KRKA NATIONAL PARK IS HOME TO WATERFALLS TUMBLING GRACEFULLY OVER GIANT BOULDERS |
2 Lavender In Croatia’ s old cities, alleys glow with the color purple. Sweet-scented lavender grows on Hvar, a sunny and popular island near Split. The island hosts a lavender festival each summer, but if you miss it, you can pick up lavenderfilled items, including handmade lavender pillows incorporating another Croatian tradition: lacemaking.
3Wooden toys Hand-whittled by men, decorated by women and passed down from child to child, Zagorje’ s perfectly crafted toys were first made in the 19th century and took hundreds of forms, from dolls’ houses to horses on wheels. Look out for them at markets across the country.
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image: awl images |
SPLIT
Many travelers come to Split, Croatia’ s second-largest city, in search of Diocletian’ s Palace— the seven-acre retirement home of a local-born Roman emperor, completed in 305 C. E.— but they don’ t need to look far. When you disembark, you’ ll be greeted by a crumbling Roman wall that supports the awnings and palm trees on the seafront— the palace is woven into Split’ s DNA.
Directly below your feet is the cool, dark underbelly of the palace. Explore the depth of Roman ingenuity, with rooms that mirror the original layout of the palace, ventilation systems ahead of their time and living quarters for the hundreds of workers who kept the palace ship-shape.
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Above ground, the colonnaded Peristyle courtyard commands all attention with its opulence. Adjoining it is an octagonal mausoleum Diocletian intended as his tomb— now St. Domnius’ Cathedral, dressed in resplendent reds and golds.
Ancient history isn’ t Split’ s only appeal. Within walking distance of the dock is the Marjan Nature Reserve, where fragrant pine-shaded trails lead to a 600-foot summit, passing medieval chapels, pebble beaches with aquarium-clear waters, and even cliffjumping hotspots. An hour’ s drive northwest from Split’ s city center is Krka National Park, home to waterfalls tumbling gracefully over giant boulders.
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Above: Krka National Park
in Croatia’ s coastal region
of Dalmatia
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SPRING 2026 • 69 |