When someone mention the word Palace in Split, association is more than obvious, Diocletian's Palace. It's the main city landmark, and actually the city itself, because of the life that's going on within its walls for 17 centuries.

However, through rich and turbulent history of Split many noble families and distinguished citizens built their residences in what we today know and cherish as the historical centre. Since they were built, some of them were turned into museums, like Split City Museum in Papalic Palace, or Emanuel Vidovic Gallery in Andric house. Others were converted into shops , even supermarkets like the Small Papalic Palace, or restaurants, or bars in Karepic, Cipci and Marulic palaces. One of the most beautiful, Ciprianis, now hosts one political part, unfortunately not very interested for meaning of that house in Split history. And yes, there are luxury apartments in some of them, like in Grisogono and Deskovic. Unfortunately, there are also those which are neglected and deserted, inhabited, for example Albert.

What is important, though, is that all of them are excellent examples of architecture styles over centuries in Split. It's also nice alternative way for Split sightseeing which will bring you excellent insight into historical layers that city is made of. While walking from one to another, you can see all other important landmarks, and info plaques will tell you all you need to know about each one of these palaces. Just follow our map available here and watch for buildings from our photos.

Andric house

Alberti Palace

Augubio Palace

Bajamonti-Deskovic Palace

Cambi Palace

Cindro Palace

Cipci Palace

Dragisic (De Caris) Geremia

Dragisic (De Caris) Palace

Grisogono Palace

Karepic Palace

Palace at the Golden Gate

Palace at the Iron Gate

Marulic Palace

Milesi Palace

Palace at Dosud

Nakic Palace

Small Papalic Palace

Big Papalic Palace

Pavlovic Palace

Skocibusic Palace

Tartaglia Palace

Maybe the most often sentence beginning you can hear in Split, when listening some local explaining beauties of his or her city by far is "This is the most...". And than goes "beautiful", "oldest", "famous", just pick one. For example, Split cathedral of Saint Domnius is probably the oldest building serving as a cathedral, since it's actually converted mausoleum of Roman emperor Diocletian.

But there is one hidden gem that can be the other extreme in this race for greatness. Just above the northern gate of the Diocletian's palace, called Golden Gate, in what once was the Roman guardhouse, there is probably the narrowest church you have ever seen. It's called Saint Martin, and is only 1.64 meters wide and 10 meters long, settled within the Palace's northern wall. The only trace of this church from the outside, apart from stairs leading to it through old Dominican monastery, are miniature windows visible from the inner yard of the Golden Gate, hidden in once bigger niches, now covered with bricks.

And Saint Martin's importance very much exceeds its size. It was built in the ninth century, during reign of old Croatian duke Trpimir, and actually it was the first Christian church to be built within the Diocletian's Palace. Beside Saint Martin, church was originaly dedicated to the Virgin Mary, and pope Gregory. From that age dates the most important piece in the church, a 9th century architrave with carved names of Trpimir's chaplains Dominic and Martin.

After monastery was abandoned due to a medieval black death epidemic, church was forgoten for centuries, until in late 1800s founder of Croatian archeology father Frane Bulić rediscovered it and lead its reconstruction. During excavations he even discovered a grave of Saint Martin's builder, chaplain Dominic.

Even many locals don't know about this church, and visit offers really one of a kind view to the monument of Gregory of Nin, or to cathedral's bell tower on the other side. And all this visible just if you turn from one side to another, within barely two steps. Of course, being inside the ancient Roman palace's walls is unprecendent.

Split has its very own soft drink called Pipi produced by Dalmacijavino. Pipi is Split’s version of Fanta and Miranda and is very much loved by the Splićani. Pipi is a cheery carbonated orange drink that most will remember drinking as THE drink of the 80s and 90s and today is the drink of nostalgia that brings you back to your youth. 

See Dalmacijavino’s legendary Pipi commercial from the 1980’s featuring Ana Sasso, ex-Miss Yugoslavia, on Split’s famed Bačvice beach.

It’s difficult to put into words the importance of Pipi in Split culture but with the newest summer hit, “Pipi” by local Studio Frendo, you’ll get the drill. It’s all about drinking Pipi on the beach this summer.

Dalmacijavino is going through tough times and in return heavily reduced their production of Pipi, causing anger amongst locals. Getting a bottle of Pipi almost became a collector’s item, as if buying a special vintage wine. Coming to a café, you would whisper to the waiter “Do you have Pipi?”…and if you were lucky, he would sacrifice one of his last bottles on you.

Dalmacijavino, who is currently under bankruptcy protection, have realized the importance of Pipi and rely on this brand to get the company back on its feet again. Therefore, Dalmacijavino have started producing Pipi again are opening flagship stores in various Split neighbourhood and in other important Dalmatian locations. Their Pipi branded store not only sell Pipi, but other Dalmacijavino products, mainly wines by the liter.

