Diocletian's Palace
★ 4.8🇭🇷 SplitSuggested visit Half a dayBest season May to June and September to October, avoiding the summer crowds
World HeritageHistoric siteCity walk
A Roman emperor's retirement palace that became a living city — a World Heritage Site you walk through.
Overview
Built around AD 305 as the retirement residence of the emperor Diocletian, the palace is rectangular with a gate on each side and a central peristyle leading to the cathedral of Saint Domnius, once the emperor's mausoleum. From the Middle Ages onwards residents built houses inside the walls, creating today's tangle of lanes and shops. It joined the World Heritage List in 1979.
History
Completed around AD 305, inhabited by townspeople from the 7th century, and inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1979.
Highlights
- •The peristyle and bell tower
- •The cathedral of Saint Domnius
- •The palace substructures
- •The Riva waterfront
Practical tips
- •The bell tower is climbable but the steps are narrow and busy
- •The old town is full of stone steps — wear grippy shoes
Practical information
- Best time
- May-June, September-October
- Tickets
- The palace is free; the cathedral tower about EUR 6
- Opening hours
- Old town open all day
- Local food
- Dalmatian seafood, black risotto, Pag cheese
- Getting around
- About four hours by car from Zagreb, or an hour by air.
- Visa
- A Schengen visa is required (Croatia is now in the Schengen area); apply about a month ahead.
Traveller reviews
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