Split Walking Tour with Professor of History
Description
Private tours - mariotravelguide@gmail.com Professor of history and experienced local guide that started a new tour inside a city. Visiting Diocletians palace is great, but visiting Palace, Medieval and modern Split is even better! Feel history of roman Palace and start a journey through center of Split, filled with influence of Venice, Ottomans and Napoleon. Of course, all that with Game of Thrones locations, interesting facts and a dash of local life and legends. The tour starts from Riva promenade and goes through the cellars all the way to the main ancient square. There we have an amazing view on Cathedral and medieval palacies. On the way to Silver & Golden gates we gonna pass the narrowest street in the world. Making a wish by touching a toe of Gregori of Nin statue is a must to do in Split. After the Palace we will walk a modern main street and square and finish at main medieval square. During a walk you will get a bunch of tips what to do and where to spend time in Split.
Tour Options
Itinerary
We are starting our tour on Riva promenade, right next to model of Palace. Riva is where local population spend their time drinking coffee, enjoying the sun and its the place where most of the public life happens.
The basement halls of Diocletian's Palace (more accurately known as the substructures), are one of the world's best-preserved complexes from the era of classical antiquity. This vast space is one of the key reasons why the historical centre of Split was added to UNESCO's World Heritage List in 1979.
Peristyle, as the central square of the Palace, intended for the Emperor Diocletian celebrated as the living son of Jupiter, finds its place among many temples. The Emperor would appear under the architrave of the central part of Protyron, and his subjects would approach him, kneeling down, kissing the hem of his scarlet cloak, or they would fall in front of him, their entire body to the ground.
The Vestibule (The Rotonda), is the first section of the imperial corridor in Diocletian's Palace that led from the Peristyle, which was once the formal entrance to the imperial apartments. Built up to the beginning of the 4th century, as the original part of the ancient palace. It is a circular hall, once topped with a dome, 17 meters in height and 12 meters in diameter. Built as a grand meeting hall only for and selected audiences such as ambassadors.
Roman temple, mausoleum and a church. Depending on how you look at it. Visit only from outside (entrance is not included) but detailed informations willl be given in case guests want to visit it after the tour.
Jupiter is the god of the sky and thunder. Supreme god in ancient Roman religion and mythology. During the history, the Temple was converted into a baptistery dedicated to St. John the Baptist. Visit only from outside. On our way to next location (Golden gate), we will walk through a small street, placed between the ancient temple and medieval building. Local people believe this is the narrowest street in the world. Its name is "Let me pass street".
The Golden Gate or "the Northern Gate", is one of the four principal Roman gates into the old town of Split. Built as part of Diocletian's Palace, it served as the main gate through which the Emperor entered the complex and was elaborately decorated to mark its status. Over the course of the Middle Ages, the gate was sealed off and lost its columns and statuary. It was reopened and repaired in modern times and now serves as a tourist attraction.
The 8.5-metre (28 ft)tall statue of Gregory of Nin by Ivan Meštrović in Split is a busy tourist site in the town, which the toe of the statue shows. Rubbing the statue's toe is said to bring good luck. The toe has been worn smooth and shiny as a result.
Although a conqueror, Napoleon's marshal Marmont is responsible for the urbanisation of Dalmatian cities, in return the citizens of Split have named their most beautiful street after him.
Republic Square is a large, open square surrounded on three sides by a collection of elaborate neo-Renaissance buildings known as the Prokurative.
The last spot of our tour. Small and beautifull square where ladies used to sell fruits. You will hear about important monuments on the square such as Marko Marulić (father of Croatian literature) statue. Its also perfect location for stories about Croatian history and gastronomy.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Reviews(1,140)
So, I made an assumption upon booking this tour that a tour with a Professor of History would be really strong and delve into history that I wouldn't necessarily learn otherwise. I have to say it wasn't a bad tour. But it wasn't an intensive history tour, which is what I was expecting. The guide probably didn't tell us any more than you would learn from any other tour. I also thought that we would be going to the underground portion of the city, which was not the case. Also, I have to say that the tour guide didn't "read the room" too well. He kept asking us to guess things.... and after a few guesses we just wanted the answer. but he'd continue to push guessing. Honestly - i didn't want to guess anything. I wanted a knowledgeable Professor to tell me information that I wouldn't otherwise know. And no - i didn't take the tour to talk about sports. I wanted to learn about the history of Split. One positive note is that he directed me to a nice restaurant (Zinfandel), where I had a good meal and wonderful wine.
Mario was awesome. Thank you.
Excellent walking tour through the old town. Mario shared really interesting facts about Split - things you’d barely find out on your own. Very well organized, highly recommend!
Very knowledgeable guide and the perfect amount of time. It is a easy way to get the overview of Split with the history too
Great way to find out about both the city's history and up to date information on best food, bars, restaurants etc and what to avoid.
Mare was a fantastic guide. Kept things moving, had some good joke (some were a bit corny), had a great knowledge of Split history, and moved us from shade spot to shade spot (which was very much appreciated)! We'll done and worth every penny!
Five stars all the way! We took a walking tour of Split and our guide was top-notch. He was deeply knowledgeable about the history of Diocletian's Palace, yet kept the tour incredibly engaging and fun with his great sense of humor. What really set this tour apart was his excellent local insight—he pointed us toward hidden gems and off-the-beaten-path corners of the city that really made our trip special. A must-do if you are visiting Split!
We had Mario who made history very interesting and fun. He was eloquent and easy to understand. He was very personable and I would 100 percent recommend this tour with him! I learned so much in an engrossing way. Not boring at all!
Mario was very knowledgeable about the history of Split as you would expect from a history professor but what really makes the tour is his relaxed delivery, humour and his asides on modern cultural aspects of the city and Croatia and even where to get the best ice creams.
The walking tour was fantastic! Mario was super knowledgeable, told lots of interesting stories, and gave great recommendations on what to do and what to avoid in Split. Highly recommended!
