SPLIT, CROATIA: ENTERING ANOTHER WELL PRESERVED DIMENSION!

Friday, November 6, 2026
Day 32/50
Split, Croatia
70F, sunny!

 

Ceiling in Luxor Cafe in Split Old Town 

Of all the ports we have visited, Split will be one of my favorites.  With only an easy 10 minute walk to the Old Town, interrupted only by a colorful fruit, flower, and vegetable market, we felt like we had entered another dimension. 

Billboard on the way to Split Old Town

MARKET AREA:

We have decided that, when possible, we prefer visiting ports on our own.  According to Internet sources, Split Old Town is the historic heart of Split, Croatia, centered on Diocletian’s Palace, a Roman emperor’s retirement complex built around the 4th century CE.

Entering Old Town

Cathedral of St. Dominus

(from the back)

Diocletian is buried in a mausoleum which was constructed as a tomb and later converted into a Christian cathedral known as the Cathedral of St. Dominus. Since Diocletian had Dominus beheaded, this is quite ironic. 

What we especially loved was that unlike a traditional palace, it is a living city where stone streets, apartments, cafés, restaurants, shops, bars, courtyards, and Roman ruins coexist within the ancient walls. The Old Town is almost entirely pedestrian, making it ideal for walking and exploring its atmospheric alleyways.  It is also mostly flat with few steps to climb!

Over centuries, it became a Byzantine city, later influenced by Venice and the Habsburg monarchy.  The Old Town preserves layers of history spanning over 1,700 years, from Roman architecture to medieval guilds and modern Croatian life.

 

Column Detail

Split has a population of around 160,000, with a metropolitan area of about 310,000. It is on the eastern shore of the Adriatic Sea in the Dalmatia region.  The city grew around the ancient Roman palace built for Emperor Diocletian over 1,700 years ago.  The historic center and palace are a protected UNESCO World Heritage Site. Split is a top travel destination known for its stone streets, seaside promenade (the Riva), and nearby beaches.

Diocletian’s Palace is the “best preserved example of late Roman architecture anywhere on the planet” according to local literature. Diocles was the last Roman emperor to persecute Christians.

Diocletian's Palace

The weather was perfect and I could not resist Luxor, right outside the palace, where we could enjoy a cup of coffee.  Today we left the ship earlier than usual and that paid off with fewer crowds at the significant sites.

 

What a delightful place for a

cup of coffee!

Luxor

From there we wandered around—the typical souvenir shops, shops with Game of Thrones souvenirs (parts of the series were filmed here), bakeries (a luscious cinnamon roll), candy shops, even three shops that only sold those little rubber ducks, jewelry, clothing, and so much more.

 

Grgur Ninski

The Grgur Ninski statue, created by Ivan Meštrović in 1929, symbolizes the struggle for Croatian national identity.  Grgur Ninski (also known as Gregory of Nin) was a 10^th century bishop who played a crucial role in the preservation of the Croation language and culture. He was a strong advocate for the use of the Croatian language in religious services, which was a significant move at the time when Latin was the only officially accepted language of worship.

An archaelogical dig just outside the city wall

Detail of an artifact by the archaelogical dig

Garbage Truck!

This image should show the well-worn

walkway, in place for hundreds of years

Fish Market

Riva 

Walkway along the Water

Cafes all along Riva

Intriguing fountain--from high on the wall

to the cup on the ground!  Can you see 

the water? Every 4-5 minutes

And Roman ruins!

Today I was able to contact “Bags to Go” at the Fort Lauderdale Airport. Their bag wrapping service is at Terminal 1 and we need to check in at Terminal 3 with American Airlines, but the person I talked to assured me that it was only a 10 minute walk to Terminal 3.  Our flight is around 5 p.m. so we should have plenty of time to have our bags shrink wrapped, Janie said optimistically.

TK's Takes:   Cats were all in one spot--an older lady was feeding them and giving them water.  The coffee was good. Shops were small. Lots of people, can't imagine summer when it is hot and even more crowded. Enjoyed sitting and relaxing on the Riva.

Where on earth are we?