Split – Old City Offering Historic Treasure and Contemporary Lifestyle

Split is the second-largest urban area in Croatia and the largest city in Dalmatian region. Located on the coast of Mediterranean Sea, the city is well-known for its historical treasure and variety of water sports. This hundreds of years old city is one of the popular tourist destinations of Croatia.

History:
Split was established with the name of Aspálathos and as a Greek Colony in around 6th century BC. When the Romans became powerful in the region, this Greek colony was renamed as Spalatum. The Roman Emperor Diocletian ordered the construction of his palace in this colony and with this, Spalatum became a known place in the region. In the 5th century AD, the city was captured by the Byzantium Empire.

After the weakening of the empire, Spalatum was captured by a number of powers, including the Venetian Republic, the Croatian rulers, the Hungarian rulers and the Slaves. During the Middle Ages, the city attained an independent status. However, the Venetian Republic again captured the city in the early 15th century and ruled over it till the end of the 18th century. Napoleonic rule followed, after which the city was annexed to the Austrian Empire in the beginning of the 19th century. After the World War I, the city was allocated to Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. Italy occupied the city during World War II, but it was soon liberated due to the defeat of Italy. Split finally became the part of the Socialist Republic of Croatia.  

Popular Places:
Diocletian Palace is the most important tourist destination of Split. The palace, which features in the UNESCO’s World Heritage Site list, is known for offering a mix of gothic and renaissance architecture. Jupiter Temple is another interesting place to visit. Marjan is a small hill located in Split and is also considered as an oasis by some of the people. St. Duje's cathedral and Peristil Square are other places worth visiting. The archaeological museum can also be visited to view the Roman monuments and artefacts.

Getting Around:
Bike tours are popular to get around the city of Split. One can also choose the public bus transport to move from one part to another, a good guide for the buses is to have some small notes and coins handy to pay for your journey.

Places of Entertainment:
Sailing on traditional wooden boats as well as modern yachts is one of the entertaining activities in Split. One can visit the beaches to enjoy sunbathing and variety of water sports like rowing and swimming. Shoes are the best items to be purchased while shopping in Split. Seafood and grilled rolls are specialties of the restaurants in the city.

Accommodation Options:
Budget hotels as well as luxurious hotels can be found in Split. One can also find private apartments, bed & breakfast, inns, vacation houses, guesthouse, motels, youth hostels and villas for a comfortable stay.

Currency:
The official currency of Split is Kuna and one Kuna equals 100 Lipa. The 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50 Lipa coins, and 1, 2, 5 and 25 Kuna coins, along with 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, 500 and 1,000 Kuna notes can be found. Foreign currency can be exchanged with Kuna at various banks and kiosks in the city.  

Split group accommodation | Cheap hostels & budget hotels