Free tour

🔅 From Diocletian's times to 2025🔅 - 🥇 BEST free walking tour

4.88

Excellent(187)

Split

Duration: 1 hour and 30 minutes

Languages: English and Spanish

Guru: Ivana

PRO

Verified quality

Registered on 21 March 2023

I’m a licensed guide from Split who loves meeting people from all over the world. I’ve lived in a few places (in Croatia & Spain) and studied French and Italian language. I love sharing the amazing history and stories of my hometown! I also lead tours to Plitvice Lakes, Croatia’s biggest national park. When I’m not guiding, you’ll find me enjoying some “fjaka” - that's a perfect local way to relax with a coffee while soaking up the sun. Join me for a fun tour packed with stories about Greek gods, Roman history, and conspiracies, a real Roman soap opera. I promise it’s a great way to start your vacation in Split! 😊 🚩 Small groups 🚩 Great intro to Croatia 🚩 Tips & recommendations after the tour

Free reservation and cancellation

Pay-what-you-want tour, no set price, reservation and cancellation are free

Tour description

Together we will discover why Split is a hidden gem of the Mediterranean, from Diocletian’s times to nowadays – DISCOVER why everybody talks about Croatia!

Our journey will start in 295 A.D., as you see you are visiting a 1700-year-old city, and wondering how it all happen. How the palace became the second-largest city in Croatia? And how is life in Croatia today?

This free tour follows the footsteps of Diocletian, a local boy who left a huge impact on the Roman Empire. His palace, today a UNESCO World Heritage Site, holds historical sights, secrets, and stories that will come to life on this tour.

This tour covers the most important Split’s historical events like:

Diocletian's comeback
Demolition of Salona
Beginning of Settlement of the Palace
The transformation from pagan to Christian buildings

We will see different areas of the complex, such as the cellars and monumental Peristyle courtyard. Look at the emperor's private observatory and see the Cathedral of Saint Domnius, originally built as Diocletian's Mausoleum. Discover the site of the Temple of Jupiter and Baptistery, and the original Bronze Gate, Silver Gate, Golden Gate, and Iron Gate that provided access to the city. Discover a refuge for the noblewomen of Split at the Benedictine Monastery of St. Arnir, admire the original 15th-century Town Hall, and marvel at the Baroque monuments of Fruit Square (Voćni trg).

Highlights

What will we see on this tour?

Meeting point:

Obala Hrvatskog narodnog preporoda 23, 21000, Split, Croatia

Address is next to the ● Southern/Brass Gate of Diocletian's Palace ● (entrance to the cellars). I will be in front of the "L'amore per il gelato" (written on beige awning) ice cream shop. In front is usually parked white police van, as the 2nd picture on my profile shows it. Location is at Riva promenade, seaside.

Outside visit

Riva

Outside visit

Diocletian's Cellars

Outside visit

Peristil

How much does this tour cost?

Free tours do not have a set price, instead, each person gives the guru at the end the amount they consider appropriate (amounts usually range from €10 to $50 depending on satisfaction with the tour).