ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ. Oh is it time for me to write about Split,Croatia? Oh well. Not everyplace can be a paradise. I wasn’t very impressed with Split. Actually, I didn’t like it much at all. I found it overpriced and “touristy”. My issue, as with many cruise ports, is there just isn’t much to do outside of expensive excursions. A city should have it’s own character that makes people want to stay there. Not go hours away. Split really believes it’s a prime tourist location. It’s not. The beaches are man made and crowded, the food is marginal, and the crowds are unbearable at times. Not a place I would want to “vacation”. Compared to it’s more popular sister city to the south, Dubrovnik, Split fails to provide anything but a couple day stopover on your way somewhere else. If that.
Split does offer a few cool photography opportunities and views. Particularly anything that has something to do with the centerpiece of Split. Diocletian’s Palace. It can’t all be bad right? Remove the palace and you have……………………………man made beaches…………………..techno clubs………………………………overcooked fish……………………………EXCURSIONS!!!!!!!
Welcome to Split Croatia. The least Croatian place in Croatia.
Cathedral Saint Domnius in Split with the moon in back. This was taken during twilight hour causing a purple cast to cover the city. One of my favorite times of day. My favorite photo of the visit.
A small model of Split outside of Diocletian’s Palace on the promenade. Ala Game of Thrones (everyone is contractually obligated to mention the show at least once when referring to Croatia). Interestingly enough this is the best view of the city.
One aspect of Split that is nice is how well preserved the Old Town area is. This seems to be a staple in Croatia as they take their culture and history pretty seriously. This is the view from the Vestibule Tower in Split Croatia. The roofs of an inn and the Ethnographic museum.
Inside the Vestibule from below in Split, Croatia. Several times a day you can listen to a quartet singing traditional croatian folk songs. The acoustics here are magnificent.
Vestibule from the top. You can get here by going through the Ethnographic Museum. Good views of the city from here and not many people know about it.
One cool aspect about Split is that locals know it’s overpriced. So they buy drinks from the stores and sit here all night. Great place to interact with locals on the cheap. It was about half young locals and half tourist. Several nights out start here.
The Church of St.Andrew de Fenestris in the Imperial Residence. Also part of the Ethnographic Museum. Once a church housed in the imperial residence. Damaged by sacks and sieges. What remains is displayed here.
DON’T WASTE YOUR MONEY!!! This is it. Temple of Jupiter and later St.Johns Church. Pretty much what you get. Not worth seeing at all. I was a bit annoyed once I got in.
Gay Pride is everywhere in Split. While there I happened upon a Gay Pride Rally. The rally had about 20 participants. The police presence? About 100 in full riot gear. Was interesting to see. I spoke with one of the officers who said they had huge problems in the past so they were taking precautions. I found the Balkans in general to be particularly anti gay. Times are changing from what i’ve been told. The younger generation is more open minded.
Under Diocletian’s Palace are several over priced vendors hawking the traditional tourist garbage you expect. However, there were a few very good artist there selling their work. Worth a quick walk through.
Split is a major coastal port for Dalmatia. You can sit on the rocks and what ships of all sizes sail the Adriatic. One thing I couldn’t find was a fish market on the water. Maybe I wasn’t looking hard enough but the locals didn’t seem to know if there was one either.
Sculpture of Gregorious of Nin at night is quite impressive at night. Gregorius was a pioneer in Christianity, being one of the first to introduce the national language into his services allowing for better understanding and adoption.
The walls surrounding the old town are very well maintained for their age. I found this shot cool as it shows the old and new facades side by side. Split is definitely trying to be progressive while maintaining their history.
AHHHHHH Cruise ships. My love/hate relationship continues. The crowds flowing off these ships transforms this city instantly. Hawkers become more aggressive, prices go up, and tempers become shortened. Split is a prime example of bad tourism.
These delicious little balls saved my night. After a particularly underwhelming meal these fried balls of sin made my night. Basically little pancake balls covered in chocolate or strawberry sauce. You just can;t go wrong with SUGAR on top of SUGAR at midnight. Well played Split!!!
Inside Diocletian’s Palace was definitely a highlight. As a location for Game of Thrones, it offers visitors not only a glimpse into that world but of the Roman empires as well. Greatly preserved over the ages despite constant regional turmoil, the palace is definitely worth a visit. Skip the tours and wander on your own. The area is free with certain parts being open for a small fee. While there half the palace was shut down for a fashion show so I didn’t have a chance to tour it all. What I did see was impressive.
I really did enjoy the intricacies of the architecture in Split. Great care has been taken to preserve the detail of this city. You can see this clock tower from the city center where many restaurants and shops are housed. If there is one thing in the city that’s worth seeing beyond Diocletian’s palace, it’s the old town architecture.
I’ll close with this as it sums up . Guess what’s under the water those people are in? CONCRETE. Yup. beautifully man made. I decided not to wade into the waters on this side but checked out the one directly adjacent and was not impressed at all. This was mid day. As we left the waves of tourist rolled in.
Split Croatia is BORING and EXPENSIVE. If you plan to get trashed every night and sleep through the day then you’ll be fine here. Unless your cruise itinerary forced you to visit skip it all together. With Dubrovnik and Hvar so close there is no point.
