Split is the only city I know where people hang their washing out of a Roman emperor’s retirement home. Diocletian built his palace here more than 1,700 years ago, and instead of fencing it off as a museum, the city simply moved in. There are cafes between the columns, flats built into the walls, a cathedral in his mausoleum and a souvenir market in his basement. It’s chaotic, a bit ridiculous, and I love it for exactly that reason.
This walk strings the whole lot together in one long, easy day. You start at Pazar, the green market by the Silver Gate, loop round to the Golden Gate and Gregory of Nin’s famously shiny toe, then work through the Peristyle, the cathedral, the Temple of Jupiter and the cellars underneath it all. After that it’s out onto the Riva, through the medieval squares west of the palace, past the fish market to Prokurative and into Veli Varoš, the old fishermen’s quarter. The finish is a stair climb up Marjan Hill for the view that makes sense of everything below. It’s only about 3.5km, but you’ll stop every five minutes, so give it the day.
A bit of admin first. The cathedral complex, the bell tower and the cellars all need tickets, and if you want the stories behind the stones, it’s worth sorting Diocletian’s Palace tours and cellar tickets on GetYourGuide before you arrive (the palace fills up fast in July and August once the cruise ships are in). Flying in? Split Airport sits 20-odd kilometres west near Trogir, so a pre-booked airport transfer into Split saves you wrestling with bus timetables when you could already be eating burek. And if Split is one stop on a bigger trip, our Croatia travel guide hub covers the rest of the country.
This article may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through these links, we earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. This helps fund the site and keeps our guides free. See our full affiliate disclosure for details.
Split, Croatia Walking Tour: Quick Facts at a Glance
- Start point: Pazar green market by the Silver Gate, 5 to 10 minutes' walk from the bus station, train station and ferry port
- End point: Vidilica viewpoint on Marjan Hill, above the lanes of Veli Varoš
- Distance: About 3.5km (2.2 miles) on foot. Add roughly 2km if you push on to Telegrin and back
- Walking time: 6 to 7 hours with proper stops. Split doesn't reward rushing
- Areas covered: Diocletian's Palace, the Riva, the medieval squares west of the palace, Marmontova, Matejuška, Veli Varoš and Marjan
- Best for: First-timers, history fans, Game of Thrones fans and anyone with a day in Split either side of the islands
- Best time to go: May to June or September to October. July and August are hot and very busy
- Difficulty: Easy until the end. Flat, polished stone through the palace, then a staircase climb up Marjan to finish
- Main sights: Pazar, the Golden Gate, Gregory of Nin, the Peristyle, the Cathedral of St Domnius, the Temple of Jupiter, Diocletian's Cellars, the Riva, Pjaca, the Fish Market, Prokurative, Matejuška, Marjan
- Tickets needed: The cathedral complex ticket and a separate ticket for the cellars' side halls. Everything else on the route is free
- Food stops: Burek or soparnik by Pazar, coffee on the Riva, dinner at a konoba in Varoš
- Map: Free Google Map, further down this article
Split Walking Tour
A quick word on timing. Get to Pazar for about 8:30am and the day falls into place: the palace before the tour groups, the bell tower before the heat, a long lunch, the western squares in the afternoon and Marjan as the light softens. The only real climb comes right at the end, which is either cruel or kind depending on your legs. You won’t need a bus or a taxi at any point. One summer catch, though: the sun doesn’t set until after 8pm, so either take a very lazy lunch or nip over to Bačvice beach for a swim before you tackle Varoš and Marjan.
Stop 1: Pazar Green Market & the Silver Gate
Distance from last stop: None, this is where you start. Pazar runs along the east wall of the palace, 5 to 10 minutes’ walk from the bus station, train station and ferry port. Time to spend: 30 to 45 minutes.
Start where Split does its morning shopping. Pazar stretches along the eastern wall of the palace, right outside the Silver Gate, and it’s been the city’s main market for centuries: farmers from the hills selling tomatoes, figs, cheese, honey, dried lavender and armfuls of chard, with the odd stall of sunhats and phone cases wedged in between. Get here early, ideally before 9am, while the sellers are still setting up and the cafes on the edge are full of locals rather than tour groups. The Silver Gate itself is the plainest of the palace’s four gates, and it spent centuries bricked up until a Baroque church built against it was knocked down in 1952. Walk through and you’re on the old Roman Decumanus with the Peristyle a couple of minutes ahead, but don’t go that way yet.