Currenly, you will find Pipi stores at the bottom of Križeva near Prokurative, Šibenska 3 in the Kman neighborhood, and on P.I. Čajkovskog near the old Hajduk stadium (Stari Plac). More stores are due to open in the Blatina and Skalica neighbourhoods as well as in Sinj, Drniš, Solin, Kaštela, Jelsa, Stari Grad, and Hvar Town. The most wellknown Pipi-stand is by the Dalmacijavino factory in the Port of Split, adjacent to the ferry terminal.

Along the Dalmatian coast and on the islands are quite a few activities that everyone shares. Some of the games stems from Italy or France while others are indigenous to Split. Nonetheless, they play an important role in Split culture and its identity; it brings people together for social game, whether outdoors or around a table.

Balota is a game you will often see played all over Dalmatia as well as in Italy and France. Balota is known as Bocce in Italy or Boules in France. The game involves two teams throwing heavy balls as close to a marker ball (known as bulin in Dalmatian or cochonnet in French) as possible on a pitch of about 4 meters wide and 15 meters long. These pitches can be found outdoors all over Dalmatia in city parks and in small coastal villages. The pitches are usually public and are therefore free to use. It’s such a charming site to see elderly men and women who gather for a game and a chat. You will often see overcrowding around the pitches and loud conversation in the making.

Karambol

Karambol is the billiard version of Balota played in Dalmatia. A Karambol table is similar to a billiard table but has no holes or pockets. Players roll the ball with their hand and without a cue. Again, like Balota, teams have to get as close to the Bulin as possible but first they need to kit two sides of the table first. See here the Karambol rules made easy in Split’s underground café, Zanat, which is where the game is more popularly played.

Briškula and Trešeta are popular card games played in Dalmatia, particularly in Split. The game, originally from Trieste in Italy uses Italian cards, and not the regular decks you would find in a casino or anywhere else in the world. An Italian deck has 40 cards of four suits; coins (Denari), swords (Spade), cups (Coppe) and clubs (Bastoni). Briškula is the simplest and most popular (Briscola in Italian) and is played in the normal Italian fashion though there is also a popular variation called briškula Dalmatian style or briškula na duplo (double briškula). Usually, after completing a round of Briškula, thenTrešeta is played. Trešeta (Tresette in Italian) works on a point system where the winner is the firs to achieve 41 points where akuža scores highest; having three or three aces or three highest ranked cards. If the Trešeta round results in a tie, another round of Briškula needs to be played in order to determine the winner.If you want to learn how to play Briškula and Trešeta, Wikipedia explain the rules of Briscola and Tresette where the Dalmatian variations are explained. If you want to experience a real local vibe where the game is being played, you head to Zanat in Split; an off-the-beaten-path café in the palace where youth come to play the game. Zanat has a tendency to close when its too warm outside but try and find this watering hole anyway by begging a local to reveal its location. Hint: it’s in a side street between Peristil and Pjaca.

Picigin is an amateur sport played in the shallow waters of Bačvice consisting of players tossing a small ball to one another, keeping it from touching the water. Quite rare for these parts, Split’s Bačvice is a sandy beach with quite shallow waters, which spurred the birth of Split’s very own sport. It is not a competitive sport as there are no winners, points or opposing sides, but rather a relaxing way for friends to relax and exercise. As the game grows with intensity, passing tourists are treated to the spectacle of grown men flying in the air in an often vain attempt to keep a small ball in the air and if you ask the women what the best part of the game is, it is that the male contestants are expected to wear mudantine, a tight speedo. The Picigin World Championships were introduced in 2005 and, as the sport is non-competitive, it was decided to determine the champions on a combination of number of touches and acrobatic style. Also, it is a tradition to keep the ball out of the water on New Year's Day, whatever the weather.

Here is a little Picigin clip:

Matejuška is a small fisherman’s port just west of Riva. A pleasant walk along Matejuška provides the best vantage point of Split’s seafaring culture as locals from the Veli Varoš neighborhood prepare their catch along the long pier in the morning and catch up for a chat on the benches. At the end of the pier is a wind compass sculpture showing the winds of the region. In the last century, this port was a shipyard. 

Matejuška has developed a cult status amongst youth and is probably the biggest open-air hangout in Dalmatia for almost all subcultures of society; hipsters, punk rockers, rock n’ rollers, alternatives, as well as main streamers. The youngsters like to find a spot on the wall and enjoy a cold beer bought in a nearby kiosk or a bottle of cheap local wine brought from home. Matejuška provides a completely laid back vibe where friends enjoy a chat, listen to a tune on their phone and just take in the city skyline as they observe the varying crowds walk by. 

Matejuška attracts the crowds from May onwards when the weather warms and has been known to host quite a few free concerts throughout the summer season. Street musicians and practicing klapa groups also come here to keep the vibe going. 

