7 days in Split 2026: Brač, Hvar, Trogir, Krka and Omiš as day trips

Split is the best base in Croatia for a week without repacking: 2 islands are under an hour away, 3 UNESCO towns are within 40 km, and 2 national parks within 2 hours. The plan below assumes an apartment near the old town, no car until day 5, and ferries as a foot passenger. Prices are for September 2026 and rise 20 to 30 percent in July and August.

Day 1: the palace and Marjan

Diocletian's Palace is not a museum but the old town itself, 1,700 years of houses built into a Roman emperor's retirement home. Start at 08:00 in the cellars before the groups, climb the cathedral bell tower for 15 euro with the crypt and baptistery, and get lost in the lanes north of the Peristyle. After lunch walk up Marjan, the forested hill west of the Riva; the first viewpoint is 15 minutes of steps, the beaches of Kašjuni and Bene are on the far side. Dinner in Varoš, the fishermen's quarter below Marjan, is half the price of the Riva.

Day 2: Brač, the island with the beach on the postcards

The Jadrolinija car ferry to Supetar leaves the Split port every hour or two, takes 50 minutes and costs about 8 euro as a foot passenger. From Supetar the island bus crosses to Bol in 50 minutes for the Zlatni rat beach, the tongue of pebbles that changes shape with the wind. Swim, walk the pine promenade into Bol, eat lunch in the harbour, and take the 16:30 bus back for the evening ferry. In summer a direct catamaran runs Split to Bol in an hour, worth booking ahead.

Day 3: Hvar town by catamaran

Catamarans leave from the quay in front of the old town and reach Hvar town in about an hour for 10 to 25 euro depending on the operator; book the return in summer. The fortress above the town is a 20-minute climb and the best view in central Dalmatia, the Franciscan monastery at the end of the harbour walk is quiet even in August, and a water taxi to the Pakleni islands opposite costs 10 to 15 euro return for the clearest swimming of the week. Back on the 17:00 or 18:00 boat.

Day 4: Trogir and the Kaštela bays

Bus 37 from the Sukoišan station runs every 30 minutes to Trogir for about 3 euro and takes an hour along the Kaštela coast; the express from the main bus station is faster. Trogir is a walled island town of stone lanes, Radovan's cathedral portal and the Kamerlengo fortress, best before 11:00 and after 16:00 when the day-trip boats have left. On the way back get off at Kaštel Lukšić or Kaštel Stari for the castles on the water that give the bay its name.

Day 5: Krka waterfalls with a rental car

Pick up a car for 3 days from about 50 euro a day. Krka's Skradinski buk is 85 km up the motorway, 1 hour 15 minutes; park at Lozovac for the free shuttle bus down to the boardwalk loop. The ticket is 40 euro in summer, 20 euro in spring and autumn; swimming below the falls has not been allowed since 2021. Add Šibenik on the way back, 15 km, for the stone cathedral and a late lunch by the harbour. Tours from Split sell the same day for 60 to 80 euro without the flexibility.

Day 6: Omiš and the Cetina canyon

Omiš is 25 km south on the coastal road, a pirate town wedged where the Cetina river cuts through the mountain. Drive up the canyon road to Radmanove mlinice for the river restaurants, zipline across the gorge if that is your thing, or rent a kayak; the beaches at Omiš and Duće are sand, rare on this coast. Back in Split by 18:00 for the sunset from the Riva.

Day 7: Salona and a slow afternoon

Return the car via Salona, the Roman city 6 km inland at Solin whose ruins are free to walk and empty on most days. Then the Pazar green market for figs and cheese, the Ivan Meštrović gallery on the Marjan road, and a last swim at Bačvice, the sandy beach 10 minutes east of the port where locals play picigin in the shallows. Budget for the week as a foot passenger with 3 rental days: about 550 to 750 euro per person plus accommodation.

Off-season swaps: from 28 September the ferries thin out and the catamaran to Bol stops, so move Brač to the Supetar side and give Hvar the extra hour. In October swap the Omiš day for Plitvice, 250 km but 23 euro instead of 40 and no crowds. In winter keep Split, Trogir, Salona and Krka; the islands are for people who like empty harbours.

Where to stay for this plan

Everything in this itinerary starts on foot from the port, so the neighbourhood matters more than the star rating. Varoš, the stone quarter between the palace and Marjan, is the quietest walkable base and 5 minutes from the catamaran quay; Bačvice is the beach side, 10 minutes east of the port, with the sandy beach and the nightlife noise that comes with it; Meje under Marjan is villas, gardens and a 20-minute walk. Avoid apartments inside the palace itself unless you sleep through anything: the courtyards carry sound until 02:00 in summer. For parking on days 5 to 7, ask the host before booking; a private space in Varoš is worth 20 euro a day against the garages.

Eating well without the Riva prices

Breakfast is the Pazar market east of the palace walls, open from 06:30: figs, cheese from the islands, a burek from the bakery on the corner, all for 5 euro. Lunch is the marenda menu in a Varoš konoba between 11:00 and 15:00, 12 to 15 euro for grilled fish or pašticada. Dinner in the palace lanes costs 25 to 40 euro a head at the good places and the same at the bad ones, so pick by the queue of locals, not the terrace. The fishermen's harbour at Matejuška, west of the Riva, has the cheapest beer with a sea view in the city, bought at the kiosk and drunk on the pier.

Rainy days and swaps

• Rain in Split is rare between June and September, but a September storm can cancel the catamarans for a day; the car ferry to Supetar keeps running, so swap Hvar for Brač.
• Indoor day: the Meštrović gallery on the Marjan road, the Archaeological Museum with the finds from Salona, and the cellars of the palace, 8 to 15 euro each.
• With children under 8: skip the Fortica climb on Hvar, do the Bol beach day and the Cetina river boat instead of the zipline, and take the panoramic train up Marjan.
• Klis fortress, 12 km inland on the road to the motorway, is the Game of Thrones Meereen and the best view over the whole bay; add it to the Krka day on the way back.