Split may not be the official capital of Croatia, but regardless it is often referred to as the capital of the coast. Split is the largest city on the Croatian seaboard and whether you want to go or not, all busses lead to Split, Croatia. At the very least prepare for a layover at their coastal transit station.
Originally, I was planning on skipping Split all together but I’m so glad I didn’t. It became one of my favorite places in Croatia, and in my five months of travel overall. With a promenade to rival Nice, France and crystal clear waters I fell in love with this Adriatic city.
I. How I Got to Split, Croatia
I took a Flixbus from Zadar, which was one of my shorter trips as it only took about 2 hours. I have in the past run into 8 hour trips, yikes!
II. Where I Stayed in Split
I stayed at a tiny hostel about a mile from the main town called Hostel Cicada booked through Hostelworld. If you don’t mind the walk, Cicada was the perfect place to make my home base. However I’d definitely recommend taking a taxi from the bus station, dragging all of my luggage up hill was certainly quite the cardio workout. Walking downhill with everything was far less strenuous.
Once there, everything was perfect. Cicada is one of the cutest party hostels I’ve ever stayed in. Because it’s so small (only two rooms fitting 12 people in total) everyone became fast friends with the help of the lovely hosts who live in an apartment right above the hostel. Our host Ivona truly went above and beyond to make sure everyone was happy in her hostel.
Music videos played on the TV in the sitting room 24/7 and each night Ivona brought us a fresh bowl of popcorn to eat while we talked. My first night there, everyone gathered in the sitting area and told stories of travel over drinks hosted by Ivona.
III. What I Did in Split, Croatia
- On my first day I ventured down to the beach first thing with a friend that I had met the night before. We broke off once we got to town, he headed away for breakfast and I to the beach. It was by far one of the best beaches I’ve been to in Europe. Not quite sure if it beats Nice, but it had sand which was a major plus since I didn’t want to lug my water shoes down from the hostel. Fun fact: a lot of the beaches along the Adriatic coast are sand-less.
2. I sat at the beach all day.
3. I think my favorite thing that I did in Split was get lost. A good amount of the old town is completely pedestrian and is more of a maze of streets and side avenues than anywhere else I’ve been in my life.
I loved it even though at points I had no clue where I was. Much of Split is built on top of Roman ruins that you can still see today below footpaths and bridges.
IV. What I Ate in Split, Croatia
Classic Croatian cuisine is incredibly unique and matches the rest of the Adriatic Coast.
- One thing that I loved while here was their stuffed peppers. On my second day in Split I went to a homestyle restaurant by the sea and ordered one. They were outstanding. Green peppers stuffed with meat and rice and marinated in white wine sauce and butter, they were great on top of a bed of mashed potatoes.
- I ordered some green olives alongside for the perfect meal to keep me energized enough for more days on the beach to come.
- Smoothies made with fresh fruit
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