How many days is enough for Split?
It’s easy to spend a week in Split, as it’s the best base from which to explore nearby national parks, historical towns, and islands.
We last spent a week exploring Split and its surroundings, but in general, we think spending three to five days in Split is the perfect time.
Three to five days in Split allow you to see the city’s highlights, like Diocletian’s Palace, but also venture outside and see lots more on many fun day trips.
- 3 days Split Itinerary: highlights in and around Split
- 4 days Split Itinerary: highlights, island-hopping, fun outdoor activities
- 5 days Split Itinerary: perfect time to do everything (highlights, day trips, and relaxing)
Split Itinerary for First Timers
Day 1: Diocletian’s Palace and highlights of Split
Start your first full day in Split with an early morning wake-up and explore Diocletian’s Palace, the highlight and must-visit attraction in Split.
Diocletian’s Palace is one of the best-preserved Roman complexes of its kind in the world, and houses many ancient buildings and artifacts.
It takes a few hours to see Diocletian’s Palace attractions, venture through Golden or Silver Gate to the Green Market (Pazar), and walk along the Riva promenade.
Places to see in Diocletian’s Palace: Church of St. Domnius Cathedral and Bell Tower, Cellars of Diocletian’s Palace, Peristil (the main square), Jupiter’s Temple, and the Gates of the Palace.
Plan your visit to Split’s Diocletian Palace in more detail by reading our Guide to Must-Do Things in Split, where we describe everything to see and do, with practical travel tips to make the most of your visit.
We highly recommend starting your day early so you can see the palace, especially Peristil, the main square, without crowds.
We came just after sunrise on a particularly busy day in Split, and had the place empty for some time. When we returned from walking up the bell tower and checking out the cellars, it was packed!
Best Walking Tour of Split
There are so many great walking tours in Split, but we recommend this one. It’s run in small groups, so you don’t feel too lost in the crowd.
Additionally, local tour guides on this tour have a Master’s degree in History (Magistar/Magister as we say it in Croatian), ensuring you get the correct information. Plus, a bit of local history only locals know.
If you want to explore as soon as light comes, but don’t want to travel to the Old Town, we recommend staying there. Vestibul Palace is a fantastic hotel right in the heart of Diocletian’s Palace with easy access to all attractions.
Plus, you can have an early breakfast right there before heading out to see the attractions.
Klis Fortress
Continuing the day after visiting Diocletian’s Palace, head out from the city to Klis Fortress, one of the most important defensive structures in the area.
Klis Fortress was built during medieval times and is one of the top places to visit in Split to see the history that spans over 2000 years.
It served as a stronghold against the Ottomans and the Mongols. Plus, it’s one of the famous Game of Thrones filming sites (the city of Meereen).
Its location atop a limestone cliff gives you panoramic views of Split and the sea, while inside you can observe historical weaponry, armor, and archeological finds.
How to get to Klis Fortress: Take bus number 22 (SPLIT – KLIS) to Klis Fortress from HNK (Croatian National Theater). Otherwise, getting an Uber there costs about 15 EUR and is most convenient.
Local tip: Klis Fortress ticket includes free entry to the Olive Museum at Stella Croatica.
Marjan Hill viewpoint
After exploring Klis Fortress, return to the city, walk up Marjan Hill, and visit one of the viewpoints overlooking Split.
Local tip: Going to Marjan Hill is best in the afternoon. That’s why, according to our itinerary, you’ll arrive there sometime in the afternoon. In the morning, you face the sun directly, as the viewpoint looks towards the east.
If you’re short on time and don’t want to walk far, don’t worry. Simply walk up to Prva Vidilica Na Marjanu viewpoint (meaning First Viewpoint on Marjan), which offers top views with less walking.
It’s only about a 15-minute walk from the Riva. But it offers excellent views of the Riva, harbor, and the rest of Split.
Sunset Cruise
Depending on the time you’re at Marjan Hill, you can watch the sunset there or, as we recommend, depart the city’s port for a nice sunset cruise.
There are many to choose from, but our favorite is the Sunset Cruise with Live Music. It’s the perfect way to finish your day of exploring Split in style!
You get to cruise for about two hours along the Split coastline, especially around Marjan hill towards Kaštela Bay, with unlimited soft drinks, wine, sparkling wine, and beer.
This cruise is family-friendly and is a more laid-back version of the standard party cruises.
However, if you’d rather finish your first day in Split with a party, we recommend booking the Blue Lagoon Sunset Boat Party – the biggest and best sunset party boat in Split.
Read our Split’s Best Boat Tours guide (7 best options) to find a complete list of the best boat trips.
Day 2: Island-Hopping
Split is perfectly located for easy access to some of Dalmatia’s best islands, such as Hvar, Brač, and Vis.
So, after a full day exploring Split’s city attractions and sights, the second day of your trip is perfect for island-hopping.
While you can island-hop by ferry, we recommend a full day out at sea aboard the Blue Cave Island Hopping Tour.
We went on this exact tour and visited the breathtaking Blue Cave on Biševo Island near Vis Island (known for the filming of Mamma Mia), but also stopped in beautiful Hvar, one of our favorite islands in Croatia.
If you only want to do one boat trip in Split and want to see some cool stuff at the nearby beautiful islands, this is the tour to book.
Alternatively, if you want more time for swimming and are not interested in seeing the Blue Cave, our top pick is the All-Inclusive Four Islands Tour aboard a large catamaran.
In addition to breakfast and lunch, the trip includes free drinks and snacks throughout the day.
It’s focused on sailing around the islands, with great swim stops in between. However, the trip’s highlight is a visit to Hvar Island, where a guided tour is included in the price.
