Split Travel Guide

Split, Croatia — Travel Tips

Getting There By Air

Split Airport (SPU)
Tel: (021) 203 555.
Website: www.split-airport.hr

Split airport is located at Kaštela, 25km (15 miles) from the city center. Airport facilities include a bar and restaurant, a duty-free shop, a bank, post office, and car hire companies. Pleso Prijevoz (tel: (021) 203 119; website: www.plesoprijevoz.hr) operates a bus from the airport to the city center, with departures corresponding with incoming flights. Taxi services are also available.

Getting There By Road

Much of the center of Split is pedestrianized and there are also many one-way streets so driving in the city is best avoided. Moving outside Split is increasingly well connected by means of modern toll motorways with other Croatian cities. Traffic drives on the right and the minimum driving age is 18. Speed limits are 130kph (80mph) on motorways, 110kph (68mph) on dual carriageways, 90kph (56mph) outside built-up areas and 50kph (30mph) in built-up areas. An International Driving License and a minimum of third-party insurance are required to drive in Croatia. Further relevant information can be found on the website of the Croatian Motoring Organization (Hrvatski Autoklub) (tel: (01) 464 0800; www.hak.hr).

Emergency breakdown services
Hrvatska Autoklub (tel: 987).

Routes to the city
The A1 motorway from Split to Zagreb provides a fast, direct route from the capital. A toll is payable. Work on an extension of the A1 to Dubrovnik is underway and should be completed by 2012. The Jadranska Magistrala (Route D8) runs south to Dubrovnik and north to Rijeka.

Driving times to the city
From Zagreb - 4 hours; Dubrovnik â€“ 3 hours 30 minutes; Zadar - 2 hours.

Coach services
The main bus station in Split is located five minutes' walk from the Old Town at Obala Kneza Domagoja 12 (www.ak-split.hr). Domestic services include buses to Zagreb, Rijeka and Dubrovnik. Operators include Croatia Bus (tel: 091 426 2731; www.croatiabus.hr). There are also coaches to Bosnia & Herzegovina, Slovenia, Italy and Germany. In addition, Eurolines (tel: 0871 781 8181, in the UK only; www.eurolines.com) operate a weekly coach service from London Victoria to Split.

Getting There By Rail

Rail Services
Split's railway station is located in the heart of the city at Obala Kneza Domagoja 10, opposite the long-distance bus terminal and the ferry port - a five-minute walk from the Old Town. There are no regular international services. Domestic routes run to the capital of Zagreb and the coastal city of Å ibenik. Note that Dubrovnik is not connected to the rest of the country by train.

Rail Operators
The Croatian railway service is run by Hrvatske Å½eljeznice (HZ) (tel: 060 333 444; www.hznet.hr).

Connections
From Zagreb - 6 hours; Å ibenik - 3 hours.

Getting Around in Split, Croatia

Public Transport

Most of the historic sights in Split lie within the walls of Grad (Old Town), which is pedestrian only. Pleasant footpaths run along the seafront to each side of town, and the green area of Marjan is also the exclusive domain of walkers. However, the modern, high-rise suburbs are served by a network of buses operated by Promet (tel: (021) 407 999; www.promet-split.hr). Buses are cheap and frequent, though often crowded. The number 12 is particularly useful to tourists: it runs along the coast from Sv Frane (the church at the west end of the Riva) to the Bene recreation ground on the tip of the Marjan peninsula, passing the MeÅ¡troviÄ Gallery en route.

Taxis

It is possible to order a taxi from Radio Taxi (tel: 970). Alternatively, there are taxi ranks outside the train station, in front of the Pazar (open-air market) and at the far end of the Riva (seafront promenade) in front of Hotel Bellevue.

Car Hire

Parking is extremely difficult given the amount of one-way streets and pedestrianized zones, so having a car is more of a bind than a plus when staying in Split, though you may want to rent a vehicle for exploring the mainland coast. Reliable car hire companies in Split include Budget (tel: (021) 399 214; www.budget.hr); Dollar and Thrifty (tel: (021) 399 000; www.dollar.com) and Hertz (tel: (021) 360 455; www.hertz.hr).