Planning a Museum Day in Split

Planning a museum day in Split

Split’s paid attractions are a handful of museums, one gallery on the Marjan side and a fortress up the road. The useful question is not what to see but when each one is open, because the closing days differ. Prices below are from the museums’ own price lists, except where marked as approximate.

Which day suits which sight

  • Monday: the Meštrović Gallery is closed. The Archaeological Museum is open, as are the Substructures.
  • Tuesday to Saturday: everything is open. The City Museum and the Vidović Gallery open Tuesday to Sunday.
  • Sunday: the Archaeological Museum is closed, and the cathedral is reported to open for the afternoon only, so check.
  • Public holidays: the Archaeological Museum and the Meštrović Gallery close, and the Substructures charge double.

Morning: the cellars under the palace

The Substructures are the vaulted halls beneath Diocletian’s Palace. Tickets are €10 for adults, €8 reduced and €18 for a family, and the halls are open daily 08:30 to 20:00, with the last entry 30 minutes before closing. They shut on 5 April. Outside those hours prices go up 50 percent, and on holidays 100 percent. The central hall between the Riva and the Peristyle can be walked through free, so you can see its scale without a ticket. Film fans will know the cellars as the throne room in Game of Thrones. The City Museum price list also covers the City Museum itself (€10 / €8 / €18, Tuesday to Sunday 09:00 to 20:00), the Emanuel Vidović Gallery (€8 / €6 / €14, Tuesday to Sunday 10:00 to 20:00) and the walkway above the north wall (€6 / €4 / €10).

Midday: Archaeological Museum and Salona

The Archaeological Museum on Zrinsko-Frankopanska 25 is the oldest museum institution in Croatia, founded in 1820. Admission is €8 adult, €4 concession and €15 family. In summer (1 June to 30 September) the doors are open Monday to Saturday, 09:00 to 14:00 then again 15:00 to 20:00. In the rest of the year the same two sessions run Monday to Friday and Saturday is mornings only. It closes Sundays and holidays, and the last entry is an hour before closing.

The Roman city of Salona is the museum’s outdoor sister, at Tusculum on Don Frane Bulića 91 in Solin. It uses the same prices and is open daily 09:00 to 20:00 from June to September and 09:00 to 18:00 from October to May, closed on holidays. A joint Salona and Split museum ticket costs €10 adult or €5 concession and stays valid for 7 days. The Archaeological Museum visitor page lists the current hours.

Sculptor Ivan Meštrović’s former villa and the fortified Kaštilac at Crikvine come on one ticket: €12 adult, €8 concession, €20 family (children under 15). Opening is Tuesday to Sunday 08:00 to 18:00, with last entry 30 minutes before closing, and closed Mondays and public holidays. The address is Šetalište Ivana Meštrovića 46. Kaštilac holds his carved wooden Life of Christ cycle, a series of 28 panels. Visiting outside the stated hours adds 50 percent. Promet Split line 12 passes the gallery, though the route may end at a temporary turnaround, so check the app. See the Meštrović Gallery price list .

A half day at Klis Fortress

Klis Fortress stands on a mountain pass about 12 km northeast of Split. Approximate adult admission is €12 and children up to 15 pay about €4, but opening times are reported differently by different sources, so check before the trip. The ticket is a combined one that also covers the Interpretation Centre at Mejdan Square, the Stella Croatica agro park and the Olive Museum. Bus line 22 runs from Split, and a Klis ticket costs €2.00 on the app and €4.00 from the driver.

The SplitCard

The SplitCard is free for guests who stay at least 5 nights from April to October or 2 nights from November to March, in any accommodation. Ask for it at TIC Peristil, TIC Riva or TIC Stobreč. It lasts 72 hours and gives free entry to the Vidović Gallery, the Ethnographic Museum and the Natural History Museum, 50 percent off the Archaeological Museum, Tusculum and the Maritime Museum, 30 percent off the Meštrović Gallery and Kaštilac, and 25 percent off the Substructures. It does not cover buses.

The cathedral, bell tower and crypt have no official price list to quote. Combination tickets are sold at the office across from the cathedral, and the cost is worth confirming there.

Read more: Sightseeing in Split , Walking tours in Split and the Split 2 day itinerary .

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