Travel Patch

Split
 

Introduction

 

Split, on the Adriatic Sea is the second largest city in Croatia.  Its historic old Town is centred around Diocletian's Palace, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site.  It has a unique blend of Roman influence mixed with a modern vibe.  Split is the perfect place to be based to visit islands such as Hvar, Vis or Brač.

 

We decided on this destination for a late summer getaway, partly on finding good flight prices from Glasgow, and partly on a Croatian colleague's recommendation.

 

 

Essential sights to check-off on your visit

 

1. The Riva Promenade - the city's palm lined waterfront that borders the Old Town.

 

2.  The Old Town and Diocletian's Palace - winding cobblestone lanes, and intimate plazas, all surrounding a huge Roman palace

 

3.  Island Hopping and the Blue Lagoon - There are tours to some of the islands, but you can also get public ferries

 

4.  Krka National Park - an hour's drive from Split includes beautiful scenery and waterfalls

Day 1 - Split

 

After checking in to our hotel - The Bel Residence, in Split, we spent the afternoon exploring the Old Town and the Riva.  

 

The Old Town is at the heart of Split, both geographically, and emotionally.  There are narrow winding lanes with shops, old buildings with interesting architecture, and restaurants.  It's has an incredibly romantic vibe, and you can spend hours just getting lost in it all.  We decided that we would come back later in the week to spend more time here.

 

The Riva, is a beautiful waterfront promenade that runs along the edge of the Old Town.  The restaurants here are more typical of the tourist restaurants that you see in a lot of European coastal destinations.  We had our evening meal in the Old Town in a restaurant that was recommended to us.  It was a Sunday, and not everything is open on a Sunday evening, so the town was quiet.

Logo of Hajduk Split featuring a checkered pattern with blue border.
A warrior with a sword and shield leads a group of soldiers in a historical scene.

The city loves its football and Hajduk Split logos and artwork appear all over the city

 

 

Day 2 - Split Islands Tour

 

We booked a tour with Get Your Guide to take a rib (rigid inflatable boat) over to some of the islands and to the Blue Caves. Whist most tours with Get Your Guide are great, sometimes there are some lower quality providers on the site.  The tour we booked, wasn't particularly good, and to give Get Your Guide their dues, they refunded our money without me even asking, not least because I sustained an injury on the boat!

 

Anyway, we set off early on the rib, with the first stop being Komiza, a small fishing village on the island of Vis. We were dropped off for a wander and we got coffees and pastries for breakfast whilst sitting in the sunny harbour.

Boats moored in a tranquil harbour with rocky hills in the background.

Komiza Harbour

Historic buildings with green trees, blue sky, and people in a lively town square.

Komiza Town

From here, we were supposed to go to the Blue Caves, but when the tour guide reappeared after our time in Komiza, we were told that the caves were closed due to choppy weather.  It was very disappointing as I was particularly looking forward to it. When I looked into it, I discovered that the guide would have known that the caves were closed before we set off as it is published on a local government website early in the morning. It is my opinion that they waited until we were on Vis before telling us, as, according to their T&Cs we could ask for a refund if the caves are closed. Too late if you are already on a island and your only transport off the island is with them.  The guide even drove us up to the entrance of the cave to show us that they weren't "lying" that the cave was inaccessible.  

 

The guide took us to another island to see where the Yugoslavian navy used to hide their ships during World War 2 instead.

Concrete tunnel entrance leading to a turquoise waterway, surrounded by rocky terrain.
View through a concrete arch at a harbour, with blue sky and clouds reflected in the water.
Dark, narrow corridor with stone walls and an open doorway at the far end.

Yugoslavian World War Two War hideouts

The unexpected detour in itself was interesting, but just not what we paid for.

 

The next stop on the tour, did go ahead. The beautiful waters of the Blue Lagoon near Drvenik Veli island.  We were dropped off there for a bit more than an hour to swim in the crystal blue waters should we wish, which we did.  No photos as they all feature me in a swimming costume, and the internet isn't ready for that!

