Dubrovnik and Dalmacija travel guide

Trogir Old Town
When you’ve
explored the profusion
of churches, palaces and
grand buildings that this
perfectly preserved gem
has to offer, relax on the
wide waterfront Riva,
where pavement cafés
and al fresco restaurants Katel Luki
bubble with activity day
and night (see pp18–19).
stretch of beach, pretty Kaštel
Gomolica, Kaštel Kambelovac,
Diocletian’s Palace, Split which boasts a seafood
Make sure to leave plenty of restaurant, and Kaštel Lukši,
time to explore and relax in one which has been converted into a
of the most atmospheric city modest gallery and café.
centres in Europe; the warrenlike
palace complex can be so Vitturi, Kaštel Lukši. 021 228 355
Map D5 • Tourist info: Brce 1, Dvorac
captivating that day-trippers
often end up missing their ferry,
or just deciding to stay for an Salona
Salona (the name derives
unplanned day or two. The palace from the Latin word for salt)
is not at all what you expect an is the supposed birthplace of
ancient monument to be like; it’s Emperor Diocletian (see p25).
full of life, with people hanging Nowadays it’s just a ruin, with
their washing out of the windows none of the life and energy of
of flats set into its walls, bustling Diocletian’s Palace, but this old
restaurants in lavish courtyards, Roman town just outside Split
and funky bars, where the local does allow visitors to gain an
“beautiful people” (the Spliani insight into ancient Roman life.
are renowned for their beauty, If you can forget the stranglehold
and big model agencies regularly of the surrounding industrial
send scouts here) come to see development, it’s a pretty site,
and be seen (see pp22–3).
with mountains to one side and
the Adriatic to the other. The
Kaštela
Tusculum is a good place to
Between Split and Trogir, an begin your exploration. Also
untidy morass of cheap housing look out for the amphitheatre,
and light industry surrounds the the Roman baths, the old Forum,
main road, but by the coast, the the Theatre and the Necropolis
hidden gems of Kaštela await of Manastirine. Map D5
discovery. The “castles” from
which the area takes its name
date back as far as the 15th
century, when they were built
both as coastal defences and
lavish retreats for the local
nobles; you can walk from one
to the next along the coast. The
highlights are Kaštel Stari (the
oldest), which has a decent
Necropolis of Manastirine, Salona
Head to the second floor of Diocletian’s Palace to escape the
summer crowds.
Around Central Dalmatia
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