Split, Croatia

I was up and checking out of the hostel in the morning so I could get down the hill and catch the 11:30am ferry off Hvar island and continue my journey to Split. I didn’t have a hostel booked but was sure I could find something. I’d looked online at where most hostels were located and had a good idea of where I was headed when I got there.

When you dock in Split you are right by the bus and train station. This is handy so you know where to go when you are leaving Split again. All travel is in the same area. You head up the road towards the promenade and the square, there is lots of food and accommodation in that area. I stayed to the outside of the square while looking for a hostel, so I wouldn’t have to traverse the small, winding, cobble paths.

I found a building with two hostels in it. The first was full but the floor above had space so I booked into two nights. I left my stuff and set to wandering.

My goal was to make it to Suma Marjan, the large forested park that makes up the western portion of the city. To get there I took the long way wandering through markets and buying snacks. I walked through the streets near the promenade and found places to eat.

I eventually made my way to the park. I wandered the many hiking trails looking for the look-out points, churches, and other points of interest. Many times I just stopped to take in the trees and the view.

I headed back down the hill as the sun sank in the sky. I want to be sure I made it out while it was light and I could use land markers. I had used so many paths and was in a different area of the park that I followed a different route back and into the main tourist thoroughfare.

I found a place where a band had set up to play. It was a nice little spot along the promenade to also  stop and have dinner while listening to some music. Then I wandered through the roads and paths in that area of town after sunset and made my way back to my hostel for the night.

July 5^th

I had a full day in Split and it looked a lot like the day before. I followed the water and made my way back to Suma Marjan park to walk around for the morning. When I had covered what I could cover I headed back to town and down along the railroad tracks.

At the end of the tracks in Split is a public beach area. This area is a small sheltered bay. There is only a small sandy beach at the head of the bay and on either side is a wide cement path that has been built with sunbathers in mind, meaning there is enough room for people to lay down and not block the walking path of others. I found a spot near the end and spent my afternoon soaking up the rays of the sun.

I’d brought a snack with me so didn’t have to leave until the sun went down and the weather got cold. I went in search of dinner at one of the small restaurants in the old square. Then I went back to the hostel and took some time to do a bit of research about my next step, to Zadar the next day. I also began to look at cheap flights to London. I looked at companies like RyanAir and WizzAir. I found that it was much cheaper to travel from Split than to travel from Zadar or Zagreb.