Bacvice

The city beach, minutes from the ferry quay

A shallow sandy bay southeast of the port, and the home of picigin.

Bacvice is the beach Split uses rather than the one it photographs: sand instead of pebbles, and so shallow that the water stays shin-deep a long way out. That…Bacvice is the beach Split uses rather than the one it photographs: sand instead of pebbles, and so shallow that the water stays shin-deep a long way out. That shallowness is why picigin was invented here, a game of keeping a small ball off the surface with open palms, played at a sprint and with nobody keeping score. It goes on year round, New Year's Day included.

The bay sits a ten-minute walk from the passenger port, which makes it the easiest swim to reach on foot from the old quarter. The building along the shore holds bars and clubs, so the beach carries on after dark.