Split. Croatia.

The mountains in Croatia are like nothing I’ve seen before. Gray granite with small green shrubs scattered throughout. This is Croatia.

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Split.

I don’t know why some people hate Split. It’s Eastern Europe. Yes, there is graffiti and old buildings, but the alleys are interesting, tons of character with cute shops and restaurants. My favorite area is the small plaza on the interior walls of the palace where there’s live music every night; people sit around the outer steps, and enjoy drinks, music, and the ambiance. Couples even dance in the middle of the square!

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Explore the Old Town and enjoy your pick of sunglass stores, they’re everywhere. Ice cream shops galore. Cruise ships docked in the harbor. And a great main promenade to take a stroll and grab a drink at sunset, just be prepared to pay the $$ for the view.

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Walk through the palace, which is apparently the most preserved palace in the world, but don’t be too disappointed when you realize it’s only jewelry shops inside.

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Pay the 15 kuna and walk up the stairs to the top of the bell tower for a panoramic view of the city.

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Bucket List Complete:

  • Krka National Park
  • Walk the city walls
  • Rub the toe for good luck

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Next Time:

  • Tower Pub Crawl – supposed to be the best in Europe
  • Plitvice Lakes National Park
  • Hike up the hill for a beautiful lookout point over Split – (Raining so we couldn’t go).

Pro:

  • Love how the city is built into the old ruins
  • Beautiful
  • Cheap

Con:

  • Area by the harbor smells fishy and moldy
  • When we got back from our cruise, everything was closed. 
  • Low season isn’t good – Need to go during high season.
  • I hate to say it, but we had very poor experiences with the local Croatians. Rude, poor sense of humor where you never know if they’re joking or serious, never can tell if they like you or hate you, inappropriate to women. 

Tip:

  • Don’t waste your money on Froggy Land
  • Have dinner at Chop – Great steak restaurant
  • Don’t go to the movies in Split. We went to see Everest (great movie!), but the theatre itself is disgusting. They even have assigned seats, and all 20 of us in the theatre were all in the same row. Finally, someone realized how ridiculous that is and moved, and the rest followed suit to spread out. But still, very interesting.

Fun Fact:

  • The Game of Thrones was filmed in the palace as the place where the dragons are kept.
  • Pastries in Croatia are amazing! Must try! My fav was the chocolate filled donut.