Our flat in Split had scaffolding outside one window and construction starting at seven in the morning. It was not quite the room we had expected. The other window, though, looked out over a part of the city I absolutely loved. We were staying inside the old walls, about a minute’s walk from the places we had come to explore.

That location mattered a lot to how I felt about our May visit. We had come over on the ferry from Hvar for the final stop of our Croatian trip. By the end, I felt we had seen and experienced enough of Split for us, and I was glad we had gone. The history was right there among the flats, restaurants and ordinary life, which made staying inside the walls feel particularly special.

The room had a very good address

We had some time to kill before we could check in, then headed to our apartment in the old walled section. The mixed-colour bedspread wasn’t an encouraging start. Neither was the scaffolding blocking the view from one window. I was annoyed, but thankfully we had another window. Looking out from that side, I could see why we had chosen the location.

The jackhammering wasn’t ideal, although we were already up and ready by seven, so it didn’t really affect us as much as it might sound. From the ground, we could see the scaffolding around our flat and all the old surroundings we were living among. What struck me was that the history wasn’t all hidden behind glass. People could touch it, climb on it and interact with it. I hadn’t experienced much like that in my travels.

We bought the ticket to do it all

We headed to the central area and bought the full sightseeing ticket. I thought it was about Ā£8 at the time, and it included the museum section, mausoleum, bell tower, church and crypt. We only had a couple of days in Split and thought we might never be back, so we decided to see the whole selection. The museum was small, with different centuries represented on different floors. It wasn’t the British Museum, but I still thought there was interesting stuff to look at.

We also took a walking tour, which I thought was fantastic. Getting some local history is one of my favourite parts of travelling. My own attempt to retell the history of the mausoleum was not particularly impressive, so I was very happy we had done the tour. I could enjoy looking around without pretending I was a historian.

The bell tower was worth my shaking legs

By the time we decided to climb the bell tower, we were already tired from travelling and walking. I reckoned there were about 180 steps. That didn’t sound unreasonable until I met the big, uneven old stairs. I am five foot three, and those steps were a lot for my little legs. Near the top, the metal stairs were more like regular stairs, which was a relief.

There weren’t many people on the stairs or at the top during our visit. The views were beautiful. I love terracotta roofs, and there were plenty to look at, along with the port where we had arrived on the ferry. My legs were shaking by that point, but I loved being up there and would recommend the climb to someone happy with the uneven steps.

Terracotta roofs and stone buildings of Split seen from the bell tower, with darkening sky beyond
Split’s roofs from the bell tower, with the storm gathering beyond.

A storm was coming in from one direction, while looking towards the water still seemed much less threatening. It arrived quickly. After we climbed down and did some more exploring, we went back to the flat. I leaned out of the good window and filmed the thunderstorm going through. I love a good thunderstorm, and watching this one was incredible. Then it passed, the heat dried things out and we went looking for dinner.

Wandering was enough for us

Getting a bit lost and exploring is one of my favourite things about travelling. We spent time in the alleys and around the old walled section, as well as walking through other neighbourhoods. Some bright buildings reminded me of Cuba, and another part made me think of Miami. Those were my impressions as we wandered. Split felt like a city with lots of different architecture and personality.

The crypt was a little spooky because nobody else was down there when we went in. It was included in our ticket and I thought it was cool, although I wasn’t sure someone would miss very much by skipping it. We had also considered hiking up a nearby hill, but didn’t do it. I wasn’t heartbroken about that. Exploring the city was what my partner and I wanted to spend our time doing.

I think we had two full days in Split, with a half day on either side. That felt like enough for us. I loved Dubrovnik too, but it had felt almost like Disneyland to me, whereas Split still felt like real life despite being touristy. Staying inside the walls had been a big part of that experience. We finished with gelato by the water, went back for seconds and eventually headed to the airport for our flight to England. I was happy with the trip, scaffolding and all.

Watch my time exploring Split.