16 Best Sights in Central Dalmatia, Croatia

The main body of this cathedral is the 3rd-century-AD octagonal mausoleum designed as a shrine to Emperor Diocletian, and a peek inside and a trek up to the bell tower are well worth the views. During the 7th century, refugees from Salona converted the space into an early Christian church. Its interior contains a hexagonal Romanesque stone pulpit from the 13th century with rich carvings, and the elegant, 200-foot-tall Romanesque-Gothic bell tower was constructed and reconstructed in stages between the 13th and 20th centuries. Climb to the top of the bell tower (sometimes closed in winter and during bad weather) for a spectacular view of the entire palace, Split, and the surrounding Adriatic Sea.

The home of Split's thriving Old Town, Diocletian's Palace is a marvelous maze of restaurants, cafés, shops, and boutiques, as well as stunning ancient structures. The palace dates back to the late 3rd century AD and originally served as both a luxurious villa and a Roman garrison. Its rectangular shape has two main streets—Dioklecijanova Ulica, which runs north to south, and Poljana Kraljice Jelene, which runs east to west—that divide the palace complex into four quarters. Each of its four walls has a main gate, the largest and most important being the northern Zlatna vrata (Golden Gate), which once opened onto the road to the Roman settlement of Salona. The entrance from the western wall was the Željezna vrata (Iron Gate), and the entrance through the eastern wall was the Srebrena vrata (Silver Gate). The Mjedena vrata (Bronze Gate) on the southern wall directly faces the sea and likely served as an entryway for sailors who docked by it during Roman times. More than 1,000 people still live within the walls, though the number is diminishing as the area becomes more tourism-focused. Hire an experienced private guide who can give you a walking tour in the early morning to experience the history of the palace walls without the crowds.

A 25-minute walk from the Riva, this must-see gallery dedicated to Ivan Meštrović (1883–1962), one of Europe's greatest 20th-century sculptors, is in a tranquil location overlooking the sea and surrounded by extensive gardens. Meštrović originally designed this building as his summer residence during the 1920s and '30s. Some 200 of his sculptural works in wood, marble, stone, and bronze are on display, both indoors and out. The gallery features an open-air café that is frequented by families and children during the day and young locals in the evening. It's a great place to escape the crowded city streets and enjoy a refreshing drink surrounded by a stunning collection of the master's work.

The largest beach area in Split, a 10-minute walk east of the Old Town, has a shallow swimming area and is one of the few sandy beaches on the Dalmatian coast. If you don't mind the crowds, you can rent beach chairs and umbrellas, and you can also enjoy a string of cafés and bars along this stretch of coast. Amenities: food and drink; parking (fee); toilets. Best for: swimming.

At this quieter rocky cove west of Split's Old Town, on the north side of Marjan Hill and a 20-minute drive from Diocletian's Palace, you can engage in a number of sports such as kayaking or tennis (there are courts). Bene is one of a string of beaches and coves dotting the Marjan Hill peninsula. Amenities: food and drink; showers; water sports. Best for: swimming; walking. 

The small chapel of this museum contains a magnificent collection of 20th-century sculptor Ivan Meštrović's work, produced over 40 years, that depicts the life of Christ in a series of bas-relief wood carvings that many consider among his finest work. Viewing the entire series should not be rushed, and it's worth visiting in conjunction with his other works in the Meštrović Gallery, a five-minute walk away.

Occupying a splendid location within the walls of Diocletian's Palace, this museum displays traditional Dalmatian folk costumes and local antique furniture, among other objects that give visitors a look into everyday life in historic Dalmatia.

Formerly the main entrance into Diocletian's Palace, the northern Golden Gate is the most visited of the palace's four gates, and just outside it stands Ivan Meštrović's gigantic bronze statue of Grgur Ninski (Bishop Gregory of Nin). During the 10th century, the bishop campaigned for the use of the Slav language in the Croatian Church, as opposed to Latin, and found himself at odds with Rome. This statue was created in 1929 and first placed on the nearby Peristil, then moved here in 1954. Note the big toe on the left foot, which is considered to be a good luck charm and has been worn gold and smooth through years of rubbing.

