SPLIT - WEEKEND GUIDE
Split, in central Dalmatia, has it all: Roman ruins and grand museums alongside fashionable cafes and trendy shops. But what makes this city most alluring is not just its proximity to the sandy beaches and rocky coves of nearby islands, but its location overlooked by mountains and edged by the deep blue Adriatic Sea.
Split, in central Dalmatia, has it all: Roman ruins and grand museums alongside fashionable cafes and trendy shops. But what makes this city most alluring is not just its proximity to the sandy beaches and rocky coves of nearby islands, but its location overlooked by mountains and edged by the deep blue Adriatic Sea.
Thanks to a number of discount
European airlines, Split (the second-largest city in Croatia
after Zagreb) now buzzes with weekend visitors eager to sample the region’s
Mediterranean cuisine, nightclubs and sleek galleries. Still, it is the
breathtaking centerpiece of the city — Diocletian’s Palace, a Unesco World
Heritage site dating back to A.D. 295, and a recent film location for “Game of
Thrones” — that makes Split so memorable. With more than 200 buildings and 3,000
residents within an eight-acre enclosed space, the “palace” is a mini-city of
its own, full of stone-paved pedestrian paths on which visitors can explore the
palace’s treasures, which include a Romanesque belfry, a 16th-century synagogue,
a courtyard filled with music, and a store selling exotic olive oils.
What’s more, the water lapping on
the promenade just outside the palace is warm enough for swimming from mid-May
through late September, giving a visitor little excuse not to linger just that
much longer on the mainland.
Friday
1. Through the Centuries |
5 p.m.
Before investigating Diocletian’s
Palace, a stone’s throw away, bone up on your history by walking through the
Gallery of Fine Arts, which houses more than 3,500 works of art from the 14th
century to modern day. Housed in a 1792 building that was the city’s first
hospital, the nearly 24,000-square-foot space is now a bright and airy spot in
which to explore the works of not just Croatian artists, but also those from the
former Yugoslavia and the Czech Republic. Be sure to stop at the gallery’s
breezy outdoor terrace cafe for coffee or a cocktail. Here you can marvel at the
palace’s Baroque outer walls and the Golden Gate entrance (one of four palace
gates named after metals, the others being Iron, Silver and Bronze). Admission,
20 kuna or about $3 at 6.5 kuna to the dollar.
2.
From the Seas | 7 p.m.
It goes without saying that the
most appropriate first meal in this seaside city involves fresh fish from the
Adriatic. Look no further than Nostromo — not surprisingly a short casting
distance (across the street) from the fish market. Before ordering some
delectable starters (fried anchovies, an aromatic fish soup and a tangy
Dalmatian octopus salad), we chose our main course from a platter of raw fish
brought to our table. Forty minutes later, the sea bream, tuna, sea bass and
scorpion fish were returned to us grilled to perfection, alongside a medley of
succulent eggplant, zucchini, mushrooms and peppers. Dinner for two with a
bottle of Croatian white wine (there are more than 300 geographically defined
wine regions in Croatia) that our waiter described to us only as “powerful” came
to 800
3.
On the Promenade | 11 p.m.
Walk off
your dinner along the Obala Hrvatskog Narodnog Preporoda, otherwise known as the
Riva waterfront promenade; the palm-tree-studded walkway is a prime spot for
people watching. In this public space bordering the front of Diocletian’s
Palace, you can count the number of languages you hear (my companion and I heard
six), while sipping a nightcap at one of the cafes tucked under a row of white
awnings, and watching the boats (island ferries, cruise ships, fishing vessels
and sailing rigs) bob in the twinkling harbor.
Saturday
4. Emperor’s Quarters | 10
a.m.
Given how bustling the ancient
palace is today, it is hard to imagine how the Roman Emperor Diocletian built
this now-sprawling maze of passageways and courtyards to be not just his home
but a military fortress. But fewer than 10 years after completing it in A.D.
