What a beautiful view of Split! The city was tremendous and I look forward to return soon! Photo by: Evan Berman
After a brief stop in Munich, it was time to return to Eastern Europe! Split, Croatia was up next and wow, I loved my time there! As the downtown is compact, I got to see everything I wanted to in my day and a half there. Plus, I stayed in a hotel built on top of a Roman Emperor’s palace and had amazing food and drinks! It’s safe to say I highly recommend visiting Split! Croatia recently joined the EU and will soon adopt the Euro as their currency. As a result of those two factors, some prices were charged in Euro while others were in krona.
The review of my time in Split is part of the Eastern European Experience. For more information on the trip, follow these links:
Flight: United Economy Class B737-800 CHS-ORD-SEA
Centurion Lounge, The Club SEA, and United Club: SEA Lounges
Flight: Turkish Airlines Business Class B787-9 SEA-IST
Istanbul Airport’s Famous Turkish Airlines Business Class Lounge and IGA Pop Up Lounge
Flight: Turkish Airlines Business Class B737 MAX 8 IST-BUD
Hotel: Ramada by Wyndham Budapest City Center
SkyCourt Lounge, Plaza Premium SkyCourt, and Platinum Lounge (Schengen): BUD Lounges
Flight: Lufthansa Economy Class A321-200 BUD-MUC and MUC-ZAG
Lufthansa Business Class Lounge MUC
1.5 Days in Split, Croatia, the Beauty of the Adriatic (This Article)
Hotel Vestibul Palace in Split, Croatia, Small Luxury Hotels of the World (Hyatt partner)Flight: Croatian Airlines Economy Class Dash 8 and ATR 72-600 (Twin-Prop Plane) ZAG-SPU-ZAG-SJJ-ZAG-BEG
Primeclass Lounge ZAG
6 Hours in Zagreb
Wine Tasting and Learning about Croatian Outlook
2 Days in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Restaurants in Sarajevo
Hotel Aziza Sarajevo (AABooking)
Business Lounge SJJ
Air Serbia Premium Lounge and Business Club: BEG Lounges
Flight: Swiss Airlines Economy Class Embraer E190-E2 and A220-300 BEG-ZRH-LJU
2 Amazing Days in Ljubljana, Slovenia
Food Scene in Ljubljana
Day Trip around Slovenia: Postojna Cave, Predjama Castle, Bled Castle, and Lake Bled
Hotel Emonec Ljubljana, Slovenia (Rocketmiles)
Flight: Air Serbia Economy Class ATR 72-600 and A319-100 LJU-BEG-SKP
1.5 Days in Belgrade, Serbia
Restaurants in Belgrade
Hotel: Hyatt Regency Belgrade (Hyatt)
3 Hours in Skopje, North Macedonia
Primeclass Lounge SKP
Flight: Wizz Air Economy Class A321-200 SKP-MXP
14 Hours in Milan and Monza, Italy
Hotel de la Ville Monza, Italy, Small Luxury Hotels of the World (Hyatt Partner)
Sala Montale and Emirates Lounge MXP
Flight: Emirates First Class A380-800 MXP-JFK
Conclusion
Trip Summary:
When most people think of Croatia and the Adriatic Sea, they often focus solely on Dubrovnik. This already extremely popular cruising destination gained massive attention as Game of Thrones was filmed there. Personally, I’ve never seen an episode of GoT (sacrilege, I know!). There are at least 2 other cities that are deserving of time in Croatia. The latter (and ironically, much less popular– a true gem) is the capital of Zagreb. The former? Split, a city oozing with history and culture… and excellent food, drinks, and views! Split is most famous for its historic city center. When I say “historic,” I mean that the entirety of the city center is built on the summer palace of Roman Emperor Diocletian which was constructed in the early 300s and is a certified UNESCO World Heritage Site.
If you are interested in Roman history and/or ruins, this is a must-visit. To top it off, the food is incredible. Unsurprisingly given the location, there is plenty of fresh seafood but the wine scene and charcuterie is equally enjoyable! While would love to return any time, I accomplished what I had hoped to in my 1.5 days, namely:
- Exploring the Historical Center of Split, including the Palace, the oldest Catholic Cathedral still in use, and much more!
- Enjoying delicious meals, including seafood, meat, cheese, and wine
- Taking in the magnificent views of the Adriatic Sea
- Staying in a former palace!
Flight Info:
I flew Lufthansa Economy Class from Munich to Zagreb on flight LH 1726. This flight flight was just under 1 hour– a very quick jump. The seat was decent and service was unsurprisingly non-existent, though the price (in points at least) was reasonable.
Read more details about the flight from Budapest to Munich and Munich to Zagreb here.
