Split is a great stop on a family trip to Croatia, especially if you want to mix historic sights with beaches and easy time outdoors. There are plenty of things to do in Split with kids, from exploring Diocletian’s Palace and climbing around Klis Fortress to visiting playgrounds, walking the waterfront and spending time at the beach.
We spent three days in Split with our kids, who were 2 and 4 years old at the time. Rather than simply listing the best things to do in Split with kids, this post follows our trip in the order we did it so you can see what worked well together each day and get a better sense of how much you can realistically fit into a family visit.
Split also worked especially well for us because we could combine ancient history with places the kids genuinely enjoyed. Game of Thrones fans will recognize several filming locations, including Klis Fortress, while families will find plenty of ways to balance sightseeing with beaches, parks and downtime.
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Is Split Good for Families?
Split is a family-friendly Croatian city that combines historic sights, beaches, parks and easy waterfront walks. With three days in Split with kids, families can explore Diocletian’s Palace, visit Klis Fortress, spend time at Bačvice or Kašjuni Beach, and walk through Marjan Forest Park.
We had so much fun that Split ranked very well on our list of our favourite family-friendly European destinations. To help you determine how many days to spend in Split on your Croatia family holiday, we share our 3-day itinerary with all the things to do in Split with kids.
Day 1: Diocletian’s Palace, Waterfront & Parks
Rub Gregory of Nin’s Big Toe for Luck
After arriving late the previous afternoon from our visit to Plitvice Lakes with kids, we were eagerly out the door by 7:30 a.m. to explore Split Old Town. Travelling to Croatia with kids who wake up early, we often have places almost to ourselves at this hour. Not this time. We were surprised by how many locals were already out and about.
It was raining lightly, so we walked to Diocletian’s Palace in an attempt to see the most important parts of Split Old Town first in case the rain worsened. On our way we passed the towering statue of Gregory of Nin (Grgur Ninski).
Funny as it sounds, the Gregorius of Nin statue is actually a really fun thing to do in Split with kids; it’s good for a laugh anyway. They say that if you rub Gregorius of Nin’s big toe, you will get good luck. One of our kids rubbed his toe and the other refused, so I guess we’ll see if it’s true or not over the next 15 years!
Explore Diocletian’s Palace with Kids
We entered Diocletian’s Palace via the Golden Gate and followed the kids as they ran through alleyways and up staircases. This is a fun place to visit in Split for kids to explore, although if you’d like your kids to run and explore, it’s best to get here early before the huge crowds.
Be sure to stay close to your kids in Diocletian’s Palace as there are lots of twists and turns and it’s easy to get lost.
We tried to herd them back to the main artery and eventually we arrived at Peristil, a courtyard nestled between the Temple of Jupiter and the Cathedral of Saint Domnius. We’re both big fans of Egyptian artifacts, so we loved the black sphinx perched up high in this courtyard.
At this point, it began to rain quite hard, so we ducked into the Vestibule for cover. The Vestibule is a large room with a domed ceiling with a large hole in the centre. The rain cover wasn’t perfect, but it was enough for those of us with the sense to stay out of the rain.
The kids, on the other hand, thought it was hilarious to run back and forth under the open dome of the Vestibule, getting wetter and wetter as they went. We weren’t properly dressed for the weather and needed better cover from the rain, so we paid to enter the Cathedral of Saint Domnius and the Jupiter’s Temple. Both are very small Split attractions, so it didn’t kill much time.
Still raining, we ran to the Palace’s Substructures. As big fans of Game of Thrones, we were excited to visit the substructures as this is where Daenerys Targaryen keeps her dragons while she’s in Meereen (the main hall with all the souvenir stands is the location which was used for filming).
Split: Games of Thrones Locations Tour
We paid to explore the basement rooms, which again was a fun thing for the kids to do in Split. This place is normally supposed to be haunting, but crews were getting ready for an event and had beautiful flowers set up everywhere. So instead of haunting, we got happy!
Emerging back into the daylight, the rain had let up a bit, so we hoofed it back to our nearby Split vacation home rental to change into some dry clothes.
Family-Friendly Diocletian Palace Walking Tour
Walk the Zapadna Obala
Zapadna Obala is a wonderful waterfront promenade along the west side of Split harbour. During our visit, it was much less crowded than the Riva Promenade.
When we travel with kids, we love finding pedestrian-only areas to allow our kids some freedom to run and be crazy kids. While enjoying the Zapadna Obala promenade, our kids loved running ahead, looking at the boats and chasing pigeons. Getting to just be kids is good for their mental health while travelling.
Visit Sustipan Park
We walked through the Split Marina, which added quite a bit of time to the walk. I’d recommend you skip this and go up to street level and cut the corner.
