Having spent the last two months in busy capital cities it was great to be in a chill costal town. Split was at the tail end of its travel season which officially ends November 1rst when a majority of the town shuts down until next summer. I prefer off season, you are guaranteed a more local experience. The tourists are gone, only local restaurants and bars are open, and you have the benefit of taking pics without hordes of people. When we arrived, our Italian cabbie Mario said it is crazy in the Summer, Old Town is full of mobs of people making it extremely claustrophobic in the 40c (104f) heat.

The locals will still be swimming and sunbathing in the beautiful late days of October and early November. The water is warmer than the outside daily temps of the mid teens 17-20c (57-68f). The water is crystal clear and the beaches, though mostly rocky, are clean. There is a promenade along the beach to get you into Old Town, alongside the beachfront are loads of cafes to sit and enjoy the last pleasant days of the year.

The fastest way to get to Split from Zagreb is to fly (1.5hrs), there is also a bus that takes 4.15hrs or a train that is 6.5. The airport in Zagreb is small, but the service from everyone there was the best in our travels so far. All airport staff were friendly and helpful, there were also zero lines for check in and security. The time for a cab for the airport is about 30 minutes and cost a whopping 50€. Our cabbie was awesome though and recommended many of his favorite local spots to eat and get coffee. The lodgings were a sparse holiday rental near the hospital about 30 minutes from Old Town. In hindsight it would have been better being closer to the fort, medical choppers fly overhead most times of the day, but we were by a beautiful beach with private access.

Diocletian’s Palace is the most amazing part of Split. Built at the end of 3rd century AD as the residence of Roman emperor Diocletian, it also resembles a fortress, as it housed the military garrison as well. The compound was created for his retirement in 305AD, where he spent the last few years of his life in the palace gardens. Apparently he was an avid gardener who grew cabbages in his retirement. The palace today is considered a living monument, with 3,000 residents calling the heritage site home.

The Sphinx dates to Thutmose III, and is the oldest object in Split, over 3,000 years old. The one overlooking the Cathedral of St. Dominus is the only one intact. After Diocletian put down a rebellion in Egypt, twelve sphinx were brought back by him to Split. The other eleven were decapitated with the arrival of Christianity, no one knows why this one remained intact. This sphinx is unique in that she holds a vessel for offerings with more human like hands.

The Cathedral of St. Domnius is an impressive Catholic church built on top of the Roman mausoleum of Diocletian, completed in 305AD. The church itself is dedicated to St. Mary, but the enormous bell tower is dedicated to St. Domnius. The Cathedral was consecrated at the turn of the 7th century AD; it is the oldest cathedral in the world that remains in use in its original structure. The bell tower was added later in the 12th century. When we were in town the church was closed for a special mass; when it is open you can climb the bell tower and visit the crypt below the cathedral. Sadly we were unable to do either during our visit.

The best part of the Palace of Diocletian is all of the small alleyways with hidden cafes, bars and restaurants in small alcoves throughout the maze like city. A lot of places had already closed for the season, but we stumbled upon an awesome Mexican restaurant, Sanctuary. It was exactly that. Our first time there was just before Halloween, they were serving some spooky margaritas that were strong and tasty. It was nice to find some Mexican food and an amazing margarita; it had also been a really long time since we are some delicious spicy salsa. After a fantastic meal we had my favorite Croatian beer at Leopold’s, which sadly closed on November 1rst. We realized when we went the next weekend that most of Old Town was done until summer of next year.

In our neighborhood we had some of the best pizza in our travels at Renato. You know it is a good place when all they serve are pizzas. The dough is perfectly cooked Neapolitan style, served with incredible chili infused local olive oil. The Croats pride themselves on their oil, and rightfully so. It is my number two of ten (second to Albania) of best olive oils in the world. The view from Renato overlooks the marina, the golden hour is the best time to go. In November the sun sets by 4:30, after the sun goes down the temperature drops fast so be sure to bring an extra layer to be able to sit outside.

We were happy to have found a Macedonian place in town. We split an enormous pljeskavica with Tavce Gravce (baked beans) and a Shopska Salad (tomatoes, red peppers, cucumber, onion and sirene (a white cheese similar to feta).

The locals (kitties) are everywhere and so sweet. There is always food and water out for them along the beach where they like to hang out. You can see them napping amongst the agave, which are huge and plentiful along the coast.

A lot of town is under construction, making room for new hotels and holiday accommodations. A lot of buildings are desolate, abandoned or both. Sadly a lot of these unique costal towns are removing their natural beauty by making way for more tourists. Tourism brings money but causes everything else for the local population to be more expensive. Great for GDP, but not for the average person. Split is an amazing town full of incredible architecture, food and beaches. I would definitely recommend visiting off season so you can avoid the crowds and live like a local.