Split Croatia

1123 Cruises availables At departure or passage at this port

Azamara Club Cruises (22 Cruises)

Celebrity Cruises (29 Cruises)

CroisiEurope (23 Cruises)

Cruise CE Croisieurope MS La Belle de L\

MV La Belle de L'Adriatique

195 Passengers
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Cunard (78 Cruises)

Cruise Cunard Queen Elizabeth ship

Queen Elizabeth

2081 Passengers
90400 tons
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Emerald Waterways (71 Cruises)

Emerald Azzurra.

Emerald Azzurra

164 Passengers
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Emerald Kaia.

Emerald Kaia

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Explora Journeys (27 Cruises)

Explora II

Explora II

63900 tons
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MSC Cruises (340 Cruises)

MSC Cruises Armonia Ship Thumbnail

MSC Armonia

2679 Passengers
65542 tons
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MSC Cruises Seaview Ship

MSC Seaview

5179 Passengers
154000 tons
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msc splendida cruise ship

MSC Splendida

4363 Passengers
137936 tons
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Norwegian Cruise Line (23 Cruises)

Oceania Cruises (52 Cruises)

Oceania Allura.

Oceania Allura

1200 Passengers
68000 tons
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Princess Cruises (80 Cruises)

Enchanted Princess.

Enchanted Princess

3660 Passengers
145000 tons
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Regent Seven Seas Cruises (26 Cruises)

Seven Seas Grandeur.

Seven Seas Grandeur

1294 Passengers
55500 tons
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Royal Caribbean Cruises (33 Cruises)

royal caribbean brilliance of the seas cruise ship

Brilliance of the Seas

2112 Passengers
90090 tons
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Silversea Cruises (37 Cruises)

Viking Ocean Cruises (221 Cruises)

Viking Jupiter1

Viking Jupiter

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Viking Mars.

Viking Mars

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Viking Neptune1

Viking Neptune

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Viking Star

Viking Star

47800 tons
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Viking Vela.

Viking Vela

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Port of Split, Croatia | Cruise Port Guide

In the year 305, Diocletian did what no Roman emperor had dared before him: he gave up power of his own free will. For his retirement, he had built a fortified palace facing the sea, the size of a garrison. Seventeen centuries later, that palace has become Split — Croatia's second-largest city still lives within the emperor's walls, among his cellars and colonnades. Ships moor at St. Peter's Quay or neighbouring berths: a flat ten- to fifteen-minute walk along the harbour leads to the Riva and the ramparts. No shuttle needed; antiquity is within walking distance.

A lived-in palace

The monument isn't so much visited as lived in. A few thousand residents still live within its walls, and their businesses occupy the former imperial halls — a café beneath a 4th-century vault, a jewellery shop in a guards' corridor. You enter through one of the four gates, Golden, Silver, Iron or Bronze, and let yourself be carried along the maze of lanes, where laundry dries between Roman pilasters. The building's substructures, long filled with rubble, can now be explored: these surprisingly vast vaulted cellars give the exact measure of the imperial apartments that once stood above.

The peristyle and the irony of history

At the centre of the enclosure opens the peristyle, a ceremonial courtyard framed by granite and marble columns, where a sphinx brought from Egypt has stood guard for 3,500 years. This is where the emperor appeared to his subjects. History later had its sweet revenge: the mausoleum of Diocletian, a relentless persecutor of Christians, was converted into a cathedral — St. Domnius, named after a bishop martyred on his orders. Its Romanesque bell tower, rebuilt over the centuries, is climbed by ever more airy stairways; the reward is a complete panorama of the rooftops, the harbour and the islands. In the evening, the peristyle's steps become café seating: you may hear a cappella singers beneath the columns.

The Riva and the markets

At the foot of the south walls, the Riva unrolls its palm-lined promenade, facing the ferries leaving for Brač, Hvar and Vis. West of the enclosure, People's Square — Pjaca to locals — lines up its polished white paving stones beneath the medieval clock. A few steps away, the fish market comes alive at dawn amid shouts and the smell of iodine, while the green market, near the Silver Gate, piles up figs, tomatoes and bunches of chard. These few squares form the city's true living room: you quickly understand that Split is lived outdoors, from the first morning coffee to the last evening conversation.

Marjan, the walkers' hill

When the stone gets too hot, locals head up to breathe on Marjan, the wooded hill that closes off the peninsula to the west. From the old Varoš district, a stairway leads in about fifteen minutes to a lookout where the whole harbour spreads out, from the port to the islands. Paths continue beneath the pines to medieval chapels and pebble coves. The way back slopes gently, with the bell tower as a landmark — just as for the sailors of old.

Quick reference

ItemDetails
DockingQuay 10-15 minutes' walk from the old town, no shuttle needed
Diocletian's PalaceFree access; cathedral, bell tower and cellars require tickets
Marjan HillLookout a 15-minute climb from Varoš
Currency and languageEuro; Croatian, English widely spoken

The most successful retirement in history

Diocletian wanted to end his days in peace facing the sea; he ended up giving an entire city to his distant successors. Heading back to the ship along the Riva, you take a last look at the ramparts turning pink at sunset. Few emperors can boast such a living legacy — and no other imperial residence still serves coffee beneath its vaults every morning.

Frequently Asked Questions

At St Peter's quay or the nearby berths. Allow ten to fifteen minutes of flat walking along the harbour to the Riva and the palace walls. No shuttle is needed.
Yes, and it is the only sensible way. Diocletian's Palace, the Riva, the People's Square and the markets are all within a twenty-minute walk on level ground. Only Marjan hill requires a climb.
Diocletian's Palace: the peristyle, the vaulted cellars and St Domnius Cathedral with its bell tower. Add the fish market and the People's Square, then a pause on the Riva. Marjan hill fits if your call runs past six hours.
The fortified retirement residence Emperor Diocletian had built facing the sea in AD 305. Seventeen centuries later, Croatia's second city still lives inside its walls. It is not a monument to visit: it is a place people inhabit.
No, access to the enclosure is free: you enter by one of the four gates, Golden, Silver, Iron or Bronze. The cathedral, the bell tower and the vaulted cellars require a ticket.
The ceremonial court at the centre of the enclosure, framed by granite and marble columns, where a sphinx brought from Egypt has stood guard for 3,500 years. This is where the emperor appeared to his subjects; in the evening the steps serve as cafe seating.
History's revenge. Diocletian was a fierce persecutor of Christians; his mausoleum was converted into St Domnius Cathedral, named for a bishop martyred on his orders. The Romanesque bell tower is climbed by increasingly airy stairs.
The wooded hill closing the peninsula to the west, where locals go to breathe when the stone gets too hot. From the old Varoš quarter, a stairway leads in about fifteen minutes to a viewpoint over the whole harbour.
The euro and Croatian. English is very widely spoken. Cards work everywhere; keep cash for the fish market and the green market.
May to October. In July and August the palace is packed at midday and the stone radiates heat: start early. June and September strike the best balance of light and crowds.