Old Town

Diocletian's Palace and the lanes inside its walls

The core of Split is a Roman palace that never stopped being lived in, and the address of most of what a visitor comes for.

Diocletian built it as a retirement compound around the turn of the fourth century, and when the empire receded the people of Salona moved inside and stayed. Th…Diocletian built it as a retirement compound around the turn of the fourth century, and when the empire receded the people of Salona moved inside and stayed. That is why this is not a ruin: the walls carry flats, bars and shops, and the cathedral occupies the emperor's own mausoleum.

The set pieces are the Peristyle, the bell tower, the cellars beneath the southern half and the four gates. West of the palace the Renaissance squares take over, and the Riva runs along the water in front of the whole thing. UNESCO listed it in 1979. Nearly every restaurant, bar and museum on this site stands within a fifteen-minute walk of the Peristyle.