 

The last stop of the tour was the island of Hvar, and Hvar Town.  Hvar is similar to Komiza, but bigger, and a bit more touristy.

Quiet street scene with stone buildings and people walking in a sunny plaza.

Hvar Town

Marina with boats on calm water, against a backdrop of a coastal town and blue sky.

Hvar Harbour

On the way back, we left at the same time as another tour on another rib.  Our driver thought it was big and clever to race the other boat.  He drove far too fast and drove in to the wake of other boats, making the rib jump.  We were all holding on for dear life.  One steer into the wake of another boat caused a particularly big jump and we all ended up several inches in the air before coming down hard into our saddle seats.  I didn't realise it at the time, but I damaged my coccyx, and it took months to heal. Hence the complaint to Get Your Guide.

 

Don't let this put you off booking a trip round the islands, just choose carefully.  If you are confident enough though, the ferries are good options.

Day 3 - Mostar and Kravice Waterfalls in Bosina and Hertzegovina

A separate guide to Počitelj, Mostar, and Kravice Waterfalls in Bosnia can be found here

Day 4 - A chilled day in the Old Town

We spent a lovely warm sunny day wandering the cool lanes, streets, and squares in the Old Town, with its mixture of shops, restaurants and residential properties.  It was so easy to lose your bearings, and there was a little shop I found that I wanted to go back to that sold leather goods - purses, and handbags etc, but we never found it again!

 

We did find a couple of bars that had extensive cocktail menus and that were perfect for watching the world go by.  After a busy few days, it was just what we needed.

Bell tower of Diocletian's Palace with arches and a clear blue sky.

Cathedral of St Domnius Bell Tower

Narrow cobbled street lined with stone buildings, illuminated by soft evening light.
Narrow alleyway with ancient stone walls and an archway revealing greenery above.
Narrow street flanked by buildings with colourful facades and shuttered windows.
Narrow street view with tall buildings and a bell tower in the distance under a clear blue sky.
Historic archway with a lamp and glimpses of blue sky above.
Palm tree at sunset by the beach, with illuminated foliage and a serene atmosphere.

Palm tree on the Riva

Peristyle of Diocletian's Palace

Narodni trg (People's Square)

Republic Square

Republic Square (early evening)

Day 5 - Krka National Park

 

The final trip of the holiday was to Krka National Park, which is an hour's drive north of Split.  We booked our trip with Get Your Guide, and the trip was provided by Grayline Croatia.  Krka Waterfall and Boat Ride Tour

 

At the time of writing, the tour costs £23 (approx $31 USD), and it's great value for money.  The tour includes, your transfers (1.5 hours there, and 1.5 hours back), a boat tour along the River Krka, and if you want to, they offer a wine tasting on way the back (extra cost).  The cost of entering the Park itself  isn't included, and is payable in cash (Euros) on arrival, but your guide will collect the money before you get off the coach and will buy the tickets for the group, so that there's no waiting in line.

Serene waterfall surrounded by lush greenery and rocky terrain.
A cascading waterfall surrounded by lush greenery and a calm blue river.

Skradinski Buk Waterfall

When you get to the Park (Lozovac entrance), Skradinski Buk Waterfall is a 800m (approx half a mile) walk, but there is shuttle bus that can take you down if you are unable to walk it.  You are allowed to swim in the water, but there are floats stopping you from going too close to the falls. We didn't swim, but lots of others did.  

 

We were given a time to be at the location of the pier for the boat for the tour down the Krka river, and this is well signposted. The boat was busy, but everyone who wanted one, got a seat.  The boat took us down the Krka river to the town of Skradin where the bus was waiting to pick us up.

 

On the way back to Split, we stopped at a family run business for some wine and nibbles.  A very enjoyable day.  My smart watch said that I walked 7 miles in total.  We were also very lucky with the weather.

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