305, he died. It continued to be a retreat for Roman rulers long after his death
before being abandoned for centuries. In the 12th to 14th centuries it became an
ecclesiastical center, and later a fort. Finally, in the late 18th and early
19th centuries, it was an Austrian outpost. Not only is it one of the most
impressive Roman ruins in the world, residents still inhabit it, leaning out
their apartment windows to watch the happenings below. Visit the Town Museum (a
restored home from the Middle Ages) and Cathedral of St. Domnius, filled with
murals, carved altars and a steep bell tower that you might regret, as I did,
not climbing, as well as the Temple of Jupiter, guarded by a headless black
granite sphinx from Egypt.
5. Urban Swim | 1
p.m.
Bacvice is one of the most popular
swimming spots in Split. Before settling into your lounge chair (40 kuna a day,
including umbrella) sample the street food on the waterfront: grilled sweet corn
and Croatian doughnuts filled with jam and sprinkled with sugar, to name two.
Then take in the scene — children jumping off rafts, boys on Jet Skis and old
men and women diving expertly into the turquoise water. For a less-crowded
experience, walk down to Ovcice beach, where a more fashionable crowd checks out
one another in a cafe overlooking a sandy harbor. Be sure to bring your own
towel so you don’t have to buy one there for 120 kuna after an irresistible
dip.
6. Palace Shopping | 5
p.m.
Head back to the palace, this time
for retail and restaurant therapy. Wander through every alley — there are
countless wonderful clothing shops carrying designer handbags and shoes, as well
as souvenir stores peddling local arts and crafts. For avant-garde jewelry,
fashion and home products, visit Arterija, and leave with a funky leather
necklace or sleek black dress that feels perfect for the club that
night.
7.
Olive Oil Extravaganza | 8 p.m.
Uje Oil Bar
is a brand of its own. Not only does it have a shop where you can buy more than
50 varieties of Croatian olive oils, along with olives, sweets and wines, but it
also has a bar and restaurant. Reserve ahead for dinner (a stone’s throw from
the bar), as the daily menu draws crowds, as does the décor — wooden tables,
garlands of hanging garlic cloves and shelves of olive oil. We had feta cheese
with roasted peppers, plump shrimp and a thick tuna steak with new potatoes and
green beans — all glistening in a golden hue of olive oil. Dinner for two with
wine was 391 kuna.
8.
Happy Ending | 10 p.m.
For a magical end to the evening,
park yourself on the steps bordering the center courtyard outside the Lvxor
Café. The waiters will find you since they frequently have musicians playing for
their outdoor guests. Sitting there sipping a cold beer, you might find
yourself, as we did, watching a bride and groom kiss in the balcony overhead
while couples danced in the courtyard to an acoustic guitar version of Pharrell
Williams’s “Happy.” All in all, a perfect summer night.
9. Purple Pleasures |
Midnight
If you are after a less mellow
music scene, try the nearby Caffe Bar Inbox a short walk from the palace. While
the most popular club scene is a ferry ride away on the island of Hvar, Split
also has night life, though the best spots are farther down around the Bavcice
beach area. This purple-lit club should check all the boxes (a dipping pool,
plasma screens, lounge chairs and a circular bar).
Sunday
10. Croatian Luminary | 10
a.m.
Walk 40
minutes along the harbor sidewalks to Galerija Mestrovic, a museum originally
designed by one of Croatia’s most famous artists, Ivan Mestrovic, to be his
home, studio and exhibition space. But instead of retiring here, as he had
planned, he emigrated to the United States after World War II. He was a
sculptor, painter, architect and writer, and one of his statues adorns the gates
of the palace. But here at the sweeping structure Mestrovic built in the 1930s,
you will see all forms of his work. Inside, you will find his carvings in
marble, bronze and wood. The gardens are filled with more of his striking
sculptures, but it is the view of the sea and islands that will vie for your
attention. Admission, 30 kuna.
11. Nautical Lunch |
Noon
For lunch, stop at F de Mar, a
waterside restaurant, with blue and white striped awnings and matching seats. We
started with a delicate fish carpaccio in a white balsamic vinaigrette, and then
shared a prawn risotto sprinkled with pine nuts and chopped sun-dried tomatoes
and accented with pesto. Next up was grilled eggplant stuffed with a homemade
creamy ricotta followed by a white chocolate and sour cherry parfait. Lunch for
two, about 400 kuna. This is the perfect place to lose yourself during your
final hours in Split, mesmerized by the boats and the lapping sea.
