The majority of tourists only know Split as a jump off point for many of the Dalmatian islands, and generally they don’t reserve much time to look around this beautiful city. But Split offers much more than a ferry port…. It is protected in the north by the Mosor mountain, and in the north west and west by the peaks of Kozjak and Marjan. The Mediterranean climate enables the growth of a variety of plants, and there are not many places on the Adriatic coast where, like Split, you can see palms and cactuses that grow unaided. The town today is dominated by the preserved Diocletian Palace – an imposing building that the Roman Emperor Diocletian built in the 4^th century as his summer residence. This Palace is the most well preserved Antique palace in the world under the protection of UNESCO and at the moment offers a number of cultural events, such as concerts and exhibitions. Split’s cathedral, St Duje (St Dominus) is located inside the palace. At first it was Diocletian’s mausoleum, and its purpose changed during the time of Christianity. Throughout history, Split has changed many cultures and rulers, and each one has left enormous traces. In the suburbs of Split, remains of the antique town of Salona have been found. It used to be a regional centre and today is one of the largest archaeological sites on the Adriatic coast. To the north of Split is the elevated fortress of Klis, built so that the inhabitants could defend themselves from Ottoman attacks.

As a transit point, and also as a tourist centre, Split offers its guests a variety of forms of accommodation. In addition to a number of high quality hotels, motels and hostels it is possible to spend the night in one of the many family guest houses, rooms and villas.

As the regional centre, Split has all the amenities that a large city should have: a hospital, a university, administrative buildings, and sports facilities, and no less important is the excellent transport infrastructure. Ferries from the city port sail daily to all the Dalmatian islands and to Ancona in Italy. The railway and bus lines connect the city with the rest of Europe, and the nearby airport in Kaštel, as well as the one on the island of Brač, enables a swift arrival from all parts of the world. We cannot forget to mention the new motorway, which has notably reduced journey times to Zagreb to only four hours. In Split there are four marinas.

Split is at the same time one of the largest Croatian sports centres. Whether it is because of the mentality, or the climate or even a combination of the two, the sports people of Split have always been extraordinarily successful. We only need to mention the tennis successes of Goran Ivanišević and Marijo Ančić, the basketball players Kukoč and Rađa, or the football players Slaven Bilić and Igor Štimac. As a result, in the city there is the modern football stadium of Poljud, the basketball arena of Gripe and numerous other sports fields suitable for all types of sports.

Cultural life does not take a back seat. Alongside the theatres, concerts and festivals of a variety of genres are held, which in the summer are held almost daily in the town. Nightlife in Split is available in the numerous discos and clubs in the centre, as well as in the suburbs.

The restaurants and inns offer local Dalmatian food, which is rich with fish and olive oil, and is best accompanied by one of the good quality local wines.

There are a number of swimming areas in the city, but the most popular is Bačvice beach that is located in the centre of the city.

And for the end, we have left the peak of Marjan, the lungs of Split. One hundred years ago this was a bare hill, but having been planted with trees, it has today become a beautiful forest, and is a favourite day trip for the people of Split. It also has a botanical garden and offers an impressive view over the whole of Dalmatia.