Price: The one way flight from Munich to Zagreb cost 6,000 United Miles (6,000 points transferred from Chase Ultimate Rewards) and $48.80, while I booked the Zagreb to Split flight with cash for $71.47. In total, the flights from Munich to Split cost 6,000 United Miles and $120.27
Points Earned: 600 AmEx Membership Rewards Points (5x on Flights with the AmEx Platinum Card)
Lodging Info:
I stayed 1 night at the Hotel Vestibul Palace, a Small Luxury Hotels of the World (SLH) property in the heart of Split. Unsurprisingly (given the name), this hotel is in the main historical center, and was the Vestibule when the Emperor Diocletian built his palace. While I give the edge to my other SLH palace stay of the trip– Hôtel de la Ville near Milan, Italy– this was an incredible hotel and one I would happily return to during my next trip to Split.
SLH properties are consistently excellent– they tend to be boutique properties (think fewer than 50-100 rooms) and have a perfect combination of history blended with modern luxury. I thoroughly enjoyed my stay and felt truly royal to be sleeping above an old palace!
Price: $127.98
Points Earned: 768 Hyatt Points and 384 Chase Ultimate Rewards Points (3x on Travel with the Chase Sapphire Reserve Card)
Airport Details:
As mentioned above, I flew into SPU, the airport serving Split. This international airport has 8 gates in 1 terminal. Like Zagreb, the terminal is split (no pun intended 😉 ) into domestic and international gates with the former taking up gates 1 and 2.
I will review SPU in a separate article. Like many tourist destinations, the number of passengers varies wildly depending on time of year. Per Flight Connections, there are 35 airlines that fly to Split, seasonally in the summertime. The main airlines that fly there are unsurprisingly Croatia Airlines (with 21 destinations) and British low-cost carrier easyJet with 14 destinations. Additionally, Volotea (9 destinations), Wizz Air and SAS (both with 7) both have strong presences while Eurowings (6), Jet2 (5), Norwegian (4), and Condor (3) have presences as well. In total there are flights to 68 international destinations in 22 countries and 5 domestic destinations.
There is only 1 lounge at the airport, on the international side near gate 3. The lounge is not a part of Priority Pass and gets horrendous reviews but as I was flying to Zagreb, I did not have the opportunity to be disappointed!
Transportation Details:
Uber is available in Croatia. Unlike my time in Munich, public transportation in Croatia leaves something to be desired. The airport is roughly 30 minutes away via car, though thankfully the downtown is so compact that I walked anywhere that I needed to go.
The prices for the Uber rides to and from the airport were roughly equivalent, HRK 248.86 ($35.28) on the arrival and HRK 275.39 ($39.04) on the departure. I find this to be a reasonable price, though it is certainly high for Eastern Europe.
Price: $74.32
Points: 223 Chase Ultimate Rewards Points (3x on Travel with Chase Sapphire Reserve)
Food & Drink:
While breakfast was included at the hotel, I opted to eat all my meals elsewhere. I was very much vindicated by my decision as you will see!
Zinfandel Food & Wine Bar:
I started off with a bang with both food and drink! After arriving in the afternoon and having a lovely stroll around the historic downtown, it was time to find something to eat. I had read great reviews of Zinfandel Food & Wine Bar and decided to try it.
I ordered the wine tasting and charcuterie board. For 30€, I had the “Heritage of Dalmatia” tasting– a glass of Debit, a white wine, followed by two reds: Babica Kaštelanska and Plavac Mali. These are Croatian grapes, all on the lighter side. While the meats were solid, the cheeses were the star of the culinary show. As bizarre as this may sound, cottage cheese was a recurring highlight on this trip! Both the cottage and goat cheese were tasty and the Pag cheese (from a Croatian island in the Adriatic) was incredible. This cheese is certainly worthy of the hype that surrounds it. The cheese is a hard sheep’s milk cheese so while it is a decent substitute for traditional hard cheeses such as Parmesan, the taste is unique and sweet.
Price: 30€ ($32.10)
Points Earned: 96 Chase Ultimate Rewards Points (3x on Dining)
Konoba Marjan:
For lunch the next day, I stopped into Konoba Marjan. Konoba is the Croatian word for tavern, so there are many restaurants that contain the word in their name. Thankfully, this spot was terrific! As I was eating on a Monday at 1pm in March, there were no other customers when I entered the restaurant. The weather encouraged me to sit outside to soak up the sun on a beautiful early spring day. I started with fresh sardines, paired with tasty bread, and ordered a glass of Malvazija Istarska– a well-known grape from the Croatian island of Istria. The wine was fruit forward, vibrant, and a wonderful drink to savor with flavorful food!
For my main course, I had the whole fish special. While I did not get the name of the fish, it was delicious! I particularly enjoyed the herbed butter on the side that I drizzled on top. A rule of thumb that has always seems to serve me well is: if there is a whole fish special, order it. The only knock on an otherwise flawless meal was since I sat outside and there was nobody else in the restaurant for most of the meal, the waiter was in no rush to check on me and bring out food or offer more wine. This may have been an unexpected blessing; however, as I enjoyed a rare break from my busy trip! I loved sitting in a square and watching the elderly gentlemen playing checkers with a backdrop of a church. As you can see from the below photo, this was a very peaceful area and I relished it!
