Seeing Split From Diocletian's Palace to Marjan

What to see in Split, area by area

Split is a small place with a large amount packed inside a Roman palace. Take it in four parts: the palace, the cathedral quarter, the markets and the hill.

The palace

Diocletian’s Palace has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1979. Its streets, Peristyle, Vestibule and gates are free to enter and never close. Each gate has a character:

  1. Golden Gate (north): Ivan Meštrović’s statue of Grgur Ninski stands outside, and the statue’s toe is the lucky one to touch.
  2. Silver Gate (east): the way out to the Pazar market.
  3. Iron Gate (west): the bell tower with a 24-hour clock face, opening onto Narodni trg.
  4. Bronze Gate (south): the gate onto the Riva and down to the Substructures.

Along the way you will cross the Roman Cardo and Decumanus. Klapa groups sing in the Vestibule fairly often. Three sphinxes from the reign of Thutmose III remain, each more than 3,400 years old, on the Peristyle, at the Temple of Jupiter without a head, and in the City Museum.

The cathedral quarter

The Cathedral of St Domnius was Diocletian’s mausoleum before it became a cathedral in the 7th century. Buvina’s carved wooden doors date from the 13th century. The Temple of Jupiter is now a baptistery and holds a statue of St John by Meštrović. The bell tower is about 183 steps, and the highest section is open metalwork.

The cathedral, bell tower, crypt, treasury and temple have no single published price, and the sources disagree, so check at the office across from the cathedral where combined tickets are sold. Opening hours also differ by season and day. Visits stop during Mass, the cathedral may close on religious holidays, and Sundays open only in the afternoon.

The Substructures cost €10 for adults, €8 reduced and €18 as a family ticket, from 08:30 to 20:00 daily. You can walk through the central hall without paying. The location was used as a throne room in Game of Thrones. The Split tourist board page explains the Bronze Gate and Peristyle entrances.

Markets

The Peškarija fish market dates from about 1890 and was built in Secession style. Visitors are told that sulphur from a spring keeps the flies away, a local joke worth repeating. The Pazar green market spreads outside the Silver Gate and is best in the morning, when you should check hours on the day.

The hill and the park

Marjan rises above the town with the viewpoint of Prva Vidilica, the church of St Nicholas, the hermitage church of St Jerome and the tower at Sedlo. It has buses and a public road, so it is not traffic-free. Sustipan, a public park with sea views, was Split’s first communal cemetery, opened sometime between 1825 and 1832 depending on the source. It closed after the Second World War, and the neoclassical gloriette is all that is left. Visit it as a quiet place.

Practical notes

  • On-the-spot fines apply in Split for being shirtless or in swimwear in town, for drinking or sleeping in public, and for climbing monuments.
  • The old town is busiest from about 10:00 to 15:00 in summer. The Peristyle and bell tower are calmer early or late.
  • Check opening hours for late October, which is outside the main season.

Read more: Attraction tours in Split and Split 3 day itinerary .

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