I wanted to stay longer in Bosnia and Herzegovina so that I could explore the rest of the country, but I already planned on meeting a couple of friends in Split. We made plans several weeks before my trip and I didn’t want to be that sort of person who bails out at the last minute. The day I had to say goodbye to my new found friends in Mostar had finally come.
There are 3-4 buses running daily from Mostar to Split, and the trip takes a little more than 4 hours. A single journey ticket usually costs around 30 Marks (15 euros), but on certain days you’d see one trip that costs about half that price so I made it a point to take that one lol. On the day I left it was the 11 AM bus. I left the hostel at a little past 10:30 in the morning and I was able to make it with lots of time to spare.
The journey was uneventful. And thank goodness we only had to cross the border once this time. I arrived at around 3 PM, and since my mates weren’t in Split yet I decided to walk around.
Our hostel was right inside the Diocletian’s Palace so we were staying inside Split’s main attraction. It’s incredibly touristy. There are lots of restaurants and shops inside and most of em were really expensive. I did find a cheap place to eat though. it’s called St. Burek and the bureks were not only cheap, they were also really delicious. One serving only costs 12 Kunas and it’s large enough for one meal… I struggled to finish 2. It became my go to place for breakfast, lunch, and dinner lol. One night I joined the hostel dinner wherein the hostel staff would bring us to supposedly cheap restaurants. That night they brought us to a burrito place, and one burrito costs 50 Kunas. Screw that. I snuck out and went back to St. Burek lol.
In Split, crowds were everywhere. It doesn’t get as maddeningly crowded as Dubrovnik though. Dubrovnik may be more beautiful and polished, but there’s something about Split’s rough and rustic appearance that makes it charming.
My friends arrived at a little past 6 PM and we went straight to drinking. Our hostel was a popular party hostel with its own bar downstairs. This was really convenient for people who go to Split to party. During waking hours we always had a pint of beer on one hand. My friends were just on a short break and they wanted to make the best of it. To them, the main reason for heading to Split was to party. Split is notoriously known as a party place. I’ve heard stories about how wild it can get, but I was still caught off guard by the utter mayhem I experienced on my first night. It feels kinda off seeing such debauchery inside a UNESCO World Heritage Site, but that’s Split for you. Here’s a tip. If you’re planning to get some sleep, avoid the hostels inside and near the Diocletian’s Palace. There’s no way you’ll be able to sleep early, especially if you’re staying at a party hostel. Some of my room mates got back past 4 AM dead drunk, which I didn’t mind because i just got in myself. But they were wide awake at 6 AM and were making a lot of noise which pissed me off. And lo and behold they were already drinking beers. I have no idea how they can be up so early considering their intoxicated state a mere 2 hours before.
I did want to party in Split, but I wanted to do other things too. I wanted to do several day trips inland and the attractions seem to be very accessible from Split. I also wanted to check out an island or two, and Split is the jump off point to most of em. These are the reasons why I agreed to meet up with my friends here, instead of some other party place. As expected, my friends weren’t interested on doing some exploring so early in the morning, they wanted to stay in and get some sleep. So I decided to join a day tour to one of the attractions. Two of the most famous attractions in Croatia are the Plitvice Lakes and the Krka National Park. I’ve heard lots of people raving about the Plitvice Lakes, but I chose to go to Krka for several reasons. It’s closer from Split so I won’t have to spend a good part of the day inside a bus. Krka is only a little more than an hour away, while heading to the Plitvice Lakes takes about 4 hours! I also chose Krka because it just seems more beautiful in pictures, at least to me. The fact that you can swim in the waters of Krka National Park sealed the deal. Not being able to swim in the Plitvice Lakes was a deal breaker.
It’s easy to get there via public transport. From the bus station in Split, there are buses leaving every hour to Skradin (where the park is) during peak season. It costs about 70 Kunas each way. During the off peak season though there are no direct buses. You have to take a bus to Sibenik first and then take another local bus from there to Skradin. The total cost would be about the same. An easier way would be to book one of those tours that run daily. Krka is a very popular day tour from Split so there are lots of tour groups running it. I paid 180 Kunas for the tour. It includes a round trip transfer by bus, plus a short river cruise to the national park. I’d say it’s worth the 40 Kuna difference. I also wouldn’t have met my travel companion for the day if I didn’t join the tour. At first I seemed to be the only solo traveler on the bus, but when one girl got in and asked if the seat beside me was taken, I was relieved. It would have been hard making friends if everyone were already traveling in small groups. I loved the day trip to Krka. We had about 5 hours in the park and we were free to do our own thing. The water by the falls was refreshing and you can do some hikes in the area. It was really crowded but I didn’t mind. It was summer so naturally people would want to go swimming to get away from the heat.
Split also has several beaches you can swim at. The one we got to check out was Kasjuni Beach. It’s not far from the city center– only about 2 miles, so it’s within walking distance. If you find the heat unbearable though, you can easily take the number 12 bus from the Riva. A bus ride would only take around 20 minutes. This beach is right by Marjan Hill (actually it’s one of many beaches by the hill), a popular hiking spot in Split, so a lot of people head to this beach to cool off after doing a hike. Like the beaches in Dubrovnik, it’s pebbly/ rocky. As expected, it was also very crowded. Still, it’s a great place to hang out. The view is pretty nice, and there are a couple of restaurants and bars in the area. At night it turns into something completely different. Upon nightfall lots of cars started appearing in succession, parking strategically between the trees or by the bushes. We had a pretty good idea what was going on. When we mentioned this to a couple of locals, they confirmed what we suspected. Kasjuni Beach is really known for that hah.
Like Dubrovnik, my opinion of Split is split (sorry, I just had to make a pun lol). It’s noticeably cheaper, but it’s still expensive. It’s also incredibly touristy and it could get really crowded too, though not to the same extent as Dubrovnik. On the other hand, its location is ideal for exploring the rest of the country. And if you plan to visit those beautiful Croatian islands, Split is the perfect place to stop by. Dubrovnik seems to be its own thing down south, isolated from the rest of the country. If you have to choose between these two famous cities and you’d want to explore what else Croatia has to offer, Split is the logical choice. It may not be as beautiful, but its location and accessibility points to its favor.
no roads to follow 
2 thoughts on “Split over Split”