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CROATIA & EASTERN EUROPE SPLIT DESTINATIONS N


owhere blends the ancient and modern so


beautifully as Split. Its beating heart is the Diocletian’s Palace, one of the world’s best preserved and most imposing Roman ruins. This is a living, breathing museum, with around 3,000 people still residing within its limestone walls. The labyrinth of alleyways,


SPLIT


Sleep in a palace and bask on beaches in


Croatia’s second city, says


Ella Buchan


squares and smooth stone steps can just as easily lead to a trendy bar with tiny outdoor tables or a leafy courtyard with washing lines strung between apartments. All this is just steps from the pedestrianised Riva promenade, lined with cafes and restaurants, while bustling Bacvice Beach is a 15-minute walk away. Direct easyJet flights from


London make it ideal for a weekend city break, with easy access from the harbour to some of Croatia’s 1,200-plus islands. Do Something Different has a day tour of Brac (£43), which boasts one of the Adriatic’s best beaches.


Suggest clients staying a few nights or more take a tour of Salona, three miles outside the city and once the capital of the Roman province of Dalmatia. Viator has a three-hour tour with a local guide (from £52), including Kliss Fortress, which Game of Thrones fans may recognise as the city of Meereen.


w DAY ONE 09.00: Roman emperor Diocletian fancied himself the reincarnation of Jupiter, and the lavishness of what became his ‘retirement home’, the 4th-century Diocletian’s Palace, reflects this grandeur. Start in the basement halls, entered through the south or brass gate by the harbour (£4.50). Built to prop up the apartments above, these eerie rooms are perfectly preserved thanks to years of being used to store waste. Excavated in 1952, the caverns were used for many of Daenerys’ scenes in Game of Thrones. diocletianspalace.org


5January 2017 travelweekly.co.uk 59


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