Split Sights Through the Four Palace Gates
Seeing Split through the four palace gates
Diocletian’s Palace has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979, and it is not a museum behind a fence. It is a living quarter of the town, and its streets, gates, Peristyle and Vestibule are free to walk at any hour. The simplest way to organise a sightseeing day is by gate, because each one opens onto a different part of Split.
The Golden Gate, north
This is the northern gate, at the end of the Cardo. Just outside stands the statue of Grgur Ninski by Ivan Meštrović, and rubbing its big toe is said to bring luck.
The Silver Gate, east
Walk out here for the Pazar green market, where stalls open in the morning (check hours, which vary). A few steps away, the Peškarija fish market was built about 1890 in Secession style, and the tourist board’s own line is that it has no flies because of a sulphur spring, which is best read as local lore.
The Iron Gate, west
The Iron Gate carries a bell tower with a 24-hour clock face and leads out to Narodni trg.
The Bronze Gate, south
The Bronze Gate faces the Riva waterfront. Behind it begins the central hall of the Substructures, which can be crossed freely on the way up to the Peristyle. The full cellars are ticketed: €10 for adults, €8 reduced and €18 for a family. The cellars are a Game of Thrones location, and the Split tourist board page explains the two entrances, at the Bronze Gate and the Peristyle stairs.
The cathedral quarter
The Cathedral of St Domnius began as Diocletian’s mausoleum and became a cathedral in the 7th century. Look for the 13th-century wooden doors by Buvina. The Temple of Jupiter, now a baptistery, holds a headless sphinx and a Meštrović statue of St John.
There are three surviving sphinxes in the palace, each more than 3,400 years old: one on the Peristyle, the headless one at the Temple of Jupiter and a third in the City Museum. The bell tower has about 183 steps, with an open metal section near the top that can unsettle anyone nervous of heights.
No official price list was found for the cathedral, bell tower, crypt, treasury or Temple of Jupiter. Combination tickets are sold at the office across from the cathedral, and hours shift with services and religious holidays, so check there. The cathedral is generally closed to sightseers during Mass.
The hill above
Marjan is the forested park on the peninsula. Prva Vidilica is a viewpoint about 10 to 15 minutes’ climb from the Varoš stairs, and the park also has the church of St Nicholas, the hermitage church of St Jerome and an observation tower at Sedlo. Marjan has a public road and buses, so it is not car-free. There is no cable car.
Sustipan
Sustipan is a seaside public park. It was Split’s first communal cemetery, opened between 1825 and 1832 according to differing sources. After the Second World War it closed and was laid out as a park, and only the neoclassical gloriette remains. Visit it quietly and as a place of remembrance.
Practical notes
- The old town is busiest from about 10:00 to 15:00 in summer, so go early or in the evening.
- Fines are issued on the spot for walking through town in swimwear or shirtless, for drinking or sleeping in public and for climbing monuments.
- Late October is outside the main season, so confirm hours before you go.
Read more: Walking tours in Split , Attraction tours in Split and the Split 3 day itinerary .
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