Split: The Roman Emperor’s Retirement Palace and Everything Else

Diocletian built his retirement palace in Split between 295 and 305 AD on the Dalmatian coast, where he planned to spend his final years growing cabbages. He died there in 311 AD. The palace gradually became the city itself as medieval inhabitants moved in and built on top of it. Today roughly 3,000 people live inside the palace walls in apartments carved out of former imperial halls, making the Diocletian’s Palace complex one of the few ancient Roman structures in the world that is still inhabited. This is not a reconstruction or a heritage museum. It is a working neighbourhood where people hang out washing from windows that Roman emperors walked past.

Split is also Croatia’s most important mainland hub for Dalmatian island ferries, and a city that existed before tourism and continues to function outside it. Unlike Dubrovnik, which is primarily a tourism apparatus in a historical shell, Split has a local population that uses the old city daily.

Diocletian’s Palace

The palace is a 215 by 180 metre rectangle on the city’s southern edge, with the southern wall running along the seafront. The four gates (Golden Gate north, Silver Gate east, Iron Gate west, Bronze Gate south) still stand. Entry is free; there are no barriers because it is a neighbourhood.

The Peristyle, the central courtyard, fills with people in the evenings. The Cathedral of Saint Domnius was Diocletian’s mausoleum, converted to a church in the 7th century and still functioning, an early medieval building containing the tomb of a Roman emperor who actively persecuted Christians. The cathedral’s octagonal interior retains Roman carved friezes alongside later medieval and baroque additions. Entry around 5 euros; the bell tower can be climbed for good views.

The basement halls (Podrumi Dioklecijana) beneath the palace are largely intact and give the clearest sense of the original scale. Cleared in the 20th century after centuries as rubbish dumps, they now host exhibitions and appear in Game of Thrones as the dragon dungeons. Entry around 8 euros.

Beyond the Palace

The market at Pazar, just outside the Silver Gate, operates every morning until around 1pm: fresh figs, lavender products, local olive oil, dried herbs. This is where to buy things grown in the region at prices aimed at residents.

Bačvice beach, five minutes’ walk southeast of the palace, is the city’s local beach. The game traditionally played here is picigin, played in shallow water: a group keeps a small ball from touching the water surface, standing. Locals play year-round; watching a skilled group is worth stopping for.

Meštrović Gallery on the western waterfront (2km from the palace, walkable along the promenade) holds a large collection of work by Ivan Meštrović, Croatia’s most significant 20th-century sculptor. The building was his summer studio. Entry around 120 HRK (roughly €16). If sculpture interests you at all, this is the best two hours in Croatia.

Island Day Trips

Split is the ferry hub for the central Dalmatian islands. Hvar (1 hour by catamaran) is the most fashionable, with a medieval fortress and lavender fields. Brač (50 minutes by ferry) has Zlatni Rat beach near Bol, the distinctive pebble wedge that changes shape with currents. Vis (2.5 hours by ferry) is the most remote inhabited island, with good wine (Vugava and Plavac Mali) and the Blue Cave accessible from the adjacent island of Biševo. Book catamaran tickets ahead for July-August; they sell out.

Where to Eat

Konoba Matoni in the Veli Varoš neighbourhood west of the palace is where locals eat rather than the tourist-facing places inside the palace walls. Grilled fish, octopus salad, good local wine. Budget 30-50 euros per person with wine. Šperun on Šperun Street is reliable for Dalmatian classics with a good Croatian wine list including Dingač from Pelješac.

When to Visit

May, June, September, and October. July-August has warm weather and full services but prices more than double and the city fills completely. Book accommodation for peak summer several months ahead.

Croatia joined the Eurozone in January 2023; prices have risen accordingly compared to previous years. Cards are widely accepted in Split.