SIGHTSEEING:
Peristil in the Old Town
Distance from apartment: 15 min. walk, https://goo.gl/maps/jeQBCEamgkTf2toPA
Why we like it: During the day all the walking tour vendors hang around there and offer their services. You will be able to book a 2h walking tour in English or German (probably in other languages as well, but we have not tried) for 20-30 Euros per person. If they want to charge more, ask what they offer and if they have discounts for 2 or 3 people, depending on the size of your party. In the evenings, cafe Lvxor located on Peristil hires musicians and you can sit on the marble steps around the plaza sipping drinks. It is overpriced by any standard, so expect to pay 30 Euros for 2 glasses of wine. But you do not have to have an expensive drink to sit and enjoy and perhaps even join other tourists/visitors in dancing. It is very cheesy and romantic and worth a visit.
Basements of the Diocletian's Palace in the Old Town
Distance from apartment: 15 min. walk, https://goo.gl/maps/jeQBCEamgkTf2toPA (Entrance from Peristil or seafront boulevard)
Why we like it: First of all the shade down there saves you from the heat of the day in the summer months, there are souvenirs and presents for your loved ones to be procured, and the architecture is amazing. There is a stand with silver jewelry towards the end facing the seafront, where Maria typically buys rings and earrings for herself or our sister in law. Additionally this is one of the spots where Game of Thrones was filmed including the basement scene with two dragons.
Diocletian's Palace/Old Town
Distance from apartment: 15 min. walk, https://goo.gl/maps/jeQBCEamgkTf2toPA
Why we like it: It's lovely to wander the narrow alleys and marvel at the marble streets and the architecture. There are lots of cafes and bars where you can sit in the shade and people-watch. Try side streets to find places that are frequented by locals. Note that traditional Croatian cafes do not serve food, they only have drinks, but they usually don't mind if you bring yourself a snack from the bakery to have with your coffee (best to ask them before unpacking your goods).
For good luck, go to the northern gate of the Old Town called the Golden Gate and touch the big toe of the bronze statue of Grgur Ninski ( https://goo.gl/maps/54AEFQqKee... ) with your left hand while keeping your eyes closed. For good entertainment go back to Peristil plaza in the evening, sit down at the stairs in front of the cafe Lvxor and enjoy some live music.
Fortress of Klis
Distance from apartment: 30-40 minutes car ride (take Uber if you don't have a rental car), https://maps.app.goo.gl/pDpceV...
Why we like it: best view of Split and the seaside around it and of course the fortress itself
RESTAURANTS
Šug [EN: shoog, DE: Schug]
Distance from apartment: 10 min. walk, https://goo.gl/maps/iCtPsVguUNB4HNdv8
Food: Mediterranean veggies, fish and meat
Prices: above the Croatian average, but worth every penny
Why we like it: We came across Šug when we looked up Michelin-listed restaurants in and around Split. This one does not have a start but has a Bib Gourmand, which is a mark for high quality as well as good value for money. So we decided to try it out. We loved it.
Service level is well above the average in Croatia and easily above a lot of restaurants in Germany.
We had fish and shellfish starters and mains with fish and and beef steak. On top of that they have a good selection of wine in three price ranges (cheap to pricey) to accompany the food rather than just really high-priced ones.
URL: https://sug.hr/
Perlica [EN: per-lee-tsa, DE: per-li-tza]
Distance from apartment: half an hour drive by car https://goo.gl/maps/sDPPjHQm9ou4hdQV7
Food: best lamb on a spit in town if not in Croatia
Prices: 40 euros per kilo of lamb (bone-in) (note that this price may be outdated by the time you read this). We usually calculate half a kilo per person.
Why we like it: If you are foodie and are looking for an authentic Dalmatian dining experience, you cannot possibly leave Croatia without trying lamb (HR: janjetina) on a spit, slow roasted over an open wood-fire.
This is where our Croatian half of the family goes for Friday dinner or Sunday lunch, when we all gather in town. This is also the place where we take all of our friends from Germany and the United States when they visit us in Split.
Prices are similar to other lamb roasting outlets - the quality is amazing - the service is above average - the restaurant itself is typical and nothing to write home about - it is not a romantic getaway either - it is a paradise for foodies and we love it.
URL: they do not have a web site
Konoba Varoš [EN: varosh, DE: Warosch]
Distance from apartment: 15 min. walk, https://goo.gl/maps/k5rfxtyRF9...