Despite the extra time, the walk through Split’s marina led us to a charming, yet completely deserted oceanfront park called Sustipan. This tree-filled park sits high above the water and has beautiful coastal views.
Following the general theme of the afternoon, our kids loved getting to run and play on the grass in Sustipan Park.
Play at Zvončac Park
Leaving Sustipan Park, we entered another park called Zvončac Park, which is one of the best parks in Split for kids. Zvončac Park was super-popular with our kids as it had a large dinosaur themed playground.
Exploring the waterfront promenade and the kid-friendly Split parks was a wonderful way to spend an afternoon in Split with a toddler and preschooler. The views alone were definitely worth it.
Day 2: Klis Fortress, Riva & Split Beaches
Visit Klis Fortress with Kids
We wanted to visit the Klis Fortress with our kids, but had trouble figuring out how to get there independently with the limited information we could find online. We like to travel like locals, so after an hour or so of research over breakfast, we had a plan in place and headed out the door.
After a long wait for our bus to the Klis Fortress (we didn’t know how to read the schedule properly), it was a seamless journey and we arrived 45 minutes later.
A short walk up a hill got us to the Klis Fortress gates and even before you pay to get in, you immediately get to see the sweeping views of Split and the Adriatic Sea beyond. This view alone is worth the trip, even without seeing the Klis Fortress.
Once you enter, you can wander almost anywhere you want within the Klis Fortress. Take your time exploring the pathways, tunnels and guard lookouts.
Visiting Klis Fortress was one of the best things to do in Split with kids. In fact, fun day trips like this are one of the many reasons we like to visit Europe with kids. Our kids had a ball running around, climbing and peering through the arrow slits once used by archers. Watch for a set of tunnels on the far west end of the Klis fortress, which are pretty easy to miss. Your kids will love running through them.
Besides the amazing fortress and the views, there is also a small museum within one room, which houses some armour, swords, cannonballs, etc. from hundreds of years ago.
Chances are that if you are visiting the Klis Fortress, you are a Game of Thrones fan (like us!) and you know the Klis Fortress is the filming location for the Meereen scenes. If you are a Game of Thrones fan, seek out the room on the east end of the Klis Fortress which has some photos on the wall.
Some photos show Klis Fortress as it really looks alongside the same view transformed into Meereen. Seeing the comparison helped us visualize the filming location as we explored.
Still not fully understanding the bus schedule, we also had complications on the bus ride home. If you wish to take public transit to and from Klis Fortress, we share all the details in our post on How to Get to Klis Fortress from Split.
If you’d prefer a little more comfort on your visit to the Klis Fortress with kids, we recommend joining a guided sunset tour to the Klis Fortress, complete with bus transportation.
Walk the Riva Promenade
We wanted to check out the in-town beaches in Split as well, so in the afternoon of our second day in Split with kids we set out for Bačvice Beach. The previous day, we had tried and failed to walk all the way to Jezinac Beach. This time, we put the kids in their carriers so we could reach the beach with plenty of time for them to play.
From our Split vacation rental, we had an enjoyable walk along the famous Riva Promenade, then along the ferry docks on our way to the beach.
Need a toddler carrier? Check out our recommendations best toddler carriers for travel on our Baby Can Travel site!
Visit Bačvice Beach
Given that it was 83°F / 28°C outside, it was no surprise that Bačvice Beach was very crowded, both in the water and on the sand. Bačvice Beach is a reasonably big beach nestled deep in a cove, so the waves should be pretty small here most of the time. The water is also supposed to be quite shallow, which makes it a good family-friendly beach in Split.
We were surprised to find real sand, as every Mediterranean beach we had visited up to that point had been pebbly. Finding an awesome, real sand beach in Split was ironic as we promised the kids they could throw rocks into the water, as we were expecting a pebbly beach!
Visit Ovčice Beach
As it goes when travelling with kids, they were upset about not getting to throw rocks, so we looked for another Split beach nearby. We saw on Google Maps that Ovčice Beach was about 0.3 miles / 0.5 km away, so we walked there along a nice oceanfront promenade.
Ovčice Beach was much smaller, with far less space available on the sand. There were fewer people, but the beach still felt crowded because of its smaller size.
The kids were happy that Ovčice Beach was a traditional pebble beach as promised, so we found a spot to sit and let the kids do their thing. Our little guy loves to stand in the shallow water and endlessly chuck rocks into the water, giggling the whole time.
Our four-year-old daughter likes finding interesting-shaped rocks and seashells. Our visit to Ovčice Beach made our kids happy and was one of their favourite things to do in Split.
On the way back to our Split vacation rental apartment, we walked through Diocletian’s Palace again and then through the other parts of Old Town Split in an effort to find some relief from the hot sun and to see streets and alleyways we hadn’t seen the day before.
