Domnius 
Cathedral Altar 
Crypt 
Crypt 
St. John’s Baptistery 
View from Bell Tower
The font in the front of the baptistery was large enough for immersion, representative of how 12th century baptisms would have been performed. Our final attraction inside Diocletian’s Palace was to climb the 183 steps of the 200 foot tall cathedral bell tower. From the top, there were great views of the port of Split.
Blue Cave and Island Excursion
Seeing Split and its sights took a day, so we used the rest of our time in the area to see nearby Blue Cave and enjoyed an island boat excursion. We used AirBnB to book our excursion and were super happy with our boat captain Tonci. The ten hour day trip started early. We met Tonci and the 4 other passengers on the excursion at 7:30am near the boat slips adjacent from the Riva. From there it was a fast and sometimes bumpy ride to Bisevo Island to tour the Blue Cave.
More than 2,000 people visit the Blue Cave everyday. So the earlier you get there, the more likely you are to beat the crowds and can gain cave entrance sooner. We were fortunate in that we arrived before the masses and only waited about 35 minutes before we were able to board the small 12 passenger boat for the cave.
The Blue Cave boat captain maneuvered us around Bisevo Island and then through the small cave opening. It was so tight we had to duck down as the boat entered the cave. The water gets its ultra blue hue from the light that permeates the cave not from above but from beneath the water.
Following the quick, ten minute tour through Blue Cave it was back to our boat for a short cruise to Stiniva Beach on the island of Vis. Here we jumped off the boat for a swim and snorkel break. The water and surrounding cliffs were amazing. After our swim, we cruised around the Pakleni Islands stopping for lunch at a beachside restaurant.
The final stop was to the island of Hvar where we strolled the island, got ice cream and enjoyed the harbor breezes. It was a stunning and relaxing way to end our island excursion.
Side Trip to Kravice Falls-Bosnia Herzegovina
On our journey to Split, we drove a rental car from southern Croatia and the city of Dubrovnik. Dubrovnik to Split by car takes about three hours. When we learned a side venture to Kravice Waterfall would add just an additional hour of travel time, we jumped at the opportunity to see and swim in these spectacular falls. Despite the additional border crossing into Bosnia Herzegovina, the opportunity to get IN to the falls was one of our trip highlights.
Where to stay
- We loved staying just above the Riva in Split. Surprisingly, the apartment was VERY quiet and was located just steps from the water and the Palace.
- We booked the Amaryllis Apartment on AirBnB. Highly recommend!
Where and What to Eat
- We had fabulous pizza at Pizzeria Galija. We ordered a pizza margareita, the diablo and the funghi pizza plus a bottle of wine for a VERY reasonable price. It was so good we eat there twice during our stay in Split.
- There is not shortage of gelato stands in Split. We really liked Luka.
Our Western Balkan adventure took us to Lake Bled-Slovenia, Plitvice Lakes National Park, Dubrovnik, Kotor and Mostar. Click the links above for more details on those trips.
Happy Adventuring, Rochelle