Diocletian built it as a retirement residence and died in it. The empire went, and when Salona, the Roman capital of Dalmatia a few kilometres inland, was destroyed in the seventh century the refugees moved inside the walls and never left. Around three thousand people live there now, in apartments carved out of imperial rooms, with laundry strung between ancient columns and bars trading in the cellars. UNESCO gives the whole complex world heritage status, which makes it a rare monument with residents, postboxes and rubbish collection. At its centre the Peristyle opens as a colonnaded courtyard where people sit on the steps in the evening, and the cathedral of Saint Domnius beside it occupies the emperor's own mausoleum, dedicated to a bishop he is said to have had martyred.
Split airport lies out at Kaštela, a short bus ride west of town, and the ferry port, coach station and railway station sit together at the edge of the old town, which makes onward travel painless. Croatia has been in the euro and inside Schengen for a few years now, so there is no internal frontier from most of Europe, while travellers arriving from further afield now give fingerprints and a photograph at the border instead of collecting a stamp, and an online authorisation for visa exempt nationalities is still being phased in rather than demanded today, so check what applies to your passport before you book. Prices have climbed to match the euro, and high summer fills every room and every boat. Compare flights and hotels along the Dalmatian coast and look hard at the shoulder months, when the same city costs less and breathes.
Where you stay is a straight trade against noise. Inside the palace walls, apartment rentals and small guesthouses put you among the stones and among the late bars, which is the whole bargain. In Varoš, the old fishermen's quarter, guesthouses and boutique hotels climb the lanes just west of the walls. Around Bačvice, mid-range hotels sit above the sandy bay a few minutes east of the ferry port. Further west in Meje, quiet apartments and small hotels spread along the shore under the pines of Marjan.
You will not want a hire car. The old town is pedestrian, parking is miserable, and the point of the place is the water, so what repays booking is ferries, airport transfers, guided tours of the palace and day trips inland. Catamarans and car ferries leave the town port for the Croatian islands offshore, Brač, Hvar, Vis and Šolta, with Korčula further south, and summer sailings sell out, so fix any island hopping the moment your dates are set. Inside Diocletian's Palace itself, one ticket covers the cathedral with its crypt, treasury and the Temple of Jupiter, while the bell tower is sold separately and the vaulted substructures give the clearest sense of the original plan. The tower repays the climb but the stone stairs give way to open metal ones over the void, so skip it if heights bother you. On the mainland, Trogir, the waterfalls of Krka and the fortress at Klis all make easy days out. Check ferry and day trip prices and build the week around sailings.
Season decides how much of the city you actually get. Late spring and September are the sweet spot for weather, prices and crowds; July and August are hot and packed and the ferries run full; winter is quiet and cheap but island services thin out and some of the smaller places shut. The hour matters too. The palace is at its best before the tour groups land and again after dinner, when the stone is lit and the courtyard belongs to whoever is on the steps. Outside the gates the palm-lined Riva runs along the water below the wooded hill of Marjan, and down at Bačvice locals play picigin, a shallow-water ball game, until the light goes. Personally, I would give the palace the early morning, the Riva the evening and a whole separate day to one island rather than three.
Q: Do people really live inside Diocletian's Palace?
A: Yes, around three thousand of them, in homes built into Roman, medieval and Renaissance fabric. It is a working quarter of the city rather than a fenced monument, so the ordinary courtesies apply.
Q: Which Croatian islands can you reach from Split?
A: Brač, Hvar, Vis and Šolta are all served by ferries and catamarans from the town port, with Korčula further south. Book ahead in summer, when sailings sell out.
Q: When is the best time to visit Split?
A: Late spring and September are the sweet spot for weather, prices and crowds. July and August are hot and packed, while winter is quiet with reduced island services.
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