Things to do:
- Wander the stalls and pick up whatever fruit is in season
- Grab a burek or a slice of soparnik from a bakery nearby for breakfast
- Have a coffee at one of the market cafes, where the sellers start their day
- Look at the Silver Gate from the market side before you head round the walls
Where to Stay in Split
Stop 2: The Golden Gate & Gregory of Nin
Distance from last stop: About 300m, roughly 5 minutes north along the outside of the east wall. Time to spend: 15 to 20 minutes.
Follow the walls round to the north side and you’ll reach the Golden Gate, the grandest of the four, built as the emperor’s main entrance on the road from Salona. It was blocked for centuries too, and only opened again in 1857 after the houses stacked against the north wall came down. Right outside stands Gregory of Nin, an 8.5-metre bronze bishop by Ivan Meštrović, finger raised like he’s about to tell you off. Gregory was a 10th-century bishop of Nin who pushed for church services in Croatian instead of Latin, which turned him into a national hero centuries later. Plenty of visitors call him Gandalf, and fair enough.
Things to do:
- Rub Gregory’s big toe for luck (it’s the shiny one, you can’t miss it)
- Look at the empty niches on the Golden Gate that once held statues
- Spot the Roman brick and stone in the walls either side of the gate
- Sit in the shade of Đardin, the little park next to the statue, for five minutes
Stop 3: The Peristyle & the Vestibule
Distance from last stop: About 150m, roughly 2 to 3 minutes south through the Golden Gate along the old Roman Cardo. Time to spend: 30 to 45 minutes.
Walk through the gate and straight down the main street and it opens out into the Peristyle, the ceremonial courtyard at the centre of the palace. Red granite columns, arches, a cathedral on one side and people drinking coffee on the old stone steps. This is where Diocletian presented himself to his subjects as the living son of Jupiter, and it’s now where half of Split arranges to meet. Look for the black granite sphinx between the columns near the cathedral: it dates from around the 15th century BC, was one of twelve brought from Egypt for the palace, and is the only one still in one piece. At the south end, up a few steps, is the Vestibule, a round hall with its dome open to the sky that was once the formal way into the emperor’s private rooms.
Things to do:
- Find the sphinx (and remember it, because its headless cousin turns up at Stop 5)
- Grab a coffee on the Peristyle steps and watch the square go by
- Stand in the middle of the Vestibule and look straight up through the open dome
- In summer, be back here at noon for the changing of Diocletian’s Roman guard, which runs from late May to late September
Stop 4: The Cathedral of St Domnius & the Bell Tower
Distance from last stop: About 30m, it’s right on the Peristyle. Time to spend: 45 minutes to 1 hour 15, depending on the bell tower climb.
The cathedral is the octagonal building on the east side of the Peristyle, and it started life as Diocletian’s own mausoleum. Around the 7th century it was turned into a church, which makes it the oldest Catholic cathedral still in use in its original structure. Inside it’s small, round and dark, with a domed ceiling and a carved frieze where you can still pick out Diocletian and his wife. Have a proper look at the main doors on the way in, carved in walnut by a local sculptor, Andrija Buvina. Then there’s the bell tower, 57 metres of stone that took from the 13th century to roughly the mid-1500s to finish and was heavily rebuilt around the turn of the 20th century.
Things to do:
- Buy the combined ticket and see the cathedral, crypt, treasury and bell tower in one go
- Climb the bell tower for the best view over the palace roofs (the open stairs near the top are not for anyone wobbly with heights)
- Head down to the crypt of St Lucy, directly under the cathedral
- Find the 6th-century Gospel Book of St Domnius in the treasury
- Cover your shoulders and knees, it’s a working church
Stop 5: The Temple of Jupiter & "Let Me Pass" Street
Distance from last stop: About 80m, a minute or two west across the Peristyle and down a narrow lane. Time to spend: 15 to 20 minutes.
Cross back over the Peristyle and duck down the narrow lane on the far side to find the Temple of Jupiter, a small Roman temple built at the same time as the palace. Diocletian liked to present himself as Jupiter’s son, so keeping the god close made sense. Christians later turned it into a baptistery dedicated to St John, and there’s a big bronze St John the Baptist inside by Meštrović (him again). The ceiling is the real treat, though: a barrel vault made of stone panels where every single one has a different carving. Out front sits another Egyptian sphinx, this one missing its head.