Food: Mediterranean grilled veggies, fish and meat
Prices: Croatian average
Why we like it: We go there to celebrate family birthdays. It's un-fancy and cozy, the service is great, the food is awesome. Their black risotto is Bruno's sisters favourite dish on their menu. Their grilled meat is what we go for.
URL: http://www.konobavaros.com/
Feel Green
Distance from apartment: 15 min. walk, https://goo.gl/maps/Nj4UwWPxnL...
Food: healthy breakfast with avocados, chia seeds, organic yoghurt, smoothies, etc.
Prices: above Croatian average, but decent value for money
Why we like it: Eating out for breakfast is not really part of the original food culture in Croatia. Nevertheless, if you want to have a long breakfast with friends and not only coffee, this is a good place to go. Coffee is awesome, like anywhere in Croatia, the food and smoothies are great.
URL: https://feelgreen.hr/
Sexy Cow
Distance from apartment: 10 min. walk, https://maps.app.goo.gl/ZX7Eg6...
Food: beef wrap sandwiches
Prices: average
Why we like it: Part of our family lives in Atlanta, US. Needless to say, we eat our share of meaty sandwiches when in Atlanta. Sexy Cow is pretty much up there in our personal top list. Maria typically chooses the "naughty cow", while Bruno goes for their "dirty cow". Even if you are an American, you will not be dissapointed.
URL: http://sexy-cow.com/
Pizzeria Galija [EN: ga-li-ya, DE: Ga-li-ja]
Distance from apartment: 13 min. walk, https://goo.gl/maps/yrsHErk2AR...
Food: Pizza
Prices: slightly above Croatian average, expect to pay 12-13 Euros per pizza - if you are judging the pizza by its quality, Galija is very good value for money
Why we like it: While located just next to Old Town, it is not over priced. The resonable prices and excellent pizza are the reason why even locals go there. If you prefer your pizza extremely crispy, like Bruno does, ask the waiter to have the chef leave it in the oven 2 minutes longer than normal.
URL: http://www.pizzeriagalija.com/
Cities nearby: have a look at the section about our recommendations for restaurants in Trogir and other places (what-to-see-and-do-in-croatia)
ICE CREAM
Luka Ice Cream & Cakes
Why we like it: While Split is full of ice cream parlours, this is one of our favourites. It's the only one (we know of) offering lavender ice cream.
Distance from apartment: 10 minutes walk https://goo.gl/maps/QgSFtggCeM...
Website: they do not have a website, but try looking them up on social media
WALKS
Marjan park (northern side)
Distance from apartment: 15 minutes walk, https://goo.gl/maps/trvKgUb7LMQRFi6y7
Why we like it: It is a starting point for walking, running, trail running or a casual walk with friends and family. This is probably the only place in Split where you have the the sea on one side, lush evergreen trees on the other, shade above you, and people to see and be seen. This is where the locals come for outings. This is probably also the only place in Split where you will not find a single cafe to sit down at. It is a national park, after all.
Marjan park (south-eastern side)
Distance from apartment: 15 min. walk half of it uphill, https://goo.gl/maps/d3iKAvjLyWSYiUu1A
Why we like it: During the day, there is a cafe there and you can have coffee with an amazing view of the harbor of Split after a walk around the Marjan park. We have taken numerous pictures of the city and its harbor from there as it overlooks Old Town, the yacht marina and the ferry port. On New Year's Eve the cafe is closed, but you can sit or stand around, enjoy the view of the city and the fireworks and be happy.
BEACHES
We will skip the description of the obvious city beaches and beach clubs, b/c you have probably already searched and found them on the web with location, menu, prices, events, etc. We will list the beach that we go.
Prva voda beach
Distance from apartment: 15 min. walk, https://goo.gl/maps/DMAXo1CGK4ZRfNKz6
Why we like it: It is close by, used only by locals. There are showers and changing cabins, evergreen trees all the way down to the shore, so plenty of shade. The only downside of this place - there is no bar or cafe nearby, since it is located in the Marjan national park (which we have described in the other section).
COMEDY
Split offers a lot of standup comedy. The downside is that the vast majority is in Croatian, and most in a local Dalmatian dialect, so there is not much to show in this section.
Some of the standup comedian crews are thinking about offering some comedy in English. As soon as we learn about any Insta or Facebook channels with event dates, we will link them here.
If you do speak Croatian, SplickaScena | Split | Facebook (yes that is the "correct" spelling) is a great crew as well as are Antimaterijalisti | Split | Facebook
SPORTS
There are plenty of opportunities in and around Split to be active, in the summer as well as off-season: