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Split is one of those rare cities where history isn't something you visit — it's something you live inside. The old town is a Roman palace, still inhabited after 1,700 years. The café where you drink your morning coffee sits where an emperor once held court. The alley you wander down at noon was, in the third century, a grand imperial corridor.
But Split is more than its past. It's a working Mediterranean city with some of Croatia's best food, the gateway to dozens of Dalmatian islands, and a local culture that feels genuinely its own — not manufactured for tourism.
Here are the 10 best things to do in Split in 2026, whether you have a single day or a full week.
Let's start with the obvious one, but done properly.
Diocletian's Palace is not a ruin. It's a living neighbourhood of around 3,000 residents, packed inside the walls of a Roman emperor's retirement complex built in the late 3rd century AD. There are restaurants, boutique hotels, art galleries, and wine bars tucked into rooms that once housed Roman legionaries.
Most visitors walk in through the Golden Gate, take a few photos of the Peristyle, and leave feeling vaguely impressed. That's a shame, because the palace rewards slowing down.
The best things to find inside: the Cathedral of Saint Domnius (built inside Diocletian's own mausoleum — a satisfying historical irony, given that he persecuted Christians), the subterranean cellars beneath the palace floor, the four original gates (Golden, Silver, Iron, Bronze), and the countless medieval buildings that grew organically within the Roman walls over the centuries.
Pro tip: Go early in the morning — before 9am — when the light is golden and the tour groups haven't arrived. The Peristyle at sunrise is one of the most atmospheric spots in Dalmatia.
Or go deeper: A VR walking tour like Time Walk overlays the palace's original Roman appearance onto what you're seeing right now — so you can stand in the Peristyle and see exactly what it looked like in 305 AD, when Diocletian first walked through it.
The Cathedral of Saint Domnius — Croatia's patron saint's church, built inside a Roman mausoleum — has a bell tower that dates to the 13th century. It's 57 metres tall and the views from the top are worth every one of the 183 steps.
You'll see the full geometry of the palace walls from above, the terracotta rooftops of the old town, the Riva promenade below, and the islands of Brač, Šolta, and Hvar across the water. On clear days, you can see as far as the island of Vis.
Entry is a few euros and typically included with a combined palace ticket. Go in the morning or late afternoon when the light is most dramatic.
The Riva is Split's heartbeat. This seafront promenade stretches along the southern wall of Diocletian's Palace, lined with café terraces and facing directly onto the harbour.
It's where Split happens — morning coffee, afternoon aperitivo, evening šetnja (the Dalmatian stroll). Locals and tourists mix here in a way that feels easy and unhurried.
Sit down, order a coffee (Croatia has excellent coffee culture — you're expected to nurse one for an hour), and watch the ferries departing for the islands. If you're lucky, you might catch a klapa — traditional Dalmatian a cappella singing — being performed spontaneously, as it sometimes is.
Split's position makes it the perfect base for island-hopping. Two islands are unmissable:
Hvar is the glamorous one — lavender fields, a stunning Renaissance main square, world-class restaurants, and beach clubs that attract an international crowd. Take the fast catamaran (about an hour) and spend a full day. Don't miss Hvar Town's hilltop fortress for panoramic views.
Brač is the more rugged choice. Famous for its white limestone (used to build Diocletian's Palace and, supposedly, the White House), Brač is home to Zlatni Rat — a uniquely shaped beach near Bol that shifts direction with the currents. Take the car ferry from Split (45 minutes) and rent a scooter.
Both are easily done as day trips, or you can stay overnight for a slower pace.
Ivan Meštrović is Croatia's most celebrated sculptor — a 20th century artist whose work stands in major museums in New York, Rome, and Zagreb. His home in Split, built in the 1930s, is now a gallery displaying some of his finest pieces.
The building itself is remarkable: a Mediterranean villa with a terrace overlooking the sea, designed by Meštrović himself. Inside, large-scale bronze and marble sculptures fill every room and spill onto the terraces.
It's a short walk or taxi ride west of the old town, and genuinely one of Split's most rewarding cultural experiences. Often overlooked in favour of the palace, the gallery deserves two hours of your time.
Just outside the eastern (Silver) Gate of Diocletian's Palace, the Pazar has been Split's main market for centuries. In the morning, it's full of local producers selling seasonal vegetables, olive oil, lavender products, homemade rakija, and Dalmatian cheeses.
This is the best place to buy local food to take home, but also just to feel the rhythms of everyday Split life. The stall owners are mostly from the surrounding villages and islands — real Dalmatian agriculture, not tourist-facing products.
Go between 7am and noon, when it's most active. Bring cash.
Bačvice is a 10-minute walk south of the old town and arguably Croatia's most famous beach — not for its scenery (it's pleasant but not spectacular) but for picigin, the uniquely Split ball game that's been played here for over a century.
Picigin is played in very shallow water by groups of players who keep a small ball airborne without letting it touch the sea. It requires agility, coordination, and a certain theatrical flair. Locals take it extremely seriously. UNESCO inscribed it as an intangible cultural heritage in 2011.
Come in the morning to swim before the crowds. Stay to watch the picigin players — it's genuinely entertaining.
The underground cellars of Diocletian's Palace are a destination in themselves — vast, vaulted Roman storage spaces that sit directly beneath the palace floor. Some of these spaces are now wine bars and cocktail lounges, where you can drink Dalmatian wine surrounded by 1,700-year-old stone.
Dalmatian wine is seriously good and underrated internationally. Look for Plavac Mali (a full-bodied red from the islands, related to Zinfandel), Pošip (a crisp white from Korčula), and Grk (a rare white grown only on Korčula island). Most bars offer local producers by the glass.
Eight kilometres north of Split, perched on a dramatic rocky ridge above the Klis gorge, Klis Fortress has guarded the passage to Split for over two millennia. The Illyrians built the first fortifications here. The Romans expanded them. Medieval Croatian kings ruled from here. The Ottoman Empire besieged it repeatedly.
Game of Thrones fans will recognise it as Meereen — the city where Daenerys Targaryen freed the slaves. The show brought international attention, but the real history is more interesting than the fiction.
The views from the ramparts are extraordinary: Split and the sea to the south, the Dalmatian hinterland to the north. Take a taxi or the local bus. Allow 90 minutes.
After everything above, the most memorable thing you can do in Split is see Diocletian's Palace as it originally appeared.
The Time Walk VR walking tour is an 80-minute guided experience through the palace using Meta Quest 3 headsets. As you walk through the actual streets and spaces of the palace, augmented reality overlays the original Roman structures onto what's in front of you — so you see the throne room as it was, the temples in their full glory, the imperial corridors before centuries of medieval buildings filled them in.
Licensed local guides provide the historical context. The tour runs in small groups, departing daily from the Peristyle. It's the best way to understand what you're actually standing inside.
Getting there: Split Airport (SPU) is 25km from the city. Taxis and shuttles run regularly. Ferry connections from Ancona, Pescara, and other Italian cities if you're coming by boat.
Getting around: The old town is entirely walkable. For beaches and outlying sights (Meštrović Gallery, Klis), use taxis or the local bus network.
Best time to visit: May–June and September–October offer warm weather, fewer crowds, and lower prices. July and August are peak season — hot, crowded, and expensive, but also the most lively.
Language: Croatian, but English is widely spoken in tourist areas. Learning hvala (thank you) and molim (please) is appreciated.
Currency: Croatia adopted the Euro in January 2023. Cards are widely accepted.
Have only one day? See our complete one-day Split itinerary for a tested 7am–10pm plan.
Want to see Diocletian's Palace the way it was 1,700 years ago? Book your Time Walk VR tour in Split.