Wednesday, 21 May 

Hvar, Hvar Island - Split

Dioklicijan Hotel, Split 

Weather - Overcast, light rain to sunny afternoon - 21c Max

We left Hvar at 10.30am and arrived at Stari Grad port at 11.00am to catch the 11.30am ferry to Split. Sanda told us to have a big breakfast as we would not be able to have lunch until after our tour of Split in the mid afternoon. For the first time on our trip the weather didn’t look great with heavy overcast skies. Thankfully this cleared enough for our walk around Split in the early afternoon.

As we left the beautiful port town we had a final view of the fort and its walls encompassing Hvar.

Although we arrived in good time we were one of the last vehicles to get onto the large ferry and there was a stream of large trucks and cars loaded before us. The ferry had two decks to take the transport and a large comfortable lounge for passengers. 

It took two hours from Stari Grad to arrive at Split. There was some rain and the water was choppy. The ferry cafe had more variety than the last one and we could purchase coffee and a range of pastries. Due to the dull weather the view coming into Split was less than ideal but at least it wasn’t raining. Three large ferries came into the port at the same time each berthing at a different stone-walled dock. Split was much larger than I expected and it is Croatia’s second largest city after Zagreb.

We walked off the ferry and our bus left us in Split for our walking tour. Our local guide was waiting for us. The tour of the old town took 1.5 hours. We were given a tour of the impressive Diocletian’s Palace which was built in white limestone by the Romans at the end of the third century for the Emperor Diocletian’s residence. It is listed as a UNESCO Heritage site and is the major tourist attraction in Split. It sits in the centre of the city and is one of the best preserved structures of its like in the world. Buildings and shops have built up outside the ancient walls. 

We were first taken to the palace’s substructures, the huge cellars. These were used as a storage area for the palace including food and wine for the Emperor Diocletian and his entourage. The huge foundation columns were laid in place without mortar. 

The tour of the outside of the palace showed buildings of different periods and styles attached to the palace walls. 

The bell tower dominates Split’s skyline. It’s 57m tall and is an elegant structure.

The tour finished at three o’clock and we were keen for lunch. We had two hours before the bus came to collect us. We didn’t know whether to call it “Dunch” or “Linner”! Sanda recommended an area away from the main tourist areas for authentic Croatian dishes. We chose Kuhinja Restaurant which offered “Traditional cuisine with a modern touch”. We all chose the lamb with green beans, a traditional dish. It turned out to be lamb soup with peas and other vegetables accompanied by rustic sour dough bread. It was delicious with the local red wine. We followed it with Crème Caramel. 

We emerged from the restaurant at 4.30pm and this  gave us just over half an hour before the bus picked us up. We walked along Split’s esplanade lined with large palm trees and many park benches. It overlooked the busy port and the Adriatic Sea.

We bought grapes at the local market. This was to eat later as we had lunch so late. 

Whist we waited for the bus we saw a sign for Split and we all posed for the camera.