Introduction to Split, Croatia

The largest city in the region, and its major transit hub, SPLIT is one of the most enticing spots on the Dalmatian coast; a hectic city, full of shouting stall-owners and travellers on the move. At the heart of all this, hemmed in by the sprawling estates and a modern harbour, lies a crumbling old town built within the precincts of Diocletian's Palace, one of the most outstanding classical remains in Europe. Built as a retirement home by Dalmatian-born Roman Emperor Diocletian in 305 AD, it has been modified over the centuries, but has remained the core of Split. The best place to start a tour of the palace area is on the seaward side, through the Bronze Gate, a functional gateway giving access to the sea that once came right up to the palace itself. Inside, you find yourself in a vaulted hall, from which imposing steps lead through the now domeless vestibule to the Peristyle. Once the central courtyard of the palace complex, these days the Peristyle serves as the main town square, crowded with cafés and surrounded by remnants of the stately arches that once framed the square. At the southern end, steps lead up to the vestibule, a round, formerly domed building that is the only part of the imperial apartments to be left anything like intact. You can get some idea of the grandeur of the old apartments by visiting the subterranean halls (daily: July & Aug 8am–8pm; Sept–June 8am–noon & 4–7pm; 10kn) beneath the houses which now stand on the site; the entrance is to the left of the Bronze Gate.

On the east side of the Peristyle stands one of two black granite Egyptian sphinxes, dating from around 15 BC, that flanked the entrance to Diocletian's mausoleum; the octagonal building, surrounded by an arcade of Corinthian columns, has since been converted into Split's cathedral (Mon–Sat 7am–noon & 4–7pm). On the right of the entrance is the campanile (same hours; 5kn), a Romanesque structure much restored in the late nineteenth century – from the top, the views across the city are splendid. As for the cathedral itself, the walnut and oak main doorway is one of its most impressive features – carved in 1214 with an inspired comic strip showing scenes from the life of Christ. Inside is a hotchpotch of styles, the dome ringed by two series of decorative Corinthian columns and a frieze that contains portraits of Diocletian and his wife. The pulpit is a beautifully proportioned example of Romanesque art, sitting on capitals tangled with snakes, strange beasts and foliage. But the church's finest feature is on the Altar of St Anastasius – a cruelly realistic Flagellation of Christ, completed by local artist Juraj Dalmatinac in 1448.

North of the cathedral and reached by following Dioklecijanova is the grandest and best preserved of the palace gates, the Golden Gate. Just outside there's a piece by Mestrović, a gigantic statue of the fourth-century Bishop Grgur Ninski. Fifteen minutes' walk northwest of here, the Archeological Museum at Zrinsko Frankopanska 25 (June–Sept Tues–Sat 9am–1pm & 5–8pm, Sun 10am–noon; Oct–May Tues–Fri 9am–2pm, Sat & Sun 10am–1pm; 20kn) contains comprehensive displays of Illyrian, Greek, medieval and Roman artefacts. Outside, the arcaded courtyard is crammed with a wonderful array of Greek, Roman and early Christian gravestones, sarcophagi and decorative sculpture.

If you want some peace and quiet, head for the woods of the Marjan peninsula west of the old town. It's accessible from Obala hrvatskog narodnog preporoda via Sperun and then Senjska, which cuts up through the slopes of the Varoš district. Most of Marjan's visitors stick to the road around the edge of the promontory with its scattering of tiny rocky beaches; the Bene beach, on the far northern side, is especially popular. From the road, tracks lead up into the heart of the Marjan Park, which is thickly wooded with pines. The main historical attractions of Marjan are on the lower, southern edge, along Šetalište Ivana Meštrovića. Highlight of these lies some fifteen minutes west of the centre (bus #12 from the seafront). The Meštrović Gallery, Ivana Meštrovića 46 (Tues–Sat 11am–6pm, Sun 10am–3pm; 20kn, includes entrance to Kaštelet), is another Croatian shrine, housed in the ostentatious Neoclassical building that was built – and lived in – by Croatia's most famous twentieth-century artist, the sculptor Ivan Meštrović (1883–1962). This fabulous collection consists largely of boldly fashioned bodies curled into elegant poses. Mestrović's former workshop, Kaštelet (same times and ticket), is 300m up the same road, and contains a chapel decorated with one of Meštrović's most important set-piece works: a series of wood-carved reliefs showing scenes from the Stations of the Cross.

Information by Rough Guides

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