Granite columns and arches of the Peristyle in Diocletian's Palace with the cathedral bell tower above, Split

Heritage · Split, Split-Dalmatia County

Diocletian’s Palace, Split

A Roman emperor's retirement palace that became the living heart of Split's old town

Photo: Timo Wielink (@timowielink) / Unsplash

Discover Diocletian’s Palace, Split

Diocletian's Palace is not a ruin you look at from behind a rope; it is a neighbourhood you walk through. The emperor's seaside residence, begun around 295 AD, was gradually filled with houses, churches and squares after Rome's fall, and today its lanes are lined with cafes, shops and family homes built into Roman masonry.

At its centre the Peristyle, a colonnaded court with an ancient Egyptian sphinx, still acts as the town's stage. Steps lead from here into the domed Vestibule and down to the vaulted cellars, while the emperor's mausoleum next door has served as Split's cathedral for centuries. Four gates connect the palace to the Riva waterfront and the rest of the city, so you can wander in and out all day.

Don’t miss

01The Peristyle, the colonnaded central court with an ancient Egyptian sphinx
02The Cathedral of St Domnius, originally Diocletian's octagonal mausoleum, and its climbable bell tower
03The domed Vestibule, whose acoustics often draw klapa singers
04The vaulted cellars (substructures) beneath the former imperial apartments
05The Temple of Jupiter, later converted into a baptistery
06The Golden, Silver, Iron and Bronze gates linking the palace to the city and the Riva

History & culture

The story of Diocletian’s Palace, Split

Diocletian, who ruled the Roman Empire from 284, had the palace built near Salona as his retirement home; work is assumed to have started around 295, and he abdicated in 305 while it was still unfinished. The complex was laid out as a fortified rectangle of roughly 215 by 180 metres with towers on its walls, imperial apartments on the sea side and temples and a mausoleum around the Peristyle.

After the decline of Roman rule, people from nearby Salona took refuge within the walls and subdivided the palace into homes, turning it into a medieval town. The mausoleum became the Cathedral of St Domnius, with a Romanesque bell tower added between the 12th and 14th centuries, and the Temple of Jupiter became a baptistery. UNESCO inscribed the Historical Complex of Split with the Palace of Diocletian on the World Heritage List in 1979, noting the Romanesque churches, Gothic and Renaissance palaces that grew up among the Roman remains.

Local life & traditions

For Split's residents the palace is simply the old town: people still live in apartments set into Roman walls, children play in the squares and locals meet for coffee on the Peristyle steps. The Feast of St Domnius (Sveti Duje), Split's patron saint, is a major city celebration, and klapa singing, a UNESCO-recognised tradition of a cappella harmony, is very much part of local identity.

Things to do

Experience it like a local

Start at the Riva and enter through the Bronze Gate into the cellars, where part of the vaulted halls can be walked through freely and the rest is visited with a ticket. Climb the steps to the Peristyle, sit on the old stone steps for a coffee, and visit the cathedral and its bell tower for views over the red roofs and the harbour. A guided walking tour helps make sense of how Roman, medieval and Venetian layers fit together.

In the evening the palace lanes come alive with strollers, and the Vestibule and Peristyle often host impromptu klapa performances in summer. Television fans may recognise the palace, which was used as a filming location for the fourth season of Game of Thrones.

When to go

May, June, September and October offer warm weather with fewer crowds than midsummer. July and August are hot and very busy, especially when cruise ships are in port, so early mornings and evenings are the most pleasant times to explore. The palace is open to wander year-round, and winter visits are quiet and atmospheric, though some attractions keep shorter hours.

Plan your visit

Verified information

UNESCO status: Inscribed in 1979 as the Historical Complex of Split with the Palace of Diocletian (criteria ii, iii, iv); core zone 20.8 ha. Source: whc.unesco.org ↗

Checked against the sources on 27 October 2026. Opening times and fees can change — confirm before you go.

Travel tips

The palace lanes are free to wander; the cathedral, bell tower and part of the cellars require tickets, so check current prices on arrival.
Cover shoulders and knees when entering the cathedral and other churches.
Wear shoes with grip: the polished limestone paving can be slippery, especially when wet.
Visit early in the morning in summer to see the Peristyle before the crowds.
The bell tower climb is steep and narrow in places; take your time and avoid it in the midday heat.

General guidance from our specialists, not official information.

Around Diocletian’s Palace, Split: food, markets & places to stay

The Riva promenade runs along the palace's southern front, with the ferry port, the bus station and the railway station about a ten-minute walk away. Green and fish markets operate on the edges of the old town, and the Marjan forest park on the western side of Split offers walking trails and sea views. Ferries and catamarans to Brač, Hvar and other islands leave from the port nearby.