Croatia - Eastern Europe - page 160

snorkeling, kite boarding, windsurfing, and banana boating. It rents boats, kayaks,
and equipment. Prices run from 250kn ($43/£23) for a single dive including equip-
ment to an all-inclusive certification course for 2,360kn ($405/£215).
6 Split
408km (254 miles) S of Zagreb; 213km (132 miles) NW of Dubrovnik
Split marked its 1,700th birthday and the completion of Diocletian's magnificent
palace ( A . D . 305) in 2005. Diocletian deliberately chose this site for his retirement
home because it provided the best of both country and city. The emperor's Split digs
were just 6km (4 miles) from Salona, the provincial center of power, close enough to
allow him to periodically stick his finger in affairs of state while living in his seaside
palace, which was the size of a small city.
Today's Split is a transportation hub for the Dalmatian coast. Despite Old Town,
whose borders are defined by Diocletian's Palace, Split has never had the glamour of
other Dalmatian destinations, though most travelers who head for Dubrovnik or the
islands pass through or make connections there. Nonetheless, Split has developed into
one of the most accessible cities in Croatia.
GETTING THERE
BY PLANE Split's airport ( & 021/203-171; www.split-airport.tel.hr) is 26km (16
miles) northwest of the city center between Ka s tela and Trogir. Flights from cities in
Croatia and from many European hubs land there regularly. Service is more frequent
in the summer and a shuttle moves passengers between the airport and the bus station
(Obala Kneza Domogoja 12; & 021/203-305; 30kn/$5.50/£2.75 each way).
BY CAR The Zagreb-Split autocesta cuts through mountains and bypasses country
roads and has reduced the 5-hour travel time between Zagreb and Split by an hour
since it opened in May 2005. Except for weekends in July and August, the 364km
(226-mile) drive from Zagreb to Split takes less time than the 213km (132-mile)
coastal drive from Split to Dubrovnik.
BY BOAT International, local, and island carriers move in and out of Split's ferry
port almost constantly and daily catamaran service to the islands of Bra c , Hvar, Vis,
and Kor c ula originates there. Split is also an international port for ferries making
overnight runs to and from Ancona, Italy. Contact the local Jadrolinija office ( & 021/
338-333 ), Sem Marina ( & 021/338-292 ), or Adriatica ( & 021/338-335 ) for sched-
ules and prices. SNAV, an Italy-based transit company, runs high-speed ferries (4 hr.
or less) to Ancona from early June to mid-September ( & 021/322-252).
BY BUS Local bus routes include Split and its suburbs, Salona, Klis, Omi s , and Tro-
gir, while multiple lines travel to Zagreb, Zadar, Rijeka, Dubrovnik, and destinations
beyond several times a day. International buses provide daily service to Slovenia, Ger-
many, and Italy, and weekly service to Austria and England. Schedule and fare infor-
mation is available at & 021/338-483.
BY TRAIN Split's main train station is next to the bus terminal at Obala Kneza
Domogoja 10 near the town center. It runs between Split and Zagreb, Knin, and
S ibenik. There is also an overnight train between Split and Zagreb. Call the Split train
station ( & 021/338-535 ) or the national train office ( & 060/333-444; www.hznet.
hr) for schedule and fare information.