Split once the six-sight list is done
The north gate with a luck legend, a domed entrance that sometimes sings a cappella, a park on the point, and a costume museum almost no one gets round to.
- The Golden Gate
- The palace's north gate
- Sustipan
- A park on the point west of the harbour
- The Ethnographic Museum
- €7
The six main sights fit into one morning; these four are for a spare hour or day two. The Golden Gate and the Vestibule are two of the palace's four gates, Sustipan is a park on the point west of the harbour, and the Ethnographic Museum keeps Dalmatian costume in a house that is itself part of the palace.
The Golden Gate — a legend beside the gateway
The north gate of Diocletian's Palace is the largest of the four and once led to the road for Salona. Right beside it stands the statue of Gregory of Nin, a medieval bishop who pushed for Mass to be said in Slavic rather than Latin — legend says rubbing his big toe brings luck, so it is polished bright while the rest of the statue has gone dark with age.
The Vestibule — acoustics with no warning
The domed space just behind the Peristyle was once the entrance to the emperor's private apartments; today it is open to the sky, since the dome lost its covering. The acoustics are good enough that klapa singers — groups who sing Dalmatian songs with no instruments — sometimes stop here and sing a song, unannounced and for free.
Sustipan — a break on the point
A green strip on a small headland west of the harbour, with pines and a view of the islands — a few minutes from the Riva, but far enough that neither the Peristyle nor the port can be heard. Free to enter every day of the year, unlike the ticketed Ethnographic Museum a few streets inland.
The Ethnographic Museum — the costumes the guides skip
A collection of Dalmatian folk costume, jewellery and craft sits in a house that is itself part of the palace, entry €7. Opening hours shift with the season: from June to September the museum also opens on Sundays, outside that it does not, and it is shut on public holidays too.
An order that makes sense
The Golden Gate and the Vestibule, both free to enter, fit into the same morning as the palace itself, on the route from the cellars to the Peristyle. Sustipan is free too, but together with the Ethnographic Museum (€7) it sits further off that route, so both work as an add-on to day two, alongside Marjan or after the Meštrović Gallery.
Before you go
Short answers to what people ask most before setting out.
Is there an entrance fee for the Golden Gate and the Vestibule?
No. Both are part of the palace as public space, with no separate ticket — you pay for the cellars, the cathedral with its bell tower, and the museums inside.
What is the legend behind the statue of Gregory of Nin?
That rubbing its big toe brings luck — which is why the toe is polished bright while the rest of the statue has darkened with age.
When is the Ethnographic Museum open on Sundays?
Only from June to September. Outside that period it is shut on Sundays, as it is on public holidays all year.
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→Nightlife at one end, a field divided twenty-four centuries ago at the other
How well does Split suit you?
→Six questions: a score for this place and others like it.
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