I’ll be visiting Croatia, Split, on the 28th of June, for 5 days. Any tips about what to do, see, etc? I know Hvar Island is a pretty much must see, but is there anything else I have to see/do? I’ve heard that there’s some diving to be done, but I’m kinda worried about it, after all, I’ve only dived in the tropics before…
I’ll be travelling from Venice by train to Ancona, then taking a ferry over… has anyone done this before?
Thanks for any help!
I found Split to be rather ugly compared to other parts of Croatia, but much of that has to do with it being a larger metropolitan city. However, the old part of town with the Diocletian Palace is very interesting. You’ll be in that area anyway, since the ferry service is right there, as well as the bus station. It’s very lively at night. I would suggest that maybe one night and one day would be enough for Split, although you might add another half day and see the ruins at Solin (which I’ve never seen but want to one day).
If you go to Hvar, know if you want to go to the town of Hvar or Stari Grad. The auto ferry stops in Stari Grad, but the hydrofoil goes to Hvar. You’ll save the bus or taxi ride from Stari Grad to Hvar if you take the hydrofoil. I’d suggest spending a night or two in Hvar.
From Split you might also want to visit Trogir (an easy bus ride from Split). Another suggestion would be to rent a car for a day and drive to Krka national park. The waterfalls there are very nice, and it’s a nice place for a cool swim in the summertime. Of course, the same can be said for the sea (though wear aquasocks and keep an eye out for urchins).
I don’t dive, so I can’t help you there, other than to say there were a couple of dive companies in Hvar.
I was there at around the same time in 2003. You don’t actually need to spend too much time in the city itself, I would spend perhaps 2 days max wandering through the beachfront and Diocletian’s palace. The food is great and the palace is beautiful. Take lots of pictures and pick up some memorabillia. You may want to rent a motor scooter if you feel adventurous.
I didn’t go to Hvar, I went diving on the Island of Vis, with an outfit called Manta Diving. The diving around Vis is excellent, with a very accesible wreck, plus the “Blue Caves”. Supposedly the Blue Caves are a wonder to behold, but both times I was there the sea conditions were too rough for diving in that particular spot so I can’t comment first hand. During my dives there we saw dolphins, octopuses, an 8 ft moray eel living in a smokestack in the wreck that would pop its’ head out if you leave some food outside its’ lair, and lots of fish, especially at night. There was a lot of life, more than you usually see in the Mediterranean (IME). The little town we lived in probably had maybe 200 people total, with a few cafes on the beachfront to louge around in. Almost no tourists except for a few yachts moored at the dock. We slept in rented private homes, ate locally produced food and drank locally produced wine. Lorenz the owner of the dive shop and his wife were both great.
I’d post pictures but the CD is at my parents house. Maybe later.
Ooh! Sounds good!
Dag Otto, which would you reccommend? Hvar or Stari Grad?
We only went to Hvar, so I can’t compare the two. Hvar was very nice though. It’s a short hike up to the fortress where you will have a very nice view of the harbor and the small islands just off of the main island. There are water taxis that you can take out to these islands, or you can walk along the shore to some nice rocky beaches just outside of the town.