How to Spend a Day in Split, Croatia
If you are headed to one of Croatia’s many islands there is a good chance you are flying into Split airport and taking one of the many ferries. Some ferries run often and others are more sporadic so it gives you the perfect excuse to explore Split for a few hours!
I took this trip with my Mom and we flew into Split to take the ferry over to Brac for a week long pottery course in Povlja – we ended up having a good five hours to spend in Split so this is how we made the most of it.
things to know about split
The airport is very small - like one check in desk for all flights no matter the airline. We were starving when we landed and were hoping for a snack before going into town but, we didn’t find anything.
The airport shuttle to the ferry port in Split is very easy. You’ll need around 50 kuna in cash to take the shuttle bus.
There are plenty of luggage storage units near the bus terminal and ferry terminal to hold your bags as you explore. They also only take cash.
Day Itinerary
Start off with breakfast at Fig Split - Extremely cute restaurant located in the heart of Diocletian Palace. The portions are HUGE - we had the avocado toast and could have split it between the two of us.
Organize a tour with Go Green City Tours - This is a 2 hour tour in an electric Tuk Tuk. They can pick you up at almost any location and bring you around to the main sites of Split. This is the perfect way to see everything if you are only there for the day. We were there during off-season so we had the whole tour to ourself. Here are the key places we stopped on the tour:
Bacvice Beach - very rare to find a sand beach in Croatia, therefore it is very busy.
Marjan Hill Stairs overlook - You can climb the stairs to this viewpoint from the city but during the tour they will drive you up to the top :) The viewpoint is also linked to a park so you can continue the walk throughout the space since you had just saved your energy by arriving via Tuk Tuk. The views are incredible!
Diocletian Palace and old town - You’ll get out of the TukTuk for a bit and walk through the old town and Diocletian Palace with the guide. It was great to learn more about the buildings and the different rulers that made up Croatia.
Sustipan Park - This is a gorgeous park that a lot of people go for wedding photos. If we lived in Split I would definitely want to spend my days reading and doing watercolors at this spot.
Book a massage at Templum Vitale - We were able to get a walk-in booking but I would suggest making a reservation ahead of time. We had a back and neck massage with Croatian olive oil. It was 1 hr long and cost $35!
Grab dinner or lunch at Zinfandel Wine Bar - There are tons of great options for dinner in the area. We chose this spot since it was close to the massages and we were now cutting it close on time. We enjoyed our meal and had the raviolis.
End the day with gelato at Aroma - This spot is a chain but it has AMAZING gelato. Definitely high quality and using great ingredients.
See more footage of the day trip on TikTok!