Split's old town is a living Roman palace. Here's how to spend a single day in it: coffee, ruins, a swim and a sunset, without rushing.
Most cities put their ruins behind a rope. Split lives inside them: Diocletian's 1,700-year-old palace is the old town, with cafés, apartments and bars built into the Roman stone. One unhurried day is enough to feel it.
Morning: the cellars and the peristyle
Start early in the substructures beneath the palace, then climb into the Peristyle, the central courtyard, before the tour groups fill it. A coffee on the steps here is one of the great small pleasures of the Adriatic.
- Climb the cathedral bell tower for the rooftop view (go early, it's tight).
- Walk the Riva promenade when the light softens in the late afternoon.
- Swim at Bačvice, the shallow city beach, then dry off for sunset drinks.
“Split isn't a museum you visit. It's a Roman palace people never stopped living in.”
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