There are a few insider tips if you want to blend in with the Matejuška crowds. Firstly, some groups have become accustomed to their regular spot and other groups are aware of that so they leave the spots free for when the ‘regulars’ come. Another thing to observe is how the further down the pier you walk, the more alternative the crowd becomes. Also, there are three ‘bottle collectors’ who reign over Matejuška and they are quick to snatch your empty bottles so they can exchange them for cash. The most popular guy is known as Božo Transporter who is quick and has developed a whisk technique in collecting bottles. The other two are a couple of elderly ladies who sometimes snatch your unfinished drink when they think you are too slow in providing empty bottles. I reckon these ladies are probably the only in their age group who get to go out every Friday and Saturday night until 4am, hanging out with youth J…perhaps it keeps them young. 

So if you want to mingle with Split youth in a laid back atmosphere on a zero budget, head to a wall along Matejuška.

Two weeks ago, now former Split mayor Željko Kerum was caught on camera with a slice of pršut (Dalmatian smoked ham) on his forehead, causing media-mockery and the invention of a new trend; pršuting. 

Pršuting is the art of plastering a slice of pršut on your forehead, capturing the moment on camera, and uploading it on the Pršuting group page for the world to see.

The world has seen odd trends around the world; first it was planking where you lie face down with hands on your sides in the most unusual locations, then it was the Harlem shake, a ridiculous 80’s dance sketch that you upload to YouTube.

The point of Pršuting is to get the most ridiculous pictures of “pršut on forehead,” whether it be on your dogs head or in an odd location, and the Pršuting page have happily received photoshop’ed images of pršut on the foreheads of Darth Vader, Queen Elizabeth II, Mona Lisa and so on.

Since the launch of the Pršuting page just two weeks ago, they already have 53,000 likes.

Pršuting Party @ Imperium

Keeping up with the Pršuting trend, Imperium will be hosting a weekend of Balkan hits where every bottle ordered comes with a pršut and cheese platter…it’s up to you whether you will participate in Pršuting and have a photo-session with the Dalmatian delicacy on your forehead or if you just want to nibble on its savory bite.

When: Friday 24^th and Saturday 25^th May, 2013

What: DJ Colu with Balkan Hits

Offer: Complimentary pršut and cheese platter with every bottle ordered; Happy hour from 23-midnight with two bottles for the price of one.

Imperium (+385 (0)91 433 8555; www.imperium.hr; Gat Svetog Duje (ferry terminal building)

“Južina?” my boss asked me when my productivity level was low. He was referring to the southeastern jugo wind (scirocco) that is known to make Dalmatians grumpy, slow and depressed. My boss forgave me because of a particular wind blowing past my window!

Jugo wind is a strong southeastern wind that blows onto the Adriatic shores from the Sahara desert of Africa. The Jugo is a low pressure, warm wind, not as strong as the villainous Bura, but causes high and choppy waves with cloudy showering skies.

I cannot tell you the scientific background for this wind mood manipulation phenomenon but supposedly it’s to do with an imbalance of ions in the air causing low pressure in our brains. Nonetheless, jugo is blamed for everything; from low productivity, headaches, mental breakdowns, and a broken leg.

If you are having a bad day, a local will justify it with, “To ti je jugo” (It’s the jugo wind) or you will hear elderly complain about back pain and blaming the jugo wind for it.

In the old Republic of Dubrovnik, no laws were passed while jugo was blowing as it was believed to tamper in ones judgment. Additionally, criminals at this time have been pardoned for even murder if they committed their crime during jugo. Sadly, but true in some institutions, mentally impaired patients are tied up during jugo to protect themselves and others should they have a meltdown.

If you find yourself and others in an oddly depressed mood, then “the answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind.”

“Rakija, rakija...come here as there is no consolation in water,” reads a famous line by Croatia’s greatest poet from the 20^th century, Tin Ujević. It showcases just how important rakija (Croatian grappa) plays in the culture of its people. Not only do people enjoy it as a drink but its believed to cure stomach cramps, and it works as a great disinfectant and window cleaner.

Rakija is considered the national drink of Croatia and is produced by distilling fermented fruit, much like grappa of Italy and schnapps of Germany. Winemakers will usually use grape must to produce their rakija and this is the classic base of this popular drink. This fierce beverage usually has 40% alcohol but some domaći (home-produced) rakija can have even higher levels.

It is a custom to enjoy a rakija after a meal as a digestive but be careful, this stuff is strong and is not a drink for the weak. There are several flavors or rakija, such as šlivovica made of plums, višnjevac from cherries, but for something a little easier to swallow, try medica which is flavored with honey, or orahovac with almonds.

Every bar or restaurant will have a couple of rakijas on option but if you want to go all out, you can try one of 25 rakija flavors at Split Circus in the palace or hide underground in Split Circus II. They have creative combos such as apple cinnamon, grapefruit mint, and the list goes on.