Things to do:
- Look up at the vaulted ceiling and try to find two panels the same (good luck)
- Compare the headless sphinx outside with the one on the Peristyle
- Use your cathedral combo ticket, it covers the temple too
- Squeeze down the tiny alley right next door
Stop 6: Diocletian's Cellars & the Bronze Gate
Distance from last stop: About 150m, roughly 2 minutes back to the Peristyle and down the steps under the Vestibule. Time to spend: 30 to 45 minutes, longer for Game of Thrones fans.
Head back to the Peristyle and take the steps down beneath the Vestibule into the cellars, the palace’s huge basement. The Romans built them to raise the emperor’s apartments above the ground sloping down to the sea, so the halls copy the rooms that once stood above them, which is how historians worked out what Diocletian’s private quarters looked like. For centuries the families living upstairs used them as a rubbish pit, tipping waste through holes in their floors, and they stayed buried in rubble until clearing began in the mid-1800s. The eastern halls only opened to the public in 1995. The central passage is free and lined with souvenir stalls, while the quieter side halls need a ticket.
Things to do:
- Walk the central hall from the Peristyle steps right through to the Bronze Gate
- Buy a ticket for the side halls, which are far more atmospheric than the shopping corridor
- Hunt down the big hall that played the dragons’ dungeon
- Book a guided Game of Thrones and palace tour if you want the filming stories
- Pop back up for the noon guard change on the Peristyle if your timing works
That's the palace done, more or less. Walk out through the Bronze Gate, the old sea entrance where boats once unloaded goods straight into the basement, and you're on the waterfront.
Stop 7: The Riva
Distance from last stop: About 250m, roughly 3 to 4 minutes from the west end of the Riva through the arch by the Venetian tower. Time to spend: 30 minutes.
At the western end of the Riva, slip through the arched passage by the octagonal Venetian tower and you’re in Fruit Square. Nobody calls it by its official name, Trg braće Radića, because for years this was where the fruit market was held. It’s small and very pretty, with the 15th-century tower, the Baroque Milesi Palace and a Meštrović statue of Marko Marulić, the Split-born writer known as the father of Croatian literature. A minute north is Pjaca, or People’s Square, which became the heart of the medieval town once Split spread beyond the palace walls. The old town hall with its Gothic arches is here, and on the east side is the Iron Gate, the palace’s western entrance.
Things to do:
- Find Marulić’s statue in front of the Milesi Palace
- Look for the two crosses etched into the stone of the arched passage by the Venetian tower
- Stand in Pjaca and look up at the clock above the Iron Gate
- Climb the stone steps by the gate for a closer look at the bell tower above it
Stop 8: Fruit Square, Pjaca & the Iron Gate
Distance from last stop: About 250m to the fish market, roughly 4 minutes west from Pjaca, then around 350m (5 minutes) down Marmontova to Prokurative. Time to spend: 30 to 45 minutes.
From Pjaca, head west towards Marmontova, the wide shopping street named after that same French marshal, and you’ll smell Peškarija, the fish market, before you see it. Split’s fishmongers have been selling the catch in this iron-and-stone hall since 1890, mostly sardines, anchovies, squid, sea bream and mackerel, plus the odd lobster for anyone feeling flush. Then stroll down Marmontova towards the sea and turn right into Prokurative, officially Republic Square. The mayor Antonio Bajamonti got it going in the mid-1800s with Venice’s St Mark’s Square in mind, so you get red neo-Renaissance arcades on three sides and a fourth side left open to the harbour. In summer it’s a stage for concerts and the Split music festival, and the rest of the year it’s quiet enough for kids to kick a ball about.
Things to do:
- See the catch at Peškarija, which packs up around 1pm (if you’re running late, nip over first thing before Pazar, it’s 10 minutes across the old town)
- Peek at the old sulphur spa building right next door
- Browse Marmontova, Split’s main shopping street
- Grab a seat under the arcades at Prokurative and look out over the harbour
Stop 9: The Fish Market & Prokurative
Distance from last stop: About 300m, roughly 5 minutes west along the harbour to Matejuška, then uphill into the lanes of Varoš. Time to spend: 45 minutes to 1 hour, longer if you stop to eat.