Read More
Blessed with many beautiful beaches and so many fun things to with kids, Split has earned a spot on our list of the best beach destinations for families.
Day 3: Marjan Forest Park & Kašjuni Beach
Explore Marjan Forest Park
Marjan Park is a huge, beautiful park located just an easy walk from the centre of the Split Old Town.
We began our day by walking through narrow, cobblestoned, atmospheric side streets on our way to the Vidilica Cafe, which is immediately outside the Marjan Park entrance. The last stretch of the walk to the cafe is up a long flight of stairs, but it’s worth the effort for the amazing views of Split below.
We spent a few hours walking through Marjan Park, enjoying the relaxing feeling of being in such a beautiful, natural space with towering pine trees and birds chirping. We completely forgot about the hordes of tourists we left behind in Old Town Split.
We stopped for a while at a Marjan Park playground and at the summit of the hill (where a huge Croatian flag flies) to enjoy panoramic 360-degree views of the whole area.
The paths in Marjan Park range from paved walkways to rocky hiking trails, so learn from our mistakes and wear proper walking footwear. We wore flip-flops and regretted it as we walked a few kilometers over rocky hiking trails on our way from the Marjan Park summit to the beach.
Along the way, we were lucky to pass the small Marjan hermitage which was built into the cliffs on the south side of the peninsula.
For more practical advice, read our guide to hiking with kids and see the hiking gear for kids we recommend for family adventures.
Marjan is large, with a network of roads and trails, so having a map on your phone makes exploring much easier. Thankfully AllTrails has a good map of all the Marjan Park hiking trails.
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Relax at Kašjuni Beach
Kašjuni Beach is a stunning beach in Split and is worth the effort to get there. We found Kašjuni Beach much nicer than the city beaches we had visited the day before. It sits in a protected cove with towering cliffs on one side and a palm tree lined peninsula on the other.
Kašjuni Beach was the perfect beach to visit in Split with kids. The water was very calm and the kids had a great time playing in it. The beach had small pebbles which weren’t too hard on the feet (and made our kids happy). It was early May and the water was still pretty cool, but the kids didn’t care.
After walking back from Kašjuni Beach, we had a few hours left in Split with our kids. We had an early morning ferry scheduled for the next morning from Split to Hvar, where we planned to visit the beaches on Hvar with kids, so we revisited some of our favourite things to do in Split with kids.
We couldn’t pass up one more opportunity to explore the ancient alleyways of Diocletian’s Palace and walk along the bustling Riva waterfront. We were pleasantly surprised to see a market going on and the kids loved looking at everything at the booths.
Where to Stay in Split with Kids
Old Town Split is the best place to stay in Split with kids. In Split Old Town, you’ll find plenty of restaurants and shopping, along with many of the city’s main attractions for families. The downside is that accommodation in Split Old Town can get very expensive.
We rented a two-bedroom apartment a few minutes west of Old Town Split. We chose to stay at a Split vacation home rental as we enjoy the family-friendly amenities like separate bedrooms, a kitchen and laundry facilities. Plus, its location just outside Split Old Town made it more affordable.
If hotels are more your style, we personally use and recommend using Booking as their Top Picks for Families search filter makes it easy to find good family-friendly accommodation.
How to Get Into Split with Kids
The Split airport is a 30 minute drive outside of Old Town. When travelling with young kids, getting from the airport to Split Old Town can be more complicated if you need car seats. Taxis and Ubers will not have car seats and taking an airport bus with kidsis often very inconvenient.
If you are landing in Split after a long flight and want the easy way into town, we recommend getting a private transfer with the Welcome Pickups service. We have used Welcome Pickups often while travelling through Europe with kids. We appreciate how our driver meets us at the airport and we can easily pre-book car seats. All this for about the same price as a normal taxi or Uber.
Follow Along on our Croatia Family Holiday
We started our Croatian family holiday with a fun day in Zagreb with kids. From there we hopped on a bus from Zagreb to Plitvice Lakes National Park, which was amazing! See our 15 tips you need to know when visiting Plitvice Lakes with kids.
After our three days in Split with kids, we continued island hopping, with stops in Korcula with kids and Hvar with kids. We finished our family trip to Croatia with a very fun trip to Dubrovnik with kids.
Read more about our European family vacation with stops in the Czech Republic with kids, Budapest with kids, Croatia with kids and a final stop in Iceland with kids.
Our Travel Journal for Kids
Based on our family travels, our kids helped us design this Travel Journal for Active Kids! This engaging travel journal encourages kids to document their adventures, spark creativity, and stay entertained on the go – grab yours now on Amazon!
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