A few years ago there were no hostel in town but now there is a wealth of hostel accommodation in the city popping up every season. Please see below list of preferred hostels and budget accomodation in Split and click read more for further information.

Split Hostel Group

(Narodni Trg 8; +385 (0)21 342 787 / Kruziceva 5, +385 (0)21 355 156; www.splithostel.com)

Run by two Aussie Croat women, this pair brought the first hostel to Split in 2006. Creatively named Booze & Snooze, this hostel is just that; a meeting point for travellers who are in for some fun between discoveries. The group’s brand-new outpost hostel bares another creative name with a similar definition; Fiesta Siesta. Also located in the old town in a heritage listed Dalmatian house, it sits above Charlie’s Bar, a backpacker’s hangout also founded by the group…read more.

Goli+Bosi Design Hostel

(Morpurgova poljana 2; +385 (0)21 510 999;www.gollybossy.com)

Goli+Bosi certainly does not exude the traditional hostel vibe; it has a quirky attitude and an ultra hip décor. Goli+Bosi, meaning naked and barefoot in Croatian doesn’t target your usual budget traveller as dorm prices match that of private accommodation but if you are into collective holidays, this is your place.

Tchaikovsky Hostel

(Ulica Petra Iliča Čajkovskog 4; +385 (0)21 317 124;www.tchaikovskyhostel.com)

Owned and operated by a German born Croat, there is certainly German order in this place, and positively so. Named after the street this hostel is located on in the Špinut neighborhood behind the National Theatre of Split, this spic and span hotel has four dorms named after Tchaikovsky’s famous compositions…read more.

Beach Hostel

(Viška 9; +385(0)98 9450 998;www.facebook.com/BeachHostelSplit)

For an old school backpacker vibe, Beach Hostel just 100m from Bačvice beach is just the joint for you. This place is run by a Norwegian lady named Ladybird who dropped her high-flying corporate career to take a chill pill and devote her time to art, writing, and hanging out with hipster youth…read more.

Silver Central

(Kralja Tomislava 1; +385 (0)21 490 805;  www.silvercentralhostel.com // Hrvojeva 6; +385 (0)21 322 857;  www.silvergatehostel.com)

Silver Central Hostel is located right off Marmontova, the city’s main shopping street, meters from all the action. This boutique four-dorm hostel is housed in an upstairs apartment featuring beach woods, bright yellow walls and an underwater themed dorm puts you right into the Adriatic mood. Their second hostel, Silver Gate offers yet another colorful set-up to brighten you stay…read more.

Hotel Dujam

(Velebitska 27;  +385 (0) 21 538 025;www.hoteldujam.com)

For affordable yet comfortable hotel accommodation, venture 20 minutes on foot from the city center and stay at two-starred Hotel Dujam located in a residential neighborhood. The hotel has 33 little rooms with simple interiors. Hotel Dujam also houses the rather soulless but affordable “L” hostel…read more.

Although more and more luxe accommodation is popping up in the city, there are still affordable stays available as most hotels in Split are still in the mid-range category. Please see below a list of preferred mid-range hotels in Split and click read more for further information.

Hotel Park****

(Hatzeov Perivoj 3; +385(0)21 406 400; www.hotelpark-split.hr)

Hotel Park is the flagship hotel of Split; opened in 1921, it is the oldest hotel in the city with over 90 years of tradition under its belt. It has 57 small rooms, many of which have sea vistas over the ever-popular Bacvice beach where it is located….read more.

Best Western Art Hotel****

(Ulica Slobode 41; +385 (0)21 302 302; www.arthotel.hr)

Situated 1.5km north of the city center and only a 15-minute walk to Diocletian’s Palace, this business hotel has 36 rooms and unlike its name suggests, there are not so many artsy features in the hotel, if any…read more.

Hotel Slavija ***

(Buvinina 2; +385 (0)21 323 840; www.hotelslavija.com)

The newly renovated Hotel Slavija has been around since the early 20th century so their experience in hospitality certainly dates back. The hotel is housed in a Renaissance-Baroque palace and sits above Diocletian’s ancient Roman baths from the 4th century…read more.

Hotel More***

(Šetalište Pape Ivana Pavla II 27; +385 (0) 21 462 112; www.hotelmore.hr)

More, meaning sea in Croatia, is a small eight room family-run hotel situated on the first row to the sea on Žnjan beach…read more.

Hotel Bellevue***

(Bana Jospipa Jelačića 2; +385(0)21 345-644; www.hotel-bellevue-split.hr)

Located right next to the stunning red neo-Renaissance arches of the imposing Prokurative with open views to Riva’s seafront promenade, Hotel Bellevue is a Split institution although the interiors are a little chintzy…read more.