Situated on a 3½-km-long (2-mile-long) peninsula covered with pine trees and Mediterranean shrubs, 178-meter (584-foot) Marjan Hill has been a protected nature park since 1964. It's known as the "lungs of the city" because of all its greenery and the fact that locals flock to it on weekends as a nearby recreational area. Stunning views await at the top, with rocky beach areas circling the peninsula. Paths crisscrossing the grounds are suitable for biking and jogging. Eight small churches also dot Marjan Hill, including St. Jerome (sv. Jeronim), which was built in the 15th century into a rock face and includes Renaissance-style stone reliefs on the walls. Beaches on Marjan are more relaxed and offer shade, but there is limited access for cars, which helps preserve the wilderness of the park. Bike rentals and water sports are available.

One of the oldest Croatian museums houses more than 20,000 Croatian archaeological artifacts, only a quarter of which are regularly on display. Among the most interesting exhibits are fine stone carvings decorated with traditional plaitwork designs. In the garden are several stećci, medieval monolithic tombstones. The museum also conducts archaeological excavations in the southern Croatian regions between the Cetina and Zrmanja rivers and has a large collection of cultural and historical guidebooks on early medieval monuments in Croatia.

Split's main city square (also known locally as a pjaca) can be accessed from Diocletian's Palace through the western or Iron Gate. Historically this was an important gathering place for Splićani (people from Split), and it remains so today. In the 15th century, several major public buildings were constructed here: the Town Hall, which today houses a contemporary art gallery, plus the Rector's Palace and a theater. The latter two were sadly demolished by the Hapsburgs in the 19th century. A Secessionist building at the west end of the square stands as a testament to that era. Once the city center of administration, it is now a prime location for kicking your feet up and indulging in one of the many restaurants and cafés that line the white marble square.

From Roman times to the present day, this has been the main public meeting place within the palace walls, featuring a spacious central courtyard flanked by Corinthian marble columns and richly ornamented cornices linked by arches. There are six columns each on the east and west sides and four more at the south end, which mark the monumental entrance to the domed Vestibul. During summer, two costumed Roman guards stand watch on the square and live concerts take place occasionally.

The impressive ruins of the Roman city of Salona, Croatia's largest archaeological park, attract history buffs and anyone interested in seeing the ruins of an ancient forum, temples, towers, and a monumental amphitheater. It can take around an hour to stroll around the fully walkable (if less than perfectly maintained) site if you stop to take photos—and you will. If you visit in summer, bring water and a sun hat, as little shade is offered, though this allows for striking unobstructed views of the surrounding mountains. The sprawling grounds, which grew into the largest city in Dalmatia after Romans captured an existing settlement in the 1st century BC, are said to be the birthplace of Emperor Diocletian. Salona was a powerful city until around AD 614, when Avar and Slav tribes moved in from the north and took over, forcing most of the city's inhabitants (about 60,000 in its heyday) southwest, where they founded Spalato, today's Split. The site is run by a branch of the Split Archaeological Museum. Salona is 8 km (5 miles) northeast of Split’s center, about a 20-minute drive, near the modern town of Solin. Alternatively, the trip takes 30 minutes by bus, with buses departing every 30–60 minutes from the National Theater.

Constructed as a place to worship the Roman god Jupiter under Emperor Diocletian's rule, the temple was later converted into a baptistery by Christians. The entrance is guarded by a black granite sphinx, one of several Diocletian brought to the palace from Egypt and the only one with its head intact. Many of the imported sphinxes (you can see another within the Baptistery) were damaged or destroyed as Christianity became the dominant religion. Inside, beneath the coffered barrel vault and ornamented cornice, the 11th-century baptismal font is adorned with a stone relief showing a medieval Croatian king on his throne. Directly behind it stands a bronze statue of St. John the Baptist, a work by Ivan Meštrović.

The cupola of this domed space would once have been decorated with marble and mosaics, but today there's only a round hole in the top of the dome, though it produces a stunning effect: picture the dark interior, the blue sky or a starlit night above and the tip of the cathedral's bell tower framed in the opening. The Vestibul is at the southern end of the Peristil.

Emanuel Vidović (1870–1953) is acknowledged as one of Split's greatest painters, and in this gallery, you can see his original works as well as a reconstruction of his atelier. One section presents Vidović's paintings of Split landscapes, allowing you to experience the region through an artist's eyes.