Tours in Split

Walk along the Riva in the evening and you will see how Split actually works. Locals stroll the waterfront, stop for a coffee that lasts an hour, and the palm trees frame a harbour full of ferries and sailboats. Behind you, the walls of Diocletian's Palace rise straight out of the street. People live inside them. Washing hangs from windows above shops, and the lanes are narrow enough that you can hear a neighbour's radio from the other side.

Give the old town more than one pass. Go early, when the Peristyle is quiet and the stone is still cool, then come back after dark when the passages fill with voices and the cellars and courtyards turn into bars. The Cathedral bell tower looks down over all of it, and the climb rewards you with red roofs and the water beyond. Walk out through the Golden Gate and past the big statue, then keep going to the market, where the stalls sell figs, cheese and whatever is in season.

For a change of pace, head up Marjan, the wooded hill at the edge of the city. The paths are shaded, the lookouts are generous, and the beaches below are where Split goes to swim. Bačvice is the one with the evening crowd and the shallow water.

Split is also a city that comes alive at night and out on the water. The nightlife is easy to find in the old town, and the Adriatic is right there for a day of swimming and music, with the Blue Lagoon a short sail away. Want to see Salona, Trogir, or the islands, or have a guide take you through the palace properly? Ask, and a local guide can set it up.