Hvar and Split – Fun in Croatia

As noted in a previous article, my wife and I spent ten days exploring the mid-coastal section of Croatia. We started with Split and Hvar. Split is the second largest city in Croatia. That said, Split has only 160,000 people in it, So, it is more of a small to mid-sized city.

For a tourist, probably the coolest thing about Split is that a significant portion of its old town area is built on and into the Diocletian Palace. The palace/fortress was built in 300 AD for a retiring Roman Emperor. And the structure creates a very intriguing series of narrow streets, alleys, pathways and buildings. Now occupied mainly by stores and restaurants for visitors to enjoy. We had a great time exploring and discovered our first ‘rubber duck stores’ there. It is fun to see what crazy things people will get into.

Brides Old Town, there is the Klis Fortress in Split. At this point in its history, it is more famous as a set for Game of Thrones than anything else.

Part of the reason we chose Croatia for part of our time in Europe was to have a bit of beach resort time. For this, we needed to find a nice beach in one of the many towns and villages that dot the coast as you leave Split. Our favorite town in this area was Omis. O

We enjoyed walking along the pathway along the water. Often, we were the only ones out. Below is the view from our terrace.

We usually drove along the coast road, but want to see the mountains inland as well. The most unusual tunnel and bridge combination was right at Omis. The bridge below has been completed…

We returned the car and took the short ferry ride from Split Harbor to Hvar. The sailboat photo at the top of this article is one I took from the long waterfront walkway that stretches out from Hvar Central.

Another photo from that same pathway is below. In the foreground is a water action area that can occupy people all day – the yellow area is a floating mini soccer field which bounces up and down as you run and try to kick the ball. The area behind with the white umbrellas is the Hula Hula Beach Bar. The most ‘happening’ spot along the shore of Hvar. Across the water are some smaller islands. One of which is the island with the Carpe Diem Beach bar. The most famous of the all-night clubs in Hvar.

For those of us whose all-night party days are past us, the Hvar main plaza is a nice visit. As well as the fortress overlooking the town.

Again, we stayed out of the old town in a more quiet resort at the end of the walking pathway. It was perfect for us – Hotel Podstine. It was a very lovely 20 – 25 minute stroll along the water to the main plaza.