Keep walking west along the water and you reach Matejuška, a tiny fishermen’s harbour where small boats still bob, nets dry on the quay and a giant fish hook honours the men who sailed from here. For centuries this was where the fishermen of Veli Varoš kept their boats, and it’s still where locals gather on the pier in the evening, looking straight back across the bay at the Riva. Then turn uphill into Varoš itself, one of Split’s oldest suburbs, built outside the walls by fishermen and farmers. It feels like a village after the palace: steep lanes, stone cottages with outside staircases, washing lines, pots of basil and hardly a tour group in sight. Look out for St Nicholas (Sveti Mikula), an early Romanesque church whose dome sits on four columns borrowed from Diocletian’s palace.
Things to do:
- Walk out on the Matejuška pier for the view back over the harbour to the palace
- Find the fish hook monument to Split’s fishermen
- Get properly lost in the lanes of Varoš (it’s small, you’ll find your way out)
- Track down the church of St Nicholas, usually only open on his feast day, 6 December
- Line up dinner at a Varoš konoba for after Marjan
Stop 10: Matejuška & Veli Varoš
Distance from last stop: About 300m, roughly 5 minutes west along the harbour to Matejuška, then uphill into the lanes of Varoš. Time to spend: 45 minutes to 1 hour, longer if you stop to eat.
Keep walking west along the water and you reach Matejuška, a tiny fishermen’s harbour where small boats still bob, nets dry on the quay and a giant fish hook honours the men who sailed from here. For centuries this was where the fishermen of Veli Varoš kept their boats, and it’s still where locals gather on the pier in the evening, looking straight back across the bay at the Riva. Then turn uphill into Varoš itself, one of Split’s oldest suburbs, built outside the walls by fishermen and farmers. It feels like a village after the palace: steep lanes, stone cottages with outside staircases, washing lines, pots of basil and hardly a tour group in sight. Look out for St Nicholas (Sveti Mikula), an early Romanesque church whose dome sits on four columns borrowed from Diocletian’s palace.
Things to do:
- Walk out on the Matejuška pier for the view back over the harbour to the palace
- Find the fish hook monument to Split’s fishermen
- Get properly lost in the lanes of Varoš (it’s small, you’ll find your way out)
- Track down the church of St Nicholas, usually only open on his feast day, 6 December
- Line up dinner at a Varoš konoba for after Marjan
Stop 11: Marjan Hill: Vidilica & the Old Jewish Cemetery (Finish)
Distance from last stop: About 400m, roughly 10 to 15 minutes up the stone staircases from the top of Varoš. Time to spend: 45 minutes to 1.5 hours, longer if you carry on to Telegrin.
The last stretch goes up: follow the signs for Marjan from the top of Varoš and take the stone stairs, built in the 1920s to get the city up its favourite hill, to Vidilica, the first viewpoint. The cafe there sits in the old cemetery mortuary (nicer than it sounds, I promise), and the terrace looks down over Varoš, the palace, the harbour and the islands beyond. Right next door is the Old Jewish Cemetery, founded in 1573, with more than 700 graves under the pines and a last burial in 1945. Marjan itself is the forested hump at the end of the peninsula, protected since 1964, and it’s where Split comes to run, walk and get away from the crowds. Stay for the evening light if you can, because this is where the whole day clicks into place.
Things to do:
- Get a drink on the Vidilica terrace and pick out every stop from today
- Walk quietly through the Old Jewish Cemetery next door
- Carry on up 314 steps to Telegrin, Marjan’s 178-metre summit, if your legs still have anything left
- Wander back down through Varoš for dinner
Not sure where to go next?
Take our 60-second quiz — 7 questions, 21 destinations, one perfect match.
Recommended Tours and Tickets From Get Your Guide
Grab the Map
Grab the map and follow along
Every stop from this guide, pinned in Google Maps. No sign-up, no email, totally free. We don't gatekeep here.
- Every stop pinned
- Works on your phone
- No account needed
Lost it later? In the Google Maps app, tap You, then Maps, and it'll be waiting for you.
– Add the map to your Google Maps app.
