Evalynn and I spent 4 glorious weeks in Split, Croatia, from September 18th until October 18th, in an apartment slightly to the west of Diocletian Palace. After 6 months in Asia, it was liberating to have access to good restaurants and meat again, but the price difference was a bit unsettling as you’ll see below. There aren’t a lot of countries allowing Americans in right now, but Croatia has been such so great to us.
What was the most surprising thing about Split, Croatia?
Eva: Tourism pricing is higher in Split than I expected. For some reason, I thought most of the tourism was backpackers in Croatia, but that’s probably just my limited research.
Ehren: How prevalent the English language is in Croatia. We had no problem getting around… with the exception of a couple restaurants, we dealt mostly with vendors who almost all spoke nearly perfect English.
What would you change about this trip?
Eva: Stressing so much over our COVID results. How long it took and if we didn’t get it in time, if they’d make us do it again when we got here. They seemed not to care once we got here.
Ehren: I wish I’d worked more on speaking Croatian phrases and learning about the country before we arrived.
Scale of 1-10, how easy is it for a US Citizen visiting for the first time to communicate and find the things you need?
Eva: 10. I don’t think it’s hard at all. All the signs are in multiple languages.
Ehren: 9, it was SO much easier than Asia. The one thing we had difficulty finding was a full-sized grocery store. We spent our entire trip shopping at convenience stores. But there were lots of butchers, bakers & produce vendors.
How long would you optimally stay there (+/- how long we stayed)?
Eva: 2 years. I LOVED Split, except for the pricing. The only downside is that there is only tourism and fishing, so there are fewer job opportunities compared to other towns.
Ehren: I’d say 2 months total. I loved Split, I could eat at every restaurant, but no affordable restaurants really stand out and it is fairly pricey to live there.
Could you move/live here?
Eva: Yes. I’d have to find some way to balance the price. I probably wouldn’t downtown, as much as I’d like to.
Ehren: Absolutely. It has everything I need and the locals are super friendly. I love the Mediterranean lifestyle.
What did you learn about travel?
Eva: It’s worth paying a little extra for a [AirBnB] SuperHost. Ours was awesome. She explained the town to us and her apartment was perfection.
Ehren: Pay closer attention to the exchange rate. When we arrived, I withdrew 4000 Kn not realizing it was worth about $800 and offered it to our taxi driver for the 30 minute drive to our apartment. I’m grateful he honestly corrected me… it was $80, not $800. After Vietnam, 2,000VND/$1USD, I was desensitized to the large denominations.
Anything else you want to add?
Eva: No.
Ehren: Diocletian Palace was fantastic. There’s lots of history here, and lots of tours. We went ATVing, visited Krka National Park & the 5 islands & blue cave, did a Palace history tour, guided ourselves through the cathedral, crypts and Temple of Jupiter. And if you’re a Game of Thrones fan, there’s stuff for you, too. Everything was very walkable, albeit a little hilly in the neighborhoods. Also, as Eva mentioned, we found a 5-star AirBnb with 84 reviews, and it was worth paying more. Great location, friendly host, weekly turn-down service, fantastic amenities… and because of COVID, her monthly rate was 50% off.
Quick Fire Favorites:
Restaurant:
Eva: Zalogajnica Dioklecijan
Ehren: Chops Grill
Hang out Joint:
Eva: Fife
Ehren: Lvxor Café Plaza
Best Shopping:
Eva: Produce market to the east of the palace
Ehren: Spar for groceries, but my favorite is Pekara Solin bakery
Point of Interest:
Eva: Grgur Ninki Status
Ehren: Vis Island fishing village