Price: 50.70€ ($54.23)
Points Earned: 162 Chase Ultimate Rewards Points (3x on Dining)
Activities:
I spent a lot of time in Split learning about and exploring the areas around Diocletian’s Palace. From sleeping in a hotel built atop the vestibule to climbing towers and even walking through the banquet room, this city packs a ton of activities into a relatively small area!
Diocletian’s Palace:
As mentioned in the hotel and summary sections above, the main draw of Split is the history of the town as Emperor Diocletian built a summer palace in this beauty on the Adriatic Sea. Most of the ruins from that palace are free to enter– just know that there are lots of “displays” of various items for sale. After setting my bags down at the hotel, I wandered around the main area of the ruins, taking in the beautiful and well-preserved structure. The next morning, I explored further, paying the 7€ ($7.49) admission to walk around the banquet hall as well as the exterior of the palace for anyone who likes history or architecture, the admission is well worth the price!
Price: 7€ ($7.49)
Points Earned: 15 Capital One Venture Miles (2x Everywhere)
Split Cathedral Treasury:
I visited the Split Cathedral Treasury before walking over to the Cathedral of Saint Dominus. The museum itself had many items of interest from the oldest Catholic Cathedral still in existence, located directly across from this museum. If you enjoy relics, this museum does not disappoint! The museum itself is located across 3 floors, though each floor is fairly narrow. In all, I spent roughly 30 minutes looking at the beautiful contents before heading out.
Price: N/A, included with entrance to Cathedral
Points Earned: N/A, included with entrance to Cathedral
Cathedral of Saint Dominus:
What a view! Video by: Evan Berman
This is a must-visit, even if you are not religious. The interior of the Cathedral is very attractive and intimate. While I attended mass (yes, this is a functioning church, in addition to a tourist site), on all days except for Sunday you may tour the inside and marvel at the large dome. Of course, the main draw is to climb to the top of the towers located in front of the cathedral and marvel at the breathtaking view of Split. I am a sucker for red brick buildings and the view is perfect to me!
Price: 13€ ($13.91)
Points Earned: 27 Capital One Venture Miles
Temple of Venus:
No visit to Split is complete without seeing the Temple of Venus. Or something like that. I have to admit, I was a little underwhelmed by this famous site. One of the few Roman temples outside of Italy, this small area is nondescript and would be hard to find if not for the signs. It is interesting to think about the history has taken place around the statue, but after admiring it few a minute or two, I was ready to move on! The good news is this is not located next to the main entrance to the palace, so you have few interruptions from tourists.
Price: $0
Points Earned: N/A
Ethnography Museum:
Ethnography Museums are always an interesting concept. I usually want to learn more about a place’s culture and heritage so it would seem as though an ethnography museum is a great place to do that. However, as was the case here, I did not learn as much as I hoped. The museum is perfectly decent and covers some of the basics of life on the Adriatic Sea and some of the cultural norms of the Dalmatian people but that’s not the highlight here!
As I was leaving, the woman who worked at the museum directed me to a different door. I was confused as this was not the way I came in to the museum! She explained that there was a terrace and lookout point in a tower located in back of the building. After I followed her instructions, I was once again treated to a wonderful view of the city of Split!
Price: $0
Points Earned: N/A
Marjan Park:
The last thing that I did before heading to the airport was walk to a beautiful viewpoint in Marjan Park. This “park” is a forest located on a hill to the north of the main part of Split (where the palace is). As Split is mostly flat, there are tremendous views of the entire city and the Adriatic. Had I not needed to head to the airport so soon, I would have stopped for a beer at the cafe and relaxed with an incredible view to enjoy. The photo at the top of this article is the view from this spot.
Even just stopping for a few minutes to marvel at this incredible city was well-worth the mildly strenuous hike up the hill. What a way to end a terrific time in Split!
Price: $0
Points Earned: N/A
Photo of the Trip:
Total:
Price:
Food and Drink: $86.33
Transportation: $74.32
Flights: 6,000 United Miles (1,000 points transferred from Chase Ultimate Rewards) and $120.27
Hotel: $127.98
Activities: $21.40
Total Price: $430.30 and 6,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards Points
Points Earned:
Food and Drink: 259 Chase Ultimate Rewards Points
Transportation: 223 Chase Ultimate Rewards Points
Flights: 600 American Express Membership Rewards Points
Hotel: 768 Hyatt Points and 384 Chase Ultimate Rewards Points
Activities: 43 Capital One Venture Miles
Total Points: 866 Chase Ultimate Rewards Points, 600 American Express Membership Rewards Points, and 43 Capital One Venture Miles
I loved every minute of my time in Split, Croatia! I had a brief stop in Zagreb Croatia before heading onwards to Sarajevo. Next up: the review of my stay in the wonderful Hotel Vestibul Palace. Stay tuned for a recap of the flights I took on Croatian Airlines and my time in Zagreb as well as thoughts on Croatia, inspired by conversations with people from there!
This was one of my highlights of your trip for sure! Also, I did not receive an email link to this article.