Diocletian's Palace, Split

Diocletian's Palace is one of the most remarkable Roman monuments anywhere, the vast seaside fortress-palace built around 300 AD for the retiring emperor Diocletian, which never became a ruin but grew into the living heart of Split. Within its walls, a warren of marble lanes, squares and Roman remains is woven with homes, shops, cafes and a cathedral, a UNESCO site inhabited without a break for seventeen centuries.

What you actually see

• The Peristyle - the colonnaded central square of the palace.
• The cathedral and bell tower - the emperor's mausoleum turned cathedral, with a climbable tower.
• The cellars - the vast preserved substructures beneath the palace.
• The living lanes - the inhabited streets, cafes and squares within the walls.

When to go

Late spring and early autumn for warm weather without the peak crush; summer is hot and busy, and cruise days crowd the lanes. Evenings, when the marble squares fill with life, are especially atmospheric.

Honest expectations

It is a living, inhabited quarter rather than a museum, so it blends genuine Roman remains with bars, shops and heavy tourism; that fusion is the charm. Cruise days crowd it. It takes some imagination, or a guide, to picture the original palace beneath the modern life.

Nearby

The Dalmatian islands of Hvar and Brac are a ferry away; the coast and Trogir are close.