After opening Google maps, click YOU and then scroll down to MAPS. It should be located there. Any issues, just get it touch, it’s no problem!
Where To Stay For This Split Walking Tour
Split’s centre is compact, so anywhere central keeps you within 15 minutes’ walk of this route. The real choice is atmosphere against a good night’s sleep: inside the palace is magical but noisy, while the quieter neighbourhoods ask for a few more steps. Our Split travel guide goes deeper on the neighbourhoods if you’re still deciding.
Inside Diocletian’s Palace: Hotel Vestibul Palace, stitched together from old palaces right beside the Vestibule, is the splurge pick. Hotel Peristil, tucked behind the cathedral just inside the Silver Gate, is the more affordable way to wake up inside a Roman palace, and the family-run Heritage Hotel Antique Split is another good shout. Bear in mind that cars can’t get in, the bars stay lively late in summer and you’ll be dragging your case over polished stone.
Just outside the walls: Cornaro Hotel sits at the foot of the palace walls on the north side, close to the Golden Gate. You’re two minutes from everything but a touch removed from the late-night noise, which suits couples and light sleepers.
Veli Varoš: My pick for a longer stay. Lots of apartments in old stone cottages, proper konobas on the doorstep, Matejuška for sunset and Marjan right behind you. Expect steps, and plenty of them.
Bačvice: Hotel Park, Split’s oldest hotel, opened in 1921 and looks out over Bačvice bay, about 10 minutes’ walk east of the walls. Ideal if you want beach time built into your stay.
Near the port and bus station: The practical choice for early ferries and buses, with a spread of hostels, guesthouses and budget rooms within a few minutes of the palace. Less charm, but you’ll never miss a catamaran.
Pit Stops & Side Detours
Split is the jumping-off point for half of Dalmatia, and some of the best bits sit a short ride out of town. If you’ve got an extra day or two, these are the ones I’d add, but keep them for separate days because this walk fills one on its own.
- Telegrin and the Marjan trails: From Vidilica, 314 steps climb to Telegrin, the top of Marjan, with views over the islands and the mountains inland. Keep going and the paths wind past old chapels down to beaches on the far side, including Kašjuni and Bene.
- Meštrović Gallery: The sculptor’s former villa on Marjan’s southern side, full of his work. After a day of bumping into his statues all over town, it’s a nice way to meet the man himself.
- Bačvice and picigin: Split’s sandy, shallow town beach is about 10 minutes east of the Riva, and it’s where picigin was born in the early 20th century: a game of keeping a small ball out of the water with flashy dives in barely knee-deep sea. The die-hards play all year, New Year’s Day included. Our guide to Croatia’s best beaches has more.
- Klis Fortress: A dramatic hilltop fortress a short drive inland, and another Game of Thrones filming location.
- Salona (Solin): The ruins of the Roman city where Diocletian was born, and where the people who first moved into his palace fled from in the 7th century.
- Trogir: A tiny walled island town around half an hour west, near the airport. Our round-up of UNESCO sites in Croatia covers it alongside Split.
- Krka National Park: The waterfalls everyone talks about, about an hour’s drive north. Read our Krka National Park guide first, then book Krka day trips from Split on GetYourGuide if you’d rather not drive. Or compare hire cars on DiscoverCars and do Krka, Trogir and Klis in one go.
- The islands: Hvar, Brač, the Blue Cave and the Blue Lagoon are all doable as day trips by boat. Island-hopping day tours from Split on Viator save you juggling ferry timetables.
- Carrying on down the coast? Our Dubrovnik walking tour and map follows the same format, and the Adriatic Highway road trip links the whole coast from Rijeka down. Heading north into Slovenia instead? Try our Ljubljana walking tour and map.
- Skip: Dinner on the Riva itself. You pay extra for the palm trees and the food rarely matches the view. Walk five minutes into Varoš or the palace lanes instead.
Gear we actually travel with
Passport holders, packing cubes, travel wallets. Stuff that earns its place in the bag.
Browse the shopLocal Eats Worth Chasing
Dalmatian food is simple, seasonal and built around whatever came out of the sea or the garden that morning. Eat your big meal at a konoba rather than a terrace with a palace view, and graze on bakery stuff in between. Our round-up of Croatia’s top culinary experiences has more ideas if you’re planning the trip around food.
