Split's old town is a Roman emperor's palace, lived in for 1,700 years. What to see, in what order, and when to go up Marjan.
Checked: 28 August 2026
Split does not have a palace. Split is a palace. Around the year 300 the emperor Diocletian built his retirement residence on this bay, and when the empire crumbled, the people of the ruined town of Salona moved inside its walls and never left. For 1,700 years every generation has built into the Roman shell: a cathedral into the emperor's mausoleum, shops into the guard walks, bedrooms into the towers. That is why the old town, a UNESCO site since 1979, feels like no other in Europe: you are not walking past the monument, you are inside it, and laundry dries between Corinthian columns.
The palace, room by room
Start at the Peristyle, the emperor's ceremonial court, where morning coffee is served on Roman steps between a black Egyptian sphinx and the cathedral. The cathedral of St Domnius was Diocletian's mausoleum; its bell tower is the best viewpoint in the old town, if you trust your legs on the open steps. Below the palace run the Podrumi, the substructure halls whose floor plan mirrors the vanished imperial apartments above. Leave through the Golden Gate and rub the big toe of Meštrović's giant Grgur Ninski statue, polished bright by decades of luck-seeking hands.
Beyond the walls
- Riva: the palm-lined waterfront, Split's living room from first coffee to last stroll
- Marjan: the green hill above town, 178 m, pine paths, viewpoints and rock-cut hermit chapels
- Bačvice: the sandy city beach where locals play picigin, a ball game in ankle-deep water
- Pazar and the fish market: the morning markets hard against the palace wall
How to do it right
Enter the palace before nine, when the lanes belong to bakers and cats; by noon the cruise groups arrive. The lanes are free, tickets are only for the cathedral, tower and Podrumi. Climb Marjan for sunset, from the Riva it is twenty minutes up the stone steps of Veli Varoš. Ferries to Brač, Hvar and Vis leave from the harbour right beside the old town, and Trogir, another UNESCO town, is half an hour away. One full day covers palace and Marjan; with beaches and Trogir, give Split two.
Watch
Split on video
A short official city film to help you picture the place before you go.
It’s joy! It’s Split!
Frequently asked questions
- How much time do you need for Split?
- One full day for the palace, the Riva and Marjan. Two days if you add Bačvice, the markets and a half-day trip to Trogir.
- Does Diocletian's Palace charge entry?
- No. The palace is Split's old town and its lanes are open around the clock. Tickets exist only for the cathedral, the bell tower and the Podrumi cellars.
- Is Split a good base for day trips?
- The best on the coast: ferries to Brač, Hvar and Vis from the town harbour, Trogir in 30 minutes, Omiš and the Cetina canyon in 40, Krka and Plitvice as day trips.
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