Split Croatia Travel Guide

Split — A Living Roman Palace on the Adriatic

Diocletian was a Roman Emperor born in Salona (the ruins are 6km north of Split) who retired here in 305AD and built himself the most elaborate retirement residence in the Roman world — a palace-city covering 38,000 square metres behind 2-metre-thick walls. When Diocletian died, the palace lay empty for two centuries until the 7th century, when inhabitants fleeing Avar invasions moved into the abandoned structure and began building homes inside the Roman walls. They have been there ever since.

Today, 3,000 people live within the original palace walls — in apartments carved out of Roman storehouses, above Diocletian's personal mausoleum (now a cathedral), overlooking the Peristyle courtyard where the Emperor once received petitioners. The palace isn't a museum — it's a neighbourhood. Restaurants serve grilled fish in spaces that were once Roman basements; bars operate in rooms where Diocletian's guards stood. No other site in the ancient world has this kind of living continuity.

Beyond the palace, Split is the best-located city in Croatia for further travel. Five major islands are reachable by ferry from the harbour directly below the palace walls — Brač (50 minutes), Hvar (1 hour fast catamaran), Šolta, Korčula and Vis. The national parks of Krka (75km north) and Plitvice (130km north) are both accessible as day trips. The Cetina River canyon — one of Croatia's best adventure destinations — is 30 minutes from the city.