- Burek and soparnik: A flaky burek stuffed with cheese or meat from any bakery is breakfast sorted. Soparnik, a thin chard-and-onion pie from the Poljica area just south of Split, is the more local choice, and fresh slices sell out fast.
- Pašticada: Dalmatia’s slow-cooked beef stew, usually served with gnocchi and once saved for feast days. Look for it chalked up on the daily specials boards outside neighbourhood konobas.
- Crni rižot: Black risotto made with cuttlefish ink. Your teeth will go grey, and it’s worth it.
- Gregada: A white fish stew with potatoes and not a tomato in sight, which makes a change on this coast.
- Ćevapi at Kantun Paulina: Grilled minced-meat sausages in soft flatbread from a tiny counter that’s been at it since 1979. The best cheap feed in the old town.
- Villa Spiza: A small, no-frills place in the palace lanes with a handwritten menu that follows the morning market. Seats are few, so expect to wait.
- Konoba Fetivi: A family-run konoba in Varoš, close to Matejuška, known for the day’s catch. Handy for dinner after Marjan.
- Fritule: Little fried doughnuts flavoured with rakija and lemon zest, sold at festivals and the Christmas market.
- House wine: Croatian wine is good and far cheaper than anything imported, so ask for the house red or white.
Walking Tour Essentials
Split is easy on foot, but the heat, the slippery stone and a couple of local rules catch people out. Sort these and the day runs a lot smoother.
- Shoes with grip: Centuries of feet have polished the palace paving to a shine, and it's slippery when it's wet or dusty. Add the Marjan stairs at the end and flip-flops are a bad idea.
- Cover up in the old town: City rules ban walking around the historic centre in swimwear or shirtless, and you can be fined for it. Drinking alcohol in public there is banned too, apart from on bar and cafe terraces. Throw a T-shirt on after the beach.
- Church dress code: Shoulders and knees covered for the cathedral and the churches. A light scarf in your bag sorts it.
- Water and sun: Tap water is safe to drink, so bring a refillable bottle. From June to September, don't go out without a hat and sun cream, especially for the Marjan climb. Our guide to the best time to visit Split covers the hot months and the quieter ones.
- Getting in and out: Airport shuttle buses run from Split Airport to the main bus station by the port in around 30 to 40 minutes. The bus station, train station and ferry port all sit together, a few minutes from Pazar, so compare buses and ferries out of Split on Omio for the next leg. Heading to Dubrovnik by bus? Keep your passport handy, because the road dips through Bosnia and Herzegovina.
- Cards and cash: Croatia uses the euro and cards work almost everywhere, but market stalls and some small konobas still prefer cash.
- Mobile data: You'll want maps, tickets and the odd translation all day. An Airalo eSIM for Croatia sorts that in a couple of minutes, no SIM swapping.
- Pickpockets: Split is very safe, but pickpockets do work the Riva and the palace in peak summer. Our guide to travel theft and scams covers the common tricks.
- Travel insurance: A UK GHIC gets you necessary state healthcare, but it won't cover cancellations, theft or getting you home. I point people towards VisitorsCoverage travel insurance, and our travel insurance hub compares the options.
- Flight delays: If your flight in or out is badly delayed or cancelled, you may be owed money under UK or EU rules, so check if you can claim flight compensation with CompensAIR rather than shrugging it off.
One last thing. If the heat gets silly, flip the order: do the cathedral and the cool cellars in the hottest part of the day, and save the Riva, Varoš and Marjan for the evening, when the city cools down and everyone comes out for a stroll.
Travel Hubs
Recommended Websites and Resources:
- Flights: Find the best deals on Trip.com
- Hotels: Best rates on Booking.com · Best hostels on HostelWorld · Ratings and bargains on TripAdvisor
- Apartments: Affordable rentals on VRBO
- Car hire: Best prices on RentalCars.com
- Travel insurance: VistorsCoverage for worldwide cover · AirHelp for flight delay compensation
- Activities: Tours and skip-the-line tickets on GetYourGuide · Instant mobile tickets on Tiqets
- Trains: Most affordable trains on Trainline · Rail passes on Rail Europe
- Travel eSIMs: Use your mobile phone anywhere worldwide with Airalo
- Need more help planning your trip? Visit our Resources Page to see all the companies we trust and use for our travels
