Split, 2nd largest city in Croatia and the capital of the Croatian Dalmatian coast with a population of 250.000 has been experiencing a tourist renaissance for the last decade. Guests from all over the world are flocking to this Mediterranean jewel situated under Marjan hill surrounded and protected by the islands of Brac, Hvar and Solta.
Inhabited from Roman times at the spot where Roman emperor Diocletian had a retirement palace built for himself and his family, through eras of Croatian Kings and centuries of Venetian and Austrian reign. Each of these civilizations has left something unique to Split which makes it a must-visit spot today.
Thanks to the new addition of the coastal highway built in 2013, Split has become more easily accessible from Dubrovnik and therefore a desirable and very doable destination.
We start our tour by picking you up at your hotel at 07:00 and driving up the Croatian coast stopping in the town of Ston for a city walk and a coffee break. Continuing through the Peninsula of Peljesac we will cross the magnificent newly built 2,4 km long Peljesac Bridge to the mainland, and passing the fertile Neretva River valley, we turn onto the Highway and after a 1-hour drive, we reach the heights above Split and stop underneath Klis fortress – standing on a limestone vertical ridge overlooking the town of Split.
Klis fortress bravely defied Ottoman Turks for many years until it finally fell, but its sacrifice and valor remain evident even to this day. (Its appearance and story is so strong that it got the producers of HBO series Game of Thrones to use it as a film set).
Following the stop at Klis, we descend down to Old town of Split and its promenade, where a LOCAL LICENSED guide will take you on a PRIVATE time travel tour of Split (and its 1700 years of rich history) visiting all major sights (Diocletian’s Palace, Peristil, St. Duje’s Cathedral, The temple of all Gods, Split’s famous promenade, fish market…)
After the tour , you will have some free time to explore the city on your own, to absorb the views (do ask your guide to point the way to Vidilica viewpoint, 10 min walk from the city center), and have a bite in numerous small restaurants in the Old Town center or just let yourself be lost in space/time maze of the narrow streets of Split’s Old Town.
From Split we drive back to the highway, and with one or more stops to stretch or have coffee, we return to Dubrovnik.
* Check points on map
I booked a private transfer from Dubrovnik to Split so that my daughter and I could stop off at all the amazing places along the way, particularly Mostar.
Wouldn’t normally have gone for a private tour, but it was the only way we could visit Split while we were staying in Dubrovnik. This turned out to be a really good decision.
Our guide Filip was very knowledgeable and he gave us a lot of useful and interesting information during the Trip.
We used Dubrovnik Day Tours to organise day trips to Sarajevo and Split, as well as a tour of 3 wineries on the peninsula near Ston.