How to Spend Three Days in Split, Split, Croatia

Before I arrived in Split, all I really knew about this city was that it was a tourist haven. Beaches in summer, yachts flitting between islands, a hearty nightlife scene – none of which really enticed me, if I’m being honest. My thoughts all lay ahead to Dubrovnik, the “real jewel” of the Croatian coast in terms of culture and history. Or so I thought. Three days in Split was only enough time to scratch the surface of this amazing part of the country. It’s just enough time to see the main city sights, walk up the hills next to the town centre, take an island day trip and visit another nearby historical city.

I’ve wanted to visit Diocletian’s Palace for as long as I can remember. The Roman Empire is one of my favourite periods in history, and old ruins are a favourite of mine. So it was a bit of a suprise to me when I realised just the day before arriving in Split that Diocletian’s Palace isn’t just a ruin to visit, it’s the entire Old Town centre of the city. Ancient walls, gates and columns remain on the periphery, but over the 1700 years since Diocletian’s rule, through the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, houses, palaces, cobbled streets and squares all grew within the space where the ginormous palace once stood. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).