Central Dalmatia: Split, the Krka and Biokovo

From the coast to the hinterland

Central Dalmatia fits into a few hours’ driving. North of Split, the coast road follows the sea to Trogir, Primošten and Šibenik. Primošten was an island, joined to the mainland by a causeway in the 16th century. Further on, the Krka runs down to the sea in a chain of waterfalls.

South of Split, Omiš stands where the gorges of the Cetina open out. You can go up them by car or down them by raft. Higher up, the river drops about 50 metres at the Gubavica falls. From there, the road comes back down to the Makarska Riviera, a string of pebble beaches at the foot of a wall of mountain.

That mountain is Biokovo. A single-track road climbs to Sveti Jure, at 1,762 metres: it is the highest road in Croatia. On the way, the Skywalk, a glass-floored viewpoint opened in 2020, juts out over the drop, facing the islands of Brač and Hvar. Behind the mountain, around Imotski, the landscape changes: low stone walls, vineyards and two lakes at the bottom of sinkholes.

Split was born from a palace. Around 295, the emperor Diocletian had a fortified residence built by the sea, near the Roman city of Salona. In the 7th century, driven out by the Avars and the Slavs, the people of Salona took refuge within the palace walls. The emperor’s mausoleum became the Cathedral of St Domnius. A World Heritage Site since 1979, the palace is still lived in.

In Šibenik, the Cathedral of St James is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Built between 1431 and 1536, it is made entirely of stone, vault included. A frieze of more than seventy carved heads runs around the apse.

The fortresses of the Ottoman frontier

In the 16th and 17th centuries, the coast was Venetian and the hinterland Ottoman. Above Split, the Klis fortress guards the pass between the two. The Uskoks of Petar Kružić held it until 1537; it was then Ottoman until 1648. It was used as the city of Meereen in Game of Thrones.

In Sinj, in 1715, a small garrison drove back an Ottoman siege. According to tradition, the town owes its victory to the Virgin Mary. Every August, the Alka recalls it: riders in costume gallop at a hanging iron ring and aim at it with their lances. The tournament has been on UNESCO’s list of intangible heritage since 2010.

What not to miss

1. 1Diocletian’s PalaceThe Peristyle, the cathedral inside the mausoleum and the vaulted cellars.
2. 2Marjan HillA pine forest and footpaths, west of Split, facing the islands.
3. 3Šibenik CathedralA church made all of stone, with its frieze of carved heads.
4. 4Skradinski bukSeventeen waterfalls to follow on wooden walkways.
5. 5The Biokovo SkywalkA glass floor at 1,228 metres, above the riviera.
6. 6The lakes of ImotskiThe Red Lake, at the bottom of a sinkhole more than 500 metres deep, and the Blue Lake, sometimes dry in late summer.

Central Dalmatia in pictures

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The turquoise pool and the wooden walkway of Skradinski buk.

The Dalmatian table

On the coast, people eat grilled fish with olive oil, chard and potatoes. In the taverns, lamb, veal or octopus cook slowly under the peka, an iron bell covered in embers. Pašticada is marinated, braised beef, served with gnocchi.

The hinterland provides pršut, a ham that is smoked, then dried in the bora wind. Around Primošten, the babić vines grow between low dry-stone walls. On the riviera and the islands, people drink plavac mali, a powerful red wine.