Cruisie stop in Split, Croatia in May of this year. We usually prefer to explore on your own instead of booking excursions thru the ship. We are interested in seeing Krka Nat. Park. Would love some insight on how we can get there, whether there are taxis at the port we can take there, how long does it take, will there be taxis at the park to take us back, is it worth the ride there or can you suggest other options? It is our first time here. We prefer outdoor activities; churches and museams not so much. We would like to enjoy the beauty of the area.
TIA for all your help!

The Cruise Port is a short walk from the Old Town. Plenty to see and do, but like Dubrovnik the Old Town can get saturated with humanity if there's more than one cruise ship berthed. Split is a much nicer place to be after dark, when al the day trippers and cruisers have disappeared.

Since our time in port is limited, what are the "must do's"?

Have you looked into what to see in the city(s) at all? Since you asked this in two threads about Croatia, I will give a blanket statement about both: "must-dos" vary from person to person. What is a must-do for ME may not be what it would be for YOU.

There is an abundant amount of info on Split (and Dubrovnik) online (start with the Destinations tab at the top of the page) to get an overview of what each city has to offer. Use that against the time you're in port but keep in mind, you will likely have your entire cruise ship (and others) to compete with to see things.

Not sure how long you have in port in Split, but if you really want to see Krka (and doing basic research here is crucial), you would find that it is an approximate 3.5 hour round trip to/from Split to get to the park. Plus time at the park... if you want to take that gamble using public transport, go right ahead. If you want to see how you can get there, please try rometorio.com for options on public transport.

We went to Krka National Park when we were in Split. It was quite a long trip in the tour bus for us, it took about 90mins from memory as it also takes a while for the buses/cars to get down to the parking area (as it is basically a one-way loop). The national park was beautiful but we were there in August and it was very, very busy on the warm day that we were there. Well worth going but makes sure that you have plenty of time to allocate to it so that you're not rushed to get back to your ship.

The one thing you must do is to go to the Roman palace. It is big and overgrown with Split (you'll see) but fascinating. My alternative little visit is to go to Trogir.

We are in port from 7am to 5 pm. That being said, I think 3.5 hrs travel round trip to Krka is probably not worth the travel time. We are not history/museam/art lovers, but would rather see the beauty of the country outdoors. Any suggestions nearby to the port easily reachable via public transportation? Krka sounds right up our alley, but too many concerns about returning to the ship on time. TIA

bilboburgler - Trogir sounds interesting. How would I get there from the port and how long would it take to get there? We are in port from 7am to 5 pm. Thanks!

Travel_Nerd - As I mentioned in my original post in both threads about Croatia, we prefer to do outdoor activities and not so much museams/art/history related sights. What abundance of things are there to do in each city would you recommend that does not involve being transported like cattle from point to point and not being amongs the throngs of tourists. We want to get away from the crowds. Thank you.

Trogir is a 'magnet' for tour groups. During the 'core' hours of 1000-1600 the place will be mobbed. Most of the lanes are quite narrow, and each tour group think they own all the space available.

As an alternative I'd just stay in and wander round Split Old Town and the Riva [promenade].

The problem you'll have in visiting anywhere out of town under your own steam isn't so much getting to places, BUT ensuring you return in time before the ship sails.

Trogir, you catch the bus

https://www.buscroatia.com/split-trogir/

or you catch the passenger ferry

https://www.croatiaferries.com/trogir-split-ferry.htm

This is one time you pay no attention to rome2rio as they lack "granulation".

Yep, Trogir isn't far from Split Airport. But the public buses can be a bit of a 'mare. The route out of Split to Trogir is a major one. The buses fill quickly, the drivers don't appear trained in passenger comfort, and have a timetable schedule to meet. We caught a bendy-bus out to Sollin on that route, full of students, standing only, and were threw all over the place. So if you've got any mobility issues [I haven't], avoid the public buses imho.

Never did it, but the ferry looks a much better option. I think it runs from The Riva [seafront] right in front of the Old Town and waterfront restaurants.

unless i'm reading the schedule wrong, the ferry doesn't run until June.