Grand Tour of Split
Discover the Diocletian’s Palace, the Old Town & iconic Meštrović Gallery on a half-day private Split walking tour
Tour duration
approx. 4 hours
Start time
On demand
Language
English
Included
Licensed guide
Excluded
Entrance fees
Meeting point
See here
HIGHLIGHTS
Enjoy a full tour of Diocletian’s Palace and the Old Town with a refreshing coffee break at any point of the tour. We then leave the Old Town in a private car/taxi to admire the works of the most famous Croatian sculptor of the 20th century, Ivan Meštrović. We complete the tour with a transfer back to the colorful Old Town.
Food tasting of artisan cheese, Dalmatian prosciutto and olive oil can be arranged so please contact me if you would like to customise the tour.
ITINERARY
Built towards the end of the 3rd century AD, the Diocletian’s Palace is certainly the most significant Roman site in Croatia. With locals who continue to live within its walls, it is a living monument of one era and without doubt a “must see” when visiting Split.
The best place to start is the liveliest spot in the city – the main promenade “Riva”. Explore the grandiose Diocletian’s Palace – a UNESCO World Heritage site that represents the best preserved late-antiquity building in the world.
The first point of our tour is the substructures of the Diocletian’s Palace. Explore a labyrinth of cellars that once supported the palace. Rediscovered only in the last century, the cellars enabled archaeologists to derive the floor plan of some of the palace’s long-gone upper sections.
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After exploring Diocletian’s Palace take a short car ride to the iconic Meštrović Gallery proudly housing the works of Ivan Meštrović – the most outstanding Croatian sculptor and architect of the 20th century.
As a cosmopolitan global artist who lived and worked across Europe, Meštrović moved to the USA in 1947 where he taught as a university lecturer. Appreciated by the American people and President Eisenhower, he was granted American citizenship. With his deed of gift to the Croatian people of 1952, his villa (today’s gallery) and rich collection of his works of art became a public museum collection.
Intriguingly, the villa represents an artistic monument itself. Since it was a combination of the home and an atelier, the concept of the gallery mostly respects the space given. Sculptures are also exhibited in the beautiful, spacious garden in front of the villa overviewing the blue bay of Split. The views from the terrace of the gallery are stunning.
Why not end the tour at the gallery’s café to grasp a further sense of tranquillity?
ENTRANCE FEES
The Emperor’s Mausoleum & Jupiter’s temple 8,00 EUR per person
( family tickets available, children up to the age of 12 get a 70 % discount )
Mestrovic Gallery 12,00 EUR per person
Family ticket ( parents with children up to the age of 15 – 20,00 EUR)
Please note that the taxi or a private car to Mestrovic Gallery and back is not included in the tour price.
What others think
The Right Private Guide
Having a private guide is the absolute best value possible and on the Dalmatian coast, Jelena is the best possible guide. We did two tours in Split with Jelena and thought she was so good that we asked her to accompany us to the island of Hvar where she was our guide for half a day – she took the ferry home and we continued on in our rental car. She is fun to be around, knows the areas – from history, to the right restaurant to recommendations of what to see on your own. Some of our best times in Croatia were with Jelena but ALL of our best times were recommended by Jelena including restaurants (outside of Split), what beaches to visit and what time to visit certain things.
Patrick and Amy, Chicago
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Informative and tasty tour of Split
My husband and I had the pleasure of spending some time in Split during our vacation in October. The day started out with a steady and hard rain but Jelena was undaunted, we switched some things around and made the best of it. By the middle of the day the sun was out and we had spent some quality time with the sights, history and food stuffs of Croatia. We ended the day at the Mestrovic gallery having been exposed to an amazing artist, overlooking a gorgeous view. It was the best of a tour guide experience, learning about a country through its food and culture with an accomplished and flexible guide.
Lynn, Washington
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Tour of Split
We had a wonderful tour of Split with Jelena. She showed us all the hidden gems of Split and we learned a lot about the history of this beautiful city. Jelena is truly an exceptional tour guide who transforms the Old Town of Split back into a Roman Palace through engaging storytelling. A special shout-out to Jelena for entertaining our 2 grand children (8 & 6years old) during the walking tour. Not only was she extremely friendly with them, she made sure she included them into the tour through questions and anecdotes interesting to kids.
Chris V., Belgium
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Learn a local word
Kava
/khaa-va/
noun
Did you know it is always coffee time in Dalmatia? Locals spend hours sipping their coffee while indulging in small talk. It’s quite easy to notice that there aren’t that many people on the street rushing past with a coffee-to-go in their hands. Of course, coffee-to-go does exist, but it’s not something locals here would do. In other words, we like to take our time and enjoy the moment.
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Get in touch for availability and pricing
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