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A Roman emperor chose this spot partly for its sulphur springs, then quit ruling to grow cabbages. Split has taken both its history and its food seriously ever since. On this private walk, a local shows you the palace everyone comes for, the quarter almost nobody finds, and three places where Split actually eats.
Enter Diocletian's Palace through its vaulted cellars and climb into the Peristyle, where a 3,500-year-old Egyptian sphinx still guards the emperor's courtyard. Look up through the open dome of the Vestibule, where klapa singers often perform, and hear why the most powerful man in Rome walked away from his empire for a vegetable garden.
Leave by the Golden Gate to rub Gregory of Nin's shiny toe for luck, then cross People's Square and pass Peškarija, the fish market with no flies, thanks to the same sulphur springs that drew the emperor here. Next, slip into Varoš, the old fishermen's quarter of stone houses and narrow lanes, where locals still live before closing your tour.
What's Included
Meeting and pickup
Our guide will meet you at the Radić Brothers Square (Fruit Square). Please make sure you have shared your proper contact details with us to avoid any hassle at the meeting point
Itinerary
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1Fruit's Square (Trg Brace Radic)
After meeting your guide, we will explore the Split's palm-lined seafront, in front of the palace's southern wall. A quick introduction explains how a Roman emperor's retirement home became a whole city.
15 minutes • Admission ticket free -
2Split Riva
Visit the old town on the Riva, and see the whole palace laid out in miniature before you walk inside it. Two hundred years ago none of this promenade existed: the sea lapped right up against the palace's southern wall, and the Bronze Gate in front of you was the emperor's private sea entrance, where boats could moor below his apartments. The waterfront was only built during French rule, under Napoleon's Marshal Marmont. Today locals call it the city's living room. It's where Split meets for morning coffee and evening strolls, and where the whole city gathers to celebrate its patron saint's festival.
15 minutes • Admission ticket free -
3Diocletian's Cellars
Walk through the vaulted halls beneath the palace, which once supported the emperor's apartments. Game of Thrones later filmed Daenerys's dragon scenes in the halls next to this passage.
15 minutes • Admission ticket free -
4Saint Domnius’ Cathedral
See the Cathedral of St. Domnius from outside; it was built from Diocletian's own mausoleum. Then stand under the open dome of the Vestibule, where klapa groups often sing. Hear the story of the emperor who reportedly told his envoys he'd rather tend his cabbages than return to power.
15 minutes • Admission ticket not included -
5Diocletian's Palace
Inside Diocletian's Palace, explore the vaulted cellars, the Peristyle and its 3,500-year-old sphinx, the Cathedral of St. Domnius, the domed Vestibule, the Temple of Jupiter and three of the palace's original gates. Walk up the steps into the domed entrance hall of Diocletian's private quarters. The roof has long since fallen in, leaving a circle of open sky above you, and the stone walls carry sound so well that local klapa singers often gather here to sing a cappella.
30 minutes • Admission ticket included -
6Let Me Pass (Pusti me da prodjem) Street
Squeeze through Pusti me proć, "Let me pass", the narrowest street in Split, to the Temple of Jupiter. Built for the king of the Roman gods and turned into a baptistery in the 6th century, it still has its original coffered stone ceiling. A headless Egyptian sphinx guards the entrance, and inside stands Ivan Meštrović's bronze statue of St. John the Baptist.
30 minutes • Admission ticket not included -
7The Golden Gate
Leave through the Golden Gate, the grand northern entrance on the road to Salona, which was reserved for the emperor and his family. Outside, rub the bronze toe of Meštrović's giant statue of Gregory of Nin, polished gold by millions of hands looking for luck.
15 minutes • Admission ticket free -
8Narodni trg
Walk around to the western Iron Gate, topped by an 11th-century clock tower, and step out into Pjaca, the square where medieval Split grew up outside the Roman walls. From here, the tour continues past the fish market into the Varoš quarter.
15 minutes • Admission ticket free
Additional info
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Tags
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Cancellation Policy
- For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
- If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
- Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
- This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
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