The Roman empire in Split

Engulfed with Croatian culture and history, the place to be right now is the Diocletian Palace. A monumental palace created with a beautiful symmetrical layout, the entire building is bursting with eclecticity and grandeur. Beneath arches, columns and chapels, in the basement halls, you'll find little stalls offering local crafts and jewellery creations. A romantic getaway by night and a bustling, trendy attraction in the day, don’t forget to set aside some of those late afternoon hours to enjoy a coffee at the outdoors café situated within the Palace.

The sun, sea and sand of Split are similar enough to Italy, but the pizza is perhaps the closest relation. Good quality options can be found all over town and it’s generally served by the slice as street food, but at Galija they’re confident in the fact that you’ll want a whole one to yourself, they taste so good. Don’t rely on service or décor if it’s date night, but the no-frills approach somehow adds to the taste of the classic, crisp-based pizzas (Tonciceva 12).

Along the coast, Fife is often packed to the rafters, but that’s for good reason. The best Dalmatian food can be found here – and that’s quite some claim. Large portions of fish stew, grilled catch, goulash and pasticada – a local speciality of gnocchi with beef – is served by waiters that look like they helped construct the Diocletian Palace (Trumbiceva Obala 11).

St Riva Caffe is where the locals let their hair down on hot summer nights. Cocktails are shaken by bartenders within the old city walls and hedonism powers through until the sun comes up. If you’re after something more local from the menu, try a Dalmatian white wine (Riva 18).