Where can you spend the morning rambling through one of the best preserved Roman monuments in the world and the afternoon lazing in turquoise blue waters? In the charming city of Split, Croatia.

Split Travel Diary Part 1: Diocletian’s Palace 

In 295 AD the Roman emperor Diocletian decided to build himself a retirement home on the Dalmatian coast. At the heart of Split’s Old Town is essentially what remains of Diocletian’s Palace. About a 100 years or so after the fall of the Roman Empire, the neighbouring Roman settlement of Solin came under attack and its citizens fled and sought refuge in the abandoned palace of Diocletian. They started building their homes within the palatial complex and it has been continuously inhabited since – a kind of hybrid living museum. Its strange to think the narrow alleys which are now chock-a-block with camera-toting tourists used to be the corridors of old Diocletian’s digs, the houses where people live today used to be the staff quarters for his slaves and soldiers. 2000-year-old Roman arcades are now crammed with souvenir shops and ristorantes. Live concerts are still held in the grand courtyard called the Perystile where the Romans once held revelries. Over the centuries the original Roman structures have been embellished with medieval and Renaissance features as well. 

This circular vestibule once led to the private quarters of the Roman royals. Its roof is missing a cupola but the acoustics are still pretty great and there are often groups of local singers gathered here performing impromptu concerts for tourists.

Split Travel Diary Part 2: Cathedral of St. Domnius and the Temple of Jupiter

Underneath the Palace is a network of underground dungeons where once upon a time persecuted Christians were held and tortured. Ironically in the 7th century, a cathedral was built over the pagan emperor’s mausoleum. The original octagonal mausoleum is still surrounded by a colonnade of 24 Roman Corinthian columns. The cathedral is dedicated to St. Domnius (or Duje as he is locally known), a Christian martyr who is worshipped as the patron saint of Split. A black sphinx which guards the entrance to the cathedral dates back to 1500 BC and was a gift from the Egyptians to Diocletian. The bell tower is well worth a climb for the panoramic views over Split’s Dalmatian coastline. 

The ancient Roman Temple of Jupiter, the supreme god of the Roman pantheon, is a small and spartan stone structure which retains its original ceiling and decorative frieze. However there are no traces of Jupiter himself and in his stead there is a bronze statue of St John the Baptist by the famed Croatian sculptor Ivan Mestrovic (more on him later).

Split Travel Diary Part 3: Out and About in Split’s Old Town

I went at the height of a blazing hot summer but there were plenty of shady nooks and corners in the Old Town, where restaurants had helpfully put out chairs so I could savour a glass of chilled wine or gorge on a gelato while people-watching to while away the afternoon. Most of the Old Town is made up of limestone and marble which helps keep it cool as do the multiple stone arches over the old Roman arcades.

This little square is colloquially known as Fruit Square, because there used to be fruit markets held here. There is an octagonal Venetian tower which is the remnant of a 15th-century fortress in one corner. Across from the tower is a 17th-century Baroque mansion with a statue of the literary figure and philosopher Marko Marulic in front of it. 

No matter how exhausted you are at the end of the day, it is well worth it to go for a little night-time stroll in the Old Town. The squares, the restaurants and cafes and the promenade are buzzing with activity and when I went, there was a live concert in the Perystile courtyard everynight.

Split Travel Diary Part 4: Outside the Palace Walls

Just outside the Golden Gate, the ceremonial entrance to the Palace, is a giant statue of a frowning bearded man who looks like a wizard with his pointy hat and flowing robes. This is Gregory of Nin, a 10th-century bishop who fought for the right to hold church mass in the local Croatian language instead of Latin so common people could understand the sermons. While most of Gregory has blackened with age, his toe is a shiny gold because of a popular myth that rubbing it brings good luck.

A short walk away from the Old Town is the Ivan Mestrovic Gallery which showcases some of the famed Croatian sculptor’s masterpieces in marble and bronze. The walk itself from the Old Town to the gallery has a very picturesque section along a shaded cliff path overlooking the brilliant blue waters of the Adriatic. 

Split also has a lovely seafront promenade lined with palm trees, flower beds, benches and plenty of alfresco dining options. There is a small beach nearby and the water is a deep blue azure and wonderfully warm in the summer like a giant heated open-air swimming pool. 

Split Travel Diary Part 5: Marjan Hill

The best views over Split are to be had up on Marjan Hill. The hill is covered with thick pine forests and dotted with several tiny stone churches like this one called the Church of St Nicholas built in 1219.

Walking back down the stone steps of Marjan Hill is when you’re rewarded with the “money shot” of Split, its marble fortifications gleaming in the bright sunshine, with the chocolate peaks of the Dinaric Alps towering behind. Old Diocletian certainly had the right idea about retiring here…