Day 3: Plitvice Day Trip
To finish off the ideal 3 day trip in Split, you should visit one of Croatia’s most famous attractions, the breathtaking Plitvice Lakes National Park.
Plitvice Lakes are famous for a reason. The natural landscape is incredibly unique and something we love seeing at all times of the year, spring, summer, autumn, or even winter.
It’s a three-hour drive one way, so it’s going to be a long day, but it’s absolutely worth it!
We recommend planning your trip to Plitvice in more detail with our Plitvice Lakes Travel Guide. We provide all the important visiting information, including tickets, opening hours, special seasonal specifics, the best things to see, and the best routes.
How to visit Plitvice Lakes from Split
A tour is the most common way to visit Plitvice from Split, but you can also organize it yourself by renting a car or booking an early bus there and a late bus back.
Tour-wise, we recommend the guided Plitvice tour if you want a guide at the spot. However, if you want to explore the national park by yourself, our favorite is the Self-Guided Plitvice Trip, which includes return transport.
Self-organized trip: Book your car rental or bus to Plitvice.
Day 4: Activities or Krka Day Trip
For day four of your Split trip, we recommend deciding between a day trip to Krka National Park or some fun outdoor activities like ziplining, river rafting/kayaking, and ATV or horse riding.
- Must-read: Krka Guide and Most Fun Split Activities
Krka National Park
After Plitvice, our next choice for a day trip from Split is the Krka National Park, just an hour and a half drive north, right next to the city of Šibenik.
We loved visiting Krka, especially the famous Skradinski Buk (its largest waterfall), and walking the various trails around the park. It’s such a pretty spot.
How to visit Krka National Park from Split
Instead of a classic day tour to Krka, we suggest the E-Bike Krka Tour, which takes a scenic trail around the park and visits spots not many tourists go to.
The starting point is Skradin town, which you can reach by bus in 1.5 hours or by rental car.
However, if you only want to see the highlights, our top choice for a Krka trip is this Krka Combo Tour.
We like this tour because, in the summer, you finish the trip with a stop at Primošten, another beautiful seaside town. Otherwise, in spring and autumn, the tour stops in Šibenik, a historical city and a somewhat hidden gem of Dalmatia.
Outdoor Activities
We can’t emphasize enough how great Split is as a base in Croatia. In addition to all the cool day trips, you can do countless fun activities.
A simple, fun, but more adventurous way to explore Split’s area is by sea kayaking. Our favorite Sea Kayaking tour combines sea kayaking with river kayaking (a really cool experience).
The best place for outdoor adventures in Split is the Cetina River, a famous location for adventure activities in Croatia.
We recommend this river rafting tour, which is not too difficult, and lasts about four hours. Alternatively, the Canyoning Cetina Experience is a fun way to spend a few hours
Local tip: While there is a lot to do at sea and by the coast, a whole other part of Dalmatia (the backcountry) is less explored but quite picturesque and interesting to visit.
The best way to explore the countryside around Split is by Quad or ATV. We recommend this quad riding tour, which lasts about four hours on new, safe quads.
Day 5: Beach Time or Dubrovnik Day Trip
The fifth and final day of our Split itinerary is when you can choose to lounge at the beach or do one more day trip, this time to Dubrovnik, one of Croatia’s most stunning places.
For beach time, our favorite place in Split is Kašjuni Beach, which is easily reachable from Old Town and also very scenic.
Dubrovnik, on the other hand, with its ancient city walls and stunning architecture in the Old Town, is an unmissable destination in Croatia, about three hours south of Split.
Going on a day trip to Dubrovnik from Split will be a long day. However, if you can’t dedicate more time but don’t want to miss out on Dubrovnik (you shouldn’t!), it’s totally worth going on this day trip.
We highly recommend reading our Dubrovnik One Day Itinerary to plan a perfectly optimized day of exploring this fascinating spot.
How to visit Dubrovnik from Split
You can drive the three hours to Dubrovnik by rental car along the scenic coastal road past Omiš, Makarska, and Drvenik. We absolutely loved driving this road!
Alternatively, take one of the early buses from Split to Dubrovnik and then a late one back.
If you’d rather join a guided tour, our favorite is the Dubrovnik Day Tour.
It’s perfect because you have enough time to walk the famous city walls, stroll along the streets of Old Town, and visit amazing attractions like the Franciscan Church and the oldest still-functioning pharmacy in Europe (opened in 1317!).
Must-read
Where to stay in Split
Now that you hopefully have your days planned, we’d love to recommend some of the best hotels we hand-picked for staying in Split.
- Budget: Old Town Hostel
- Mid-range: Malena Palace Experience
- Luxury: Vestibul Palace
We highly recommend reading our Where to Stay in Split guide to find the best area and hotel within your budget.
Where to eat in Split
Considered the heart of the Dalmatian coast, Split’s food is characterized as, well, very much Dalmatian. It highlights fresh ingredients, a lot of seafood, vegetables, decadent desserts, and, of course, lots of olive oil.
A wonderful restaurant and one of the absolute best ones in Split is Fig (number 5 on Tripadvisor), located right in the heart of Diocletian’s Palace, steps away from the Peristil.
We haven’t yet had a chance to eat there, but we did eat at Fig Hvar, their original location on the island of Hvar. They have superb food with lots of veggie options!
Speaking of veggie options, finding vegetarian and vegan options in Split is not an issue, since Dalmatian cuisine incorporates a lot of vegetables in its dishes. Pandora Greenbox and UpCafe are examples of great vegan places.
Thank you for reading our Split Itinerary. We hope we helped you plan your trip! If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment below 🥰 And make sure to read our other Split and Croatia guides.
