Visit Split – a free city tour of the Diocletian Palace

A free guided tour to Split

It’s already 10am and I am impatiently waiting in the main square of the Diocletian palace for our free guide and tour to start, but nowhere to be seen. This is the first time I’ve signed up for one of those popular free city tours that are prevalent in almost every city in Europe. I was excited that there was a free tour program established in Split to visit some of the highlights of the Diocletian palace. Free being the hook, but I was really wondering if it was really free? And what if there was a catch, or would I really be wasting two hours of my visit to Split to hear some strange marketing ploy or a bait and switch type of gimmick to participating … hmmm, these weird thoughts start to cloud my mind while I wait impatiently for the guide.

Fortunately, after a few minutes a well-dressed and attractive lady shows up at the square with a blue umbrella and sign stating ‘Free Split tours’, so we make a beeline to talk to her and fill out the short form she has us fill out.

I eventually find out that these tours are often lead by volunteers from the area who know about their city, its history and other cultural facts to share with the group. Many tend to be university students, recent graduates or even in our case, a recently laid off attorney, who is volunteering and working for tips for their time leading the tours. The main attraction for them is being a native and showing something personal about their city and culture, while doing something positive within tourism that isn’t a ploy to milk tourists in visiting the area –  amen to that!

It’s easy enough to Google free walking tours to get a bevy of typical search results, but I tend to steer my search to city or tourism offices that sponsor the tours with guides they know will do a good job sharing the highlights to the city.

Check out this free walking tour to Split and the Diocletian Palace

Why do a free walking tour of Split?

The walking tour is free and with hosts that know the city well with inside stories and history while walking around the Diocletian palace in Split. It’s a wonderful way to explore and learn more about this palace and the ruler of this area

Okay, lets start the tour our lawyer turned tour director bellows out to the small group like a drill sargent. Once primarily the expansive mansion and retirement villa to the roman emperor Diocletian, the palace fell into ruins after his death and the rise of Christianity in Croatia. We toured the remains and intact portions of the historic city including Peristil square, the main entry to the Diocletian palace and the stairway entrance and reception area, the mausoleum now converted to a cathedral.  Peristil square, A colonnade square with roman features included many unique finds shipped in from Egypt including the granate columns and black sphinxes sprinkled around the city. To the left of the square is the cathedral of Saint Domnius with its gleaming limestone bell tower (wonderful views to the entire city and coastline on top), the octagonal building which used to be Diocletian’s mausoleum and in typical Catholic fashion was converted into a cathedral.

Entering the cathedral first from the bottom church basement, we started climbing upstairs to the main octagonal interior room (original mausoleum) and the newer choral chamber and treasury. The tour around the palace included visits to the royal dining areas and adjoining vomit room (for those nobility that wanted to eat all day and then vomit all the food back out), the ramparts, and down to the bowels of the palace which used to be a huge water cistern and now houses galleries and an underground museum. Just to the west side of the palace is the Temple of Jupiter, which faces prominently into Peristil square – the catholics later turned the roman temple into a baptistery.

Cathedral of Saint Domnius

The Cathedral of Split, officially known as the Cathedral of Saint Domnius, is one of the oldest Catholic cathedrals still in use in its original structure. Originally built in the 4th century as the mausoleum of the Roman Emperor Diocletian, it was later converted into a Christian church in the 7th century. Located within the walls of Diocletian’s Palace, the cathedral’s design merges Roman imperial architecture with medieval and Baroque additions, most notably its striking bell tower that offers panoramic views over Split. The interior is compact but richly decorated, featuring elaborate stone carvings, a carved wooden choir, and relics of Saint Domnius, the city’s patron saint. The cathedral stands as a layered monument to Split’s transformation from imperial stronghold to Christian city.

Listen to the free a capella sounds in the Diocletian tower

Hearing some beautiful A capella sounds in a huge open tower, our tour guide lead us to the original opening and waiting room area to the ancient Palace of Diocletian.

The acoustics from the solid and rounded room with an open top created the perfect environment for local A capella groups to perform and hopefully sell some of the CD’s to visitors. Here’s a sample of one of the local men’s groups performing below.

Once the palace fell into ruins, the local population quickly took over the city and created their free-living quarters within the ramparts and areas that could be converted into housing. Now those tiny one-bedroom apartments can easily go for a very good price in the market today selling amazing prices in Euro now that Croatia is part of the European union.

A large square in the old center with many outdoor cafes and shopsThe main city square of Split, known as Narodni Trg or People’s Square, is a lively and historic open space just west of Diocletian’s Palace. Surrounded by a mix of Renaissance, Gothic, and Baroque architecture, the square has long served as a social and cultural hub. Landmarks like the old City Hall and the Venetian-style Cambi Palace frame the space, while outdoor cafes spill onto the cobblestones, making it a favorite spot for both locals and visitors to relax and people-watch. Street performers, open-air events, and market stalls often add to the atmosphere, keeping the square animated throughout the day and into the evening. Its blend of centuries-old charm and daily activity makes it one of Split’s most recognizable and welcoming public spaces.

Visit to the Mausoleum of Diocletian

The Mausoleum of Diocletian, now part of the Cathedral of Saint Domnius in Split, was originally built in the early 4th century as the final resting place of the Roman Emperor Diocletian. Located within the heart of his vast palace complex, the structure is octagonal in shape and showcases a blend of Roman engineering and Eastern influences, with Corinthian columns, a domed ceiling, and richly decorated friezes. Ironically, though built for a ruler who persecuted Christians, the mausoleum was later converted into a Christian cathedral, and his sarcophagus was removed. Today, it stands as one of the best-preserved ancient Roman buildings still in use, offering a unique example of imperial architecture repurposed for worship and layered with centuries of history.

Fascinating walks around the streets of the Diocletian Palace

On the side of the Temple of Jupiter the streets are relatively narrow even for roman standards, here the street below is the narrowest street in Split where you can only walk down single file. Following that was a tour of the basement of Split now housing a series of art galleries and boutiques and an underground museum tour.

We toured many of the walls and gates of the city including the Eastern gate or silver gate with the farmers market just beyond the gate. I posted earlier about the wonderful market of Split. Take a look at my post here, if you haven’t had a chance to read it.

So overall, It was a good tour for the two hours visiting all the key landmarks to Diocletian’s palace, including some of the converted buildings that were added on throughout the various centuries to present day Split. I thoroughly enjoyed the tour especially our guide, who gave us personal observations about their culture, history and current day transition to becoming an EU state.

Details to visiting the Diocletian Palace in Split

I would recommend taking the Free tours and if you are interested here is some more information on the tours below: 

The tours start on time at 10:30am four times daily in Peristil Square, look for a person with a blue umbrella and a free city tour sign.

You must first register with the tours at the tour office prior to start go visit the website below for directions.

The tours of the remains of the palace take around one and one half to two hours to visit the historic portions of the palace.

The guides are volunteers and the tour is free but they do accept donations since most are students or do this as supplementary income.

You can visit the website for the free tours at their website here.

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Conclusion to this free walking tour of Split

The walking tour around Split’s Diocletian palace is fun, educational and easy to follow, hope you enjoyed the tour and hopefully you will get a chance to visit this magnificent palace yourself.

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About author Noel Morata

A professional photographer, freelance writer and travel blogger, I have been fascinated with traveling around the world and experiencing unique locations, ancient cultures and historical sites, markets, street food and so many other wonderful facets of travel, food and photography combined.

Thanks for visiting my website and hope it inspires you to travel around the world and experience these amazing travel destinations.

I love taking free walking tours and this is one of my favorites visiting the entire Diocletian Palace now what remains as the old city walls of Split.

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