A stone-walled konoba in an alley behind the Matejuška fishing harbour, doing straight Dalmatian seafood without a single flourish. Small, warm and consistently very good.
By Ana Kovač
Everything arrives with olive oil, garlic and nothing else, which is the point. The fish soup is a proper first course, not a token. €30–40 a head.
Everything arrives with olive oil, garlic and nothing else, which is the point. The fish soup is a proper first course, not a token — a clear, saffron-coloured broth with a piece of fish in it, and the one to order if you want to start with something warm. The grilled fish is by the kilo, the octopus is tender, and the black risotto is the one to order if you do not want to choose a fish.
The other konoba worth the walk is Konoba Marjan in Varoš.
Around thirty seats, stone walls, no view and no need for one. Book ahead from June to September, because the room is small and the reputation is local. €30–40 a head with wine. The location behind the Matejuška fishing harbour means the fish is genuinely from the boats next door, which is not a marketing line here.
Before dinner, Sustipan is fifteen minutes west of the harbour for the sunset.
For a large, cheap lunch instead, Fife is the working-class canteen on the west harbour.
Within a short walk.
Boat trips
A full day on a fast twelve-seat boat: the Blue Cave on Biševo, the Monk Seal cave, Stiniva's famous cove, lunch on Vis and a swim off Budikovac's turquoise lagoon, finishing with a stop at Hvar town. Ten and a half hours, small group, no coach transfer.
Boat trips
Five hours to Šolta and back on a ten-person boat: three swim stops in coves you cannot reach by road, an hour in Maslinica for dinner or a drink, and the run home across the channel as the sun goes down behind the island.
Food & drink
A small konoba on a Varoš side street doing exactly four things well: grilled fish by the kilo, black risotto, octopus salad and house wine from a jug. No view, no English menu board outside, and a queue by eight in July.
History
A thirteenth-century chapel on the Marjan staircase, halfway between Varoš and the ridge. Small, usually locked, and the terrace in front of it is the quietest good view in Split — most people walk straight past on the way to Vidilica.
Culture
The villa Ivan Meštrović built for himself on Marjan's south slope, now the best museum in Split. Sculpture inside, a garden of bronzes with a sea view outside, and the Kaštelet chapel with his wooden reliefs five minutes down the road.
Nightlife
Vanilla is Split's big summer party venue, out by Poljud rather than in the old town, which makes it a destination for a planned night rather than a stop on a bar crawl. Go if you want a large room, a late finish and holiday energy; skip it if you came to find Split's own bars.
Food & drink
Twelve seats at a counter, a blackboard that changes daily, and cooking that is better than places charging three times as much. No reservations, no table service, and a queue outside from seven. Worth the wait.
Food & drink
Three and a half hours through the green market, the fish market and four family-run places inside the palace, eating soparnik, pršut, Pag cheese, fresh anchovies and rožata. Enough food to replace lunch, with the context that makes Dalmatian cooking make sense.
Food & drink
A tiny sourdough bakery near the Golden Gate that sells out by early afternoon. Proper bread, burek, and the best breakfast pastry in Split for under three euros.
Food & drink
Split's best-known fine-dining seafood restaurant, on the first floor of the ACI marina with the whole harbour in front of it. Expensive, precise, and the view genuinely earns part of the bill.
Food & drink
The nine-until-midnight part of a Split night, and the best of it. Small cellars and side rooms inside Diocletian's Palace pour Dalmatian wine by the glass with no music you have to shout over. Arrive before nine if you want a table, and leave around midnight when the lanes empty.
Food & drink
A high-ceilinged former shop turned bistro, doing modern Mediterranean plates and a serious wine list. The most reliable smart dinner in the centre, and the room is genuinely lovely.