Split lives in a Roman palace.
Island-hopping speedboats, the Blue Cave, Krka’s waterfalls and the old town at first light. What each one is really like, what it costs, and where to book.
Seven bookings that never miss.
First visit or fifth, these are the ones that fill a Split trip: the long five-island run, the falls at Krka, the palace before the cruise crowds arrive, and the Blue Lagoon swim everyone talks about after.
Krka Waterfalls, Food & Wine Tasting Tour
Bus, boat, waterfalls, and a family winery from Split. Enjoy Krka’s falls, Skradin free time, and tastings with an English guide.
From $45 per person
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★ 4.9Sells out fastKrka Waterfalls, Food & Wine Tasting TourFrom $446,598 reviews
★ 4.6Crowd favouriteBlue Cave, Mamma Mia, Hvar and 5 Island TourFrom $1096,320 reviews
★ 5.0Boat-day classicBlue Cave and Hvar Tour – 5 Islands Tour from Split and TrogirFrom $1204,815 reviews
★ 4.9Easy winBlue Lagoon Boat Party with DJs, Shots & After PartyFrom $474,610 reviews
★ 5.0Local pickKrka Waterfalls Tour, Boat Cruise & SwimmingFrom $324,489 reviews
★ 4.8Worth the early startKrka Waterfalls Tour with Boat Cruise & SwimmingFrom $313,913 reviews
Five islands in one long day.
Board a speedboat off the Riva, reach the Blue Cave at Biševo before the queue forms, then string together Stiniva beach, the Pakleni coves and Hvar town with a swim at every stop. Back by evening with salt on your skin and a full camera roll.
Blue Cave, Blue Lagoon, or Hvar?
Everyone books a boat day from Split, and the right one comes down to your crew. The three that matter are below, each written up with prices and a verdict, so you can pick and book in one go.
The big one
The five-island run
10 - 11 hours · from $109 · 6,320 reviews
The full loop: the Blue Cave at Biševo first, then Stiniva, the Green Cave, Hvar town and the Pakleni coves. Twelve hours, a lot of sea, and the day most people remember longest. Go on calm water and reach the cave early.
See the five-island tours →
More swim, less sail
The Blue Lagoon day
5 hours · from $70 · 3,406 reviews
Shorter and gentler: the shallow turquoise Blue Lagoon off Drvenik for a long swim, a stop at Šolta or Čiovo, and lunch on board. The pick if you want beach time over island count, and it suits families.
See the Blue Lagoon cruises →
Town and coves
The Hvar day
10 hours · from $83 · 297 reviews
Straight for the good stuff: real hours in Hvar town and the clear water of the Pakleni islets just offshore. Less cave-chasing, more swimming and a proper lunch. Best on a day you want to slow down.
See the Hvar tours →
The best nights start on a boat.
A glass-bottom kayak lit from below as the harbour lights come on, a sunset sail past the Marjan cliffs, or a party boat that does not dock until late. Split saves its best light for the end of the day, and most of it is out on the water.
Long lunches and local wine.
Split eats slowly: grilled fish straight off the boat, peka under the bell, and island wine you cannot buy at home. These are the food and wine hours worth planning a day around.
Rafts, ziplines and cliff jumps.
Half an hour down the coast the Cetina cuts a canyon made for adrenaline: easy whitewater with jumps if you want them, a zipline strung across the gorge, and quad trails into the hills behind Omiš. Most of it needs no experience at all.
A palace people still live in.
Step down into Diocletian’s substructures, climb the cathedral that was once his mausoleum, and follow lanes that have carried footsteps for seventeen centuries. The old town is still lived in, and a good guide opens the half of it you would otherwise walk straight past.
The coast, one town at a time.
Each stop is its own day. The old town for the palace and the cellars. Trogir for the stone and the cathedral. Hvar for the harbour and the crowd. Brač for Zlatni Rat and the quiet.
Know how you want to spend it?
Twelve ways to spend a day around Split. Pick the one that sounds like you, and everything behind it is already written up with prices.
Worth leaving Split for.
A morning on the road puts waterfalls, walled towns and a bridge in Bosnia within reach. Some are back by lunch, some fill the whole day, and the drive up the coast is half the reason to go.
Three days to start with.
Three days is enough for the shape of the place: the old town first, the islands next, the waterfalls up the coast last. Here is how the three fit together, and what to book for each.
Day 1
Walk the palace
The old town on foot while your legs are fresh: the Peristyle, the cathedral bell tower, the cellars underneath, then dinner at a konoba off the Riva.
Plan day one →
Day 2
Out to the islands
The big boat day: the Blue Cave early, then Hvar, the Pakleni coves and a swim wherever the water runs clearest. Back to Split as the harbour lights come on.
Plan day two →
Day 3
Waterfalls up the coast
Krka for the falls you can swim below and a boat up to Skradin, or the longer haul to Plitvice if the lakes are calling. Leave early either way to beat the coaches.
Plan day three →
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