Sights around Split
Croatia has so many sights to offer, but for this trip, I focused just on Split. It has a compact city center, and its old town is actually within the walls of what used to be Diocletian’s Palace. (Yes, those alleys you’re walking through used to be hallways in his spacious home where he went to retire from being a Roman emperor and grow cabbages!) Although there are a number of things you can visit, I prioritized two different filming locations used in Game of Thrones.
Diocletian’s Palace Basement Halls
Ul. Iza Vestibula 3, 21000, Split, Croatia
The ground-floor halls and corridors of the palace are known as the basement, and they were originally the supporting substructure of Diocletian’s residential quarters. Because of that, they are perfectly identical in layout to the original upper floors and allowed the palace to sit above sea level.
The largest hall of the basement was used for Daenerys Targaryen’s throne room in Meereen’s Great Pyramid.
Admission and hours
The full price of entry to the basement is 40 kn, and they only accept cash. Tickets are sold on the west side. Hours vary depending on the season, but while I was there in August, the basement was open seven days a week from 08:30 till 21:00.
Getting there and back
It’s smack dab in the middle of old town, so you can walk to it easily if you’re staying in Split.
Klis Fortress
The Fortress of Klis was the Dalmatian people’s stronghold for more than 2,000 years. It is about 15km north of Split old town and served as a strategic defensive location against invaders like the Ottoman Empire. Petar Kružić, who was a Croatian captain during the time of the Turkish invasion, was able to hold them off for two and a half decades before they finally broke through. What a persistent bunch!
The fortress takes up a large area, and not much is actually off limits. So you could spend at least an hour checking out every nook and cranny even if some of them look like they are mini construction sites. While you’re there, see if you can find where Daenerys declares that she is “answering injustice with justice” and has 163 Great Masters nailed to posts along the road to Meereen.
You also get amazing views of Split and the surrounding terrain. Take your time, and enjoy it!
Admission and hours
Entry for adults is 40 kn and 15kn for children (although I’m not sure what the age limit is). It’s open from 09:00 till 19:00 daily.
Getting there and back
You can take a taxi and get there in about 20 minutes from Split, but for budget travelers, you have a few bus options.
From the stop across from the Croatian National Theater, you can take bus 22. Go to the stop beforehand to buy a two-zone return ticket for 22 kn from the kiosk. When you get on the bus, use the validation terminal to validate your ticket once. (You’ll validate it for your return trip on the ride back.)
The times you see in the columns on the timetable are departure times from the stop by the fortress, but at the bottom in small type, it indicates that there are two departure times from the theater: 08:15 and 09:25. I took the 09:25 bus and arrived in 35 minutes. Bus 22 goes around in a loop between Klis Megdan and Split. Bus 16 is a cousin to bus 22 and seems to supplement it during off times. Bus 34 (to and from Split) runs infrequently, but it’s also an option to get from the theater to Klis Megdan.
Alternatively, you can also take bus 35 or 36, which leave from the Sukoišan Bus Terminal and stop about a 10-15 minute walk from the fortress. They are good options if you want to have roasted lamb and dried fig cakes up the road. Ask the driver to stop near the fortress if you want to go there first; otherwise, get off at the stop in front of Uskok to eat first.
- Bus 35 timetables
- From Split
- To Split: add 15 minutes to the times in the columns to approximate when the bus will arrive in front of Uskok from Dugopolje.
- Bus 36 timetables
- From Split
- To Split: I didn’t take this bus, so I’m not sure how many minutes you’ll need to add to the times in the columns, but the listed times are departures from Koprivno.