Explore Split in Croatia from the palace to the sea
Split in Croatia is a place to combine a city walk with time by the water. The public lanes of Diocletian's Palace lead into a wider old town, while the Riva promenade runs along the seafront outside the palace. Begin with these connected spaces rather than treating every monument as a separate excursion. The distinction that matters for your budget is between the free public streets and the paid interiors, including the palace cellars, cathedral and Temple of Jupiter.
The palace was built in the late third and early fourth centuries AD. Its ceremonial Peristyle, former imperial mausoleum and supporting cellars give a walk its historical structure. Later buildings belong to the story too: the UNESCO ensemble includes churches and palaces added after the Roman period. A guide can help make those layers understandable; independent visitors can follow the same public lanes and decide which interiors to add.
Our picks: Split experiences
Choose a palace walk for a local guide, a food walk for tastings, or a boat for time on the water. The combined city outing includes transfer and exterior visits.
Hand-picked tours, booked through GetYourGuide and Viator. Prices are indicative starting prices in euros (as of October 2026). Tap a tour for live availability and the current price in your currency.
Islands and Blue Cave by speedboat
- Speedboat ride
- Skipper and guide
- Snorkeling gear
Blue Cave entry costs extra. Boat trips depend on weather.
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Split food walk with tastings
- English-speaking Local Guide
- Taste local pastries and Croatian delicacies
- Water & 1 Alcoholic Beverage (usually Local Wine)
The foods offered at the stops are possible tastings, not a fixed menu.
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Blue Lagoon speedboat trip
- Professional skipper
- Snorkeling equipment
- Bottled water
The boat trip depends on weather.
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Split and Trogir walking tours
- Walking tours of Split and Trogir
- Local licensed guide
- Transfer included
Exterior visits only; entry tickets are not included.
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Split by tuk-tuk
- Driver
- Tuk Tuk
Choose the central meeting point or the cruise terminal.
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Palace and old town walk
- Local tour guide
- Walking tour
Food and wine tastings are included only with the selected option.
Check availability →Palace walks, food stops and island boats
Start with a guided city walk, combine Split and Trogir, or choose a lagoon speedboat, a longer island trip, food tastings or a tuk-tuk city outing.
Choose a city experience before a longer excursion
A walking tour is a lower-cost introduction to the palace and old town. The local-guide palace walk takes 1.5 hours; food and wine tastings belong only to the corresponding option. If eating is the main purpose, the food walk instead includes tastings, pastries, water and an alcoholic drink. Specific dishes are possible tastings rather than a fixed menu. The tuk-tuk outing includes a driver and vehicle, offering another way to organize city sightseeing.
Trogir as a combined city outing
The combined Split and Trogir outing includes walking tours, a licensed guide and transfer, with exterior visits rather than monument entry tickets.
Explore Trogir beyond the combined tourChoose the time you want at sea
At sea, the five-hour lagoon speedboat includes a skipper, snorkeling equipment and bottled water. The longer five-island speedboat includes a skipper and guide, snorkeling gear and windproof jackets; Blue Cave admission, meals and hotel transfers are extra. Match the format to the time you want away from Split.
Tours and excursions
City walks, sea outings and their different inclusions.
Things to do
Choose the sights to connect on your city route.
Diocletian’s Palace
Public lanes, ceremonial spaces and paid interiors.
Old town walks
Follow markets, squares and the waterfront.
Split history
Understand the Roman complex and its later uses.
Private tours
Compare private city, food and boat experiences.
Game of Thrones tours
Palace cellar filming locations and walking formats.
Food and wine
Market walks, tastings and wine experiences.
Waterfront, island days and outdoor time
Bačvice is the sandy beach near the city port, associated with picigin in shallow water and nightlife along its promenade. Kašjuni offers a pebble shore by Marjan, while Bene has a mixture of sandy and rocky shoreline with pines. For a walking alternative, the route through Varoš toward Marjan links the city to viewpoints. Follow signs on the day when choosing forest paths and keep swimming plans responsive to local conditions.
The Blue Lagoon near Drvenik and the Blue Cave on Biševo are different destinations. Choose the lagoon for a route built around swimming and snorkeling stops. A cave visit involves a small-boat entrance, and swimming and diving inside the cave are prohibited. Weather and sea conditions influence boat outings, so leave room in the itinerary to move a sea day rather than attaching it tightly to an onward departure.
Boat tours
Choose a boat format for a day at sea.
Blue Cave trips
Biševo, cave access and weather considerations.
Snorkeling and swimming
Lagoon routes, equipment and swimming stops.
Day trips
Compare outings beyond the city.
Marjan walks
Viewpoints and walking on the wooded peninsula.
Beaches compared
Bačvice, Kašjuni and Bene for different shore days.
Practical decisions for your stay
Choose accommodation by the places you want to reach. The old town puts the palace and Riva at the centre of your plans. Varoš lies on the walking route toward Marjan, while Bačvice suits beach and port access with an evening activity tradeoff. Ask about the actual stairs and arrival arrangements of an individual property rather than assuming an entire district is step free. Arrange luggage and check-in before committing to a timed tour.
Airport arrival, a rental car and an onward ferry each need their own plan. Separate the airport journey from later excursions and distinguish passenger catamarans from vehicle ferries. For a city-focused visit, compare organized outings with the parking implications of a car. July and August have the highest monthly mean temperatures in the DHMZ historical series for 1948 to 2024; our recommendation is to leave the hottest part of a summer day less crowded with walking commitments.
Ferries and catamarans
Distinguish scheduled connections from excursions.
Airport arrival
Airport transport and onward port planning.
Car rental and parking
Airport collection and city parking decisions.
Where to stay
Compare old town, Varoš and beach locations.
Weather by month
Historical climate figures and their data periods.
When to visit
Weigh city walking, beaches and seasonal travel.
Questions about visiting Split
Do I need a ticket to walk around the palace?
The public palace lanes are free to explore. Paid interiors have their own admission arrangements, so choose your cellar and church visits separately from the street walk.
Should I choose a beach or a boat day?
A city beach keeps the day flexible. A boat outing adds travel and a defined meeting point, with the lagoon and cave offering different experiences.
Is this guide connected to the tourism board?
This is an independent guide with no connection to the tourism board, airport, museums, ferry companies or tour operators.