Split - Hibernation is not a bad thing

We came in late October just as the tourist season began to wane. It was an interesting transition from the hustle and bustle of the crowds and festivities to near silence. There were days in mid-November we would barely see a tourist until a cruise ship would arrive. Some of the restaurants and shops in the old town closed for the season and the ones that were open often adjust their schedule based on the arrival of the cruise ships. The touristy old town goes into hibernation until the spring when the next season starts.

It was definitely an intriguing time to visit, especially for an extended stay. We really enjoyed it!

We wanted to share some thoughts and tips, especially for visiting Split in the fall.

1. Foods – Our favorite dishes in Split where Dalmatian classics like octopus salads, black ink risotto, and fresh grill fish/seafood, but you will find that generally that these dishes are on the more expensive side and don’t vary much across a high-end restaurant versus the everyday konoba. The street foods are generally cevapi, hamburgers, sausage, and pizza, which will be your cheap eats. Food in Split, usually encompass various Mediterranean cuisine and can be really spectacular, but if you are looking for a little variety, you might find it lacking. For instance, it is very hard to find (good) Asian food. Tip: We found that some of the restaurants started to reduce their prices starting in early November. In general, if you head out a little further from the Riva and the old town prices are also better.
2. Wines – We were extremely surprised by the local Croatian wines. For the most part, most folks haven't heard much about Croatian wines, because there's only enough production for local consumption. However, Croatian wines are excellent, especially for the price. If you come to Croatia and you love wine, you have to try Pošip, Dingač, Babić, and Crljenak. If you enjoy Zins, Crljenak is the original Zinfandel! Good bottles of these are magic and affordable! We hope to discover more wines in our future visits to Croatia.
3. Photography – Fall might be an ideal time to come on a photography trip. The sky is consistently dynamic with epic sunrises and sunsets and the color of the landscape gradually changes to rich orange and browns. There are very few people around, especially early in the morning. You can capture major sites without anyone. You will always have the great Dalmatia landscape all year long, but it’s super comfortable to hike around in the fall for photos as there is not the repressive heat of the summer. Tip: Come after the first week of November after the tourist season dies down. Only disadvantage is that the days are shorter.
4. Hiking – From Split you have access to a lot of great hikes. There are three hiking areas that we would suggest:
   1. Biokovo – The national park is about 90 minutes south by car. We rented a car for the day to give us the most flexibility. Biokovo is one of the highest point in Dalmatia you can drive with specular views of the surrounding islands, mountains, and Adriatic. It’s beautiful and there’s an abundance of well-marked trails. We didn’t drive up. Parts of the road are single lane roads that can get hectic with traffic, especially if you are there in the summer. We wanted to hike up from the bottom. You have to plan for a full day to entertain the most popular hike from Makarska to Vosac, which is between 3.5-4 hours each direction (upwards of 8 hours round trip). In the fall, it’s hard to complete before you lose daylight. Tip: If you don’t want to rush, especially in fall or winter, it is worthwhile to stay in Makarska for a day or two. It’s a great little town and you can enjoy hiking Biokovo without having to cut it short like us (park info).
   2. Marjan – We jogged up this beautiful park regularly. There are well paved paths as well as good trails. If you start from the city center and walk north to any of the major loops, it will be about 6 miles (10km). There’s some spectacular views from Marjan, including great rock climbing, biking, and trail running. Tip: Start your hike/run before sunset and catch sunset from the top (history).
   3. Mosor – It’s a local bus ride to the start of this trail from Split. Basically, you will be hiking the mountains you see looking east from Split. Unfortunately, we didn’t get a chance to go, but it is on our to do list (hike info).
5. Shopping – If you are looking for a little retail therapy while abroad, Split has three very modern malls (Joker, Mall of Split, Center One). Of the three, Mall of Split is probably the most posh, Center One is the largest, and Joker is the most convenient. Joker is about a 10 minute walk from old town. For the most part, fashion is accessible quick fashion, which includes the many global brands you are familiar with. Coming from the US, major brands carry a premium compared to prices at home. The bargains come from locally made or manufactured products. Tip: Some store support VAT refund with purchase of more than 700 Kunas (about $100) on one receipt. This is essentially a 25% refund of the cost. Just ask. You get a stamp at the airport and then mail in the refund form to complete the process. It’s quite complicated, but can be worth it if you made a big purchase.
6. Grocery – When you talk about groceries, it’s a very similar story with other shopping. Imported products are expensive and local products are more affordable. The grocery stories are everywhere in the old town and it’s easy just to pick-up what you need when you need it, especially if you have limited storage space. Locals shop for produce and meats in the open markets (Green Market, Fish Market) versus from the grocery store. A lot of the produce come from China and they prefer the locally grown stuff. Prices vary quite a bit between different grocery chains. If you are on a budget like us, we usually go to different chains for different things. Tip: If you going to a grocery store bring your own bags or you will have to purchase them. Also some store require you to weigh the produce before checkout.

There’s a lot to do in Split and the surrounding area, including many beautiful UNESCO sites, which we didn't cover. Also, there are amazing outdoor adventures and intriguing local foods. For example, if you want a food adventure, right outside of Split there are towns that specializes in frogs and lamb. Split and Croatia seem like an endless adventure.  We will be back for sure!

​Come to Split and go exploring!

-Vu

​P.S. ​Sorry we have not provided updates about our boat as we promised, but I did sneak in a photo in the slide show above.

Grocery Beer Price Index: 7 kuna for 500ml Karlovako ($1)
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