Mistakes everyone makes in Split

Most mistakes in Split are not about money but about timing and the day of the week: the wrong day shuts the museum, too little time turns Hvar into a dash for the boat, and the wrong spot on the Krka means no swimming where you expected it. The eight below run from the Monday museum closures to the table a summer evening konoba won't have without a reservation.

The City Museum and the Meštrović Gallery on the wrong day

Both are shut on Mondays and public holidays, while the palace cellars open every day. Put day one on a Monday and the City Museum is missed; put day two on a Monday and the Meštrović Gallery on Marjan is missed. The cellars also open into the afternoon, until 20:00, so they can be moved to the evening after the beach — but then the Peristyle and the cathedral shift to the next morning.

2 daysThe full hour-by-hour plan, with the days the museums are open:Split in 2 days →

Hvar as a half day

After the fortress and the largest square in Dalmatia there is no time left for the Pakleni islands, and the catamaran back does not wait. Hvar is done properly as a full day, not as an add-on to another trip.

Day tripsExactly how long the journey takes and what fits into that day:Day trips from Split →

Plitvice from Split

It is sold as a day trip from Split, but it is nearly three hours each way — twice as far as Krka, which has waterfalls of its own and is closer. Anyone wanting a national park for the day should pick Krka.

Swimming right at Skradinski Buk

Swimming is not allowed at the falls themselves on the Krka. From June to September it is allowed upstream, at Roški Slap, Stinice and Pisak — arrive without that plan and all that is left at the falls is looking.

When to goWhich months actually keep swimming open on the Krka:The best time to visit Split →

A Hvar catamaran with no booking

In July and August, catamaran tickets sell out in advance; turn up at the port that morning with no ticket and you wait for the next sailing or switch to the car ferry, which docks at Stari Grad, some twenty kilometres from Hvar town.

Getting aroundWhere the ferries and catamarans leave from, and how to reach the port:Getting around Split →

A place in the palace with no note about access

Cars stop at the palace gate, and from there the case goes over cobbles and steps, sometimes a hundred metres of them. Book without asking that question and you find out in the evening, luggage in hand.

Where to stayFive areas and what each really brings:Where to stay in Split →

A place further from the centre to save money, with no car

Split has a city bus, but the city is spread out; the saving on accommodation outside the centre goes on evening taxis in summer, when buses run less often.

BudgetExactly what accommodation, food and transport cost:What Split costs →

A konoba with no booking on a summer evening

The konobe in the palace lanes have few tables. In July and August, dinner at seven or eight often means a wait, or a walk out beyond the walls, into Varoš.

FoodWhat actually gets eaten, and at what price:What to eat in Split →

Hidden gemsWhat can be seen with no crowd, off the main list:Split once the six-sight list is done →