On this blog post I will share my experience in Split, the second-largest city of Croatia in the south side of Croatia’s Dalmatian Coast, which I visited a couple years back. I found it to be a great destination for a summer break and my journey was full of sunshine, astonishing views and getting to know the local lifestyle. To get a glance of this wonderful city, have a look at this blog and possibly get some inspiration for your next holiday!
Split is mostly within good connections from all around Europe and so are the other cities of Croatia as well. However, if you are travelling in low season, there will be less direct flights. From the UK the flight time to Croatia with a direct flight is less than 3 hours. My journey started from Finland from where I took a direct 3-hour flight to Split.
I arrived in Split in late May which was a perfect time to travel there since the city was not yet too crowded with tourists and the temperatures were brilliant, around 20-25 degrees and sunshine every day. Spring and autumn are the less crowded seasons to visit Croatia, if you would want to avoid the tourist peak. The busiest months in Croatia are July and August and the temperatures are much higher during those months, rising up to 30 degrees or more. From my opinion, the end of May was a perfect time to visit Split.
Even though the most popular months to visit the city are July and August, Split has a lot to offer from April to June as well, when the summer season is starting, and the weather is getting warmer. I stayed in Split for a week and within that time, I explored all the main attractions and got to know the wonderful city. I found it to be a suitable time to spend there, but a few days less would also be enough to explore the city as a short break or if you would want to visit multiple cities of Croatia during your holiday.
Split is mostly known for its stunning beaches and intriguing historical Old Town which introduces you to the history of Split and offers cosy cafés, local restaurants, shops and bars to enjoy. The Old Town is a significant part of Split’s history and culture and quite easy to walk through and explore. The main attraction of the Old Town is Diocletian’s Palace, which is also one of the most popular attractions in Split. It was built in the 4th century and used to be a home to thousands of people. Nowadays the glorious remains consist of more than 200 buildings and is also listed as one of the World Heritage Sites of UNESCO.
I spent a good couple of hours exploring the Old Town and its narrow streets, attractions and shops. Upon Diocletian’s Palace, there was a possibility to go up to the bell tower for a small fee, which I did, and it was by no doubt worth it because of the amazing views (see pictures above). Afterwards, I headed to Riva Promenade, which is located right next to the Old Town and ends up to Diocletian’s Palace at the south end of the promenade. Riva has a variety of restaurants and cafés to enjoy right beside the harbour. It is also the centre of social life in Split throughout the year.
From Riva, I headed to the hill of Marjan by bus, which departed from the end of the promenade and was a short drive up to the hill. I would say Marjan is the perfect spot to head off to if you’re looking for a peaceful break in the nature. It is very loved among the locals and they tend to go to Marjan for outdoor activities since it is conveniently located from the city centre and offers some tranquillity as well as great views above the city. Therefore, it has been named as the lungs of the city by the locals. Marjan also has a variety of hill trails which one can explore while heading up to the top, so if interested in visiting Marjan, it would be good to reserve plenty of time to spend there.
Since it was proper summer weather when I visited Split, I wanted to head off to some local beaches, such as Bene, which is located in the bay of Marjan with crystal clear water and a view to the forest hill. I spent a good couple of hours in Marjan and then took a bus back to Riva. Another beaches worth visiting are Kašjuni and Bacvice which were a bit more crowded than Bene since they are located more near the city centre. On my opinion, all the beaches were beautiful, and I was astonished by the crystal clear water, but Bene was my personal favourite with its peacefulness. If the weather is on your side, I would recommend visiting at least one of these beaches during your holiday.
The highlight of my trip was Krka National Park which I visited on the last day. I had quite high expectations beforehand since it has been named as one of the gems of Croatia, but it still managed to exceed my expectations with the views. The journey to the national park started from Split to Skradin by bus and from Skradin by ferry to Krka. You can get there by public transportation from Sibenik and Zadar as well or rent a car and drive there by yourself which would probably be a bit of a shorter journey. However, the ferry trip was a nice part of the experience and the views during the trip were worth to see, so I didn’t mind spending a bit more time on the journey.
Upon arrival to Krka by ferry, there was only a short walk to the national park. Since the weather was great, it was pleasant to explore the park and take a swim in the lake below the waterfalls, which was allowed within marked areas. The views were breath-taking – turquoise water, green forest and waterfalls. There are also plenty of walking routes to go up to explore the park, so it would be good to reserve a whole day to spend there. Some of these routes included quite a lot of stairs, which was good exercise but also something to take into consideration if planning a visit to Krka.
After spending the day in Krka, I headed back to Split for my last evening and prepared for my return flight on the next morning. This was the first time for me visiting Croatia, and I left the country with loads of great new memories. Altogether, it was an incredible experience and got me interested in exploring other parts of Croatia as well.
If you are interested in exploring Croatia, please have a look at the Balkan Circle & Croatia Coastline Cruise. For more information, please contact us.
By Aino Kivelä
For Baltic Travel Company (all rights reserved for Baltic Travel Company)