A Roman palace for a game board
The Split scavenger hunt is a self-guided city game you play on your phone: you walk from landmark to landmark, solve a riddle at each one by looking closely at what is in front of you, and unlock the stories and legends behind it. Because the stops are packed into and around one Roman palace, the walking adds up to just 20 minutes and 1.5 km across 10 stops, so most of the 2 hours goes on riddles and stories, and the game begins the moment you open it.
Highlights include the bronze Gregory of Nin by Ivan Meštrović, the Golden Gate, the Cathedral of Saint Domnius in Diocletian's former mausoleum, the Peristyle with its Egyptian sphinx and the Temple of Jupiter. Split's old town grew inside a Roman emperor's palace, so the whole route is compact, car-free and full of ancient stone around every corner.
- Durationabout 2 hours
- Walkingabout 20 min · 1.5 km
- Stops10
- LanguagesEnglish, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Dutch
Riddles inside an emperor's palace
Roman stone as the answer sheet
At every stop one riddle waits, and its clue is carved or built into the scene in front of you: a niche on the Golden Gate, a granite column in the Peristyle, an arch of the Old Town Hall on Pjaca. A sharp eye and some reasoning crack it, with no Latin required.
An emperor, a bishop and a lucky toe
Each solved riddle unlocks the stories of the place: why the mausoleum of a persecuting emperor became a cathedral named after one of his victims, how refugees from Salona moved into the palace walls, and why Gregory of Nin's big toe shines from all the rubbing. The audio narration can tell all of it while you rest on the Peristyle steps.
Twenty minutes on foot
Diocletian's Palace and the streets around it are so compact that the whole route measures 1.5 km, about 20 minutes of walking. Google Maps steers you through the gates and alleys, and inside the walls there is no car traffic to dodge.
Time out under the palms
No clock runs, so a coffee on the Riva or a long look at the harbour fits in whenever you like, and the game waits where you left it, even until the next day. Staying inside the palace? Make the Peristyle your first stop in the app.
See the route and attractions →
How it works
- Book online Choose the number of players. Your booking reference arrives by email straight away.
- Get the app Download the World City Trail app from the App Store or Google Play and enter your booking reference.
- Play when you like Start whenever you are ready, walk at your own pace and pause any time. No guide, no fixed schedule.
Travellers, families and teams in Diocletian's town
Ferry and cruise passengers with a few hours
The harbour lies right beside the old town, and the game needs about 2 hours over 1.5 km, so it fits neatly between arrival and departure. The riddles make you look properly at the palace instead of drifting through it with the crowd.
Children who like sphinxes
Kids enjoy tracking down the black granite sphinx in the Peristyle, the headless one by the Temple of Jupiter and the giant bronze bishop whose toe everybody touches. An adult plays in each team, and the short distances suit small legs.
Friends and colleagues on a trip to Dalmatia
Up to 5 players form a team, each with the game on their own phone, and several teams can work through the palace side by side and meet up again on the Prokurative. Streets and squares are public, so the tickets are all you need to arrange.
Good to know
- Bring a charged smartphone with mobile data; a power bank helps.
- No entry tickets needed: everything happens outside the buildings. Going inside is optional and paid separately.
- Family friendly; children must be accompanied by an adult.
- Not suitable for wheelchair users and difficult with strollers.
- Teams of up to 5 work best; bigger groups split into several teams, one ticket per player.
- Every purchase helps support stray cats and dogs in Greece.
The route: from the National Theatre through the Golden Gate to the Prokurative
10 stops · about 20 min walking · start: Croatian National Theatre · finish: Prokurative (Republic Square)
The hunt starts at the Croatian National Theatre and passes the statue of Gregory of Nin before entering Diocletian's Palace through the Golden Gate. Inside the walls you visit the Cathedral of Saint Domnius, the Peristyle and the Temple of Jupiter, then leave through the Iron Gate for People's Square, known as Pjaca. You walk down to the Riva waterfront and finish on Republic Square, the Prokurative. Each answer sits on a gate, a column or a façade, so no door along the way asks for a ticket, and the app will gladly start you at the Peristyle or on the Riva and line up the remaining stops from there.
Open the route map ↗
1Croatian National TheatreStart
Split's Croatian National Theatre opened in 1893 and stands on Gaje Bulata Square, just north of the old town. Its large 19th-century building hosts drama, opera and ballet, and it was restored after a fire in the 1970s. In summer it is one of the stages of the Split Summer Festival.
2Gregory of Nin statue (Grgur Ninski)
Ivan Meštrović created this huge bronze of Gregory, a 10th-century bishop of Nin who defended the use of the Croatian language in church services instead of Latin. Made in 1929, it first stood in the Peristyle and was moved to the Golden Gate in 1954. Rubbing his big toe is said to bring luck.
Read the full story →
3Golden Gate
The Golden Gate was the northern main entrance of Diocletian's Palace, facing the road to Salona, then the capital of the Roman province of Dalmatia. It was the most richly decorated of the palace gates. Look at the empty niches in its façade, which once held statues.
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4Cathedral of Saint Domnius
The cathedral was originally the octagonal mausoleum of Emperor Diocletian, built around 300 AD, and became a church in the 7th century. Ironically it is dedicated to Domnius, a bishop of Salona martyred under Diocletian. Look at the carved wooden doors by Andrija Buvina from 1214 and the tall Romanesque bell tower.
Read the full story →
5Peristyle
The Peristyle was the ceremonial courtyard of Diocletian's Palace, lined with granite columns and arches that lead to the emperor's former residence. Here the emperor showed himself to his subjects. Look for the black granite sphinx, one of several that Diocletian brought from Egypt.
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6Diocletian's Palace
Emperor Diocletian built this fortified palace around 300 AD as the place where he retired after giving up power in 305. In the 7th century refugees from nearby Salona settled inside its walls, and the palace slowly turned into a town that is still lived in today. It has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979.
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7Temple of Jupiter
This small Roman temple stood next to Diocletian's mausoleum and was dedicated to Jupiter, the god the emperor saw as his protector. In the Middle Ages it was turned into a baptistery of St John the Baptist. Look up at its stone barrel vault with carved coffers and at the headless sphinx outside.
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8People's Square (Pjaca)
Narodni trg, called Pjaca by locals, was the main square of the medieval town that grew west of the palace walls. Its oldest building is the Gothic Old Town Hall from the 15th century, with three wide arches on the ground floor. You reach it from the palace through the Iron Gate.
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9Riva
The Riva is Split's palm-lined waterfront promenade, running along the southern façade of Diocletian's Palace. In Roman times the sea came right up to these walls, and the Bronze Gate opened directly onto the water. Today cafés line the promenade, with views of the harbour and the islands.
10Prokurative (Republic Square)Finish
Republic Square, known as the Prokurative, was built in the second half of the 19th century on the initiative of mayor Antonio Bajamonti. Its neo-Renaissance buildings with arcades frame the square on three sides and were modelled on the Procuratie of St Mark's Square in Venice. The fourth side opens to the sea.
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Catherine B. (verified owner) –
Germany –
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Mélanie– France –
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Super !
France –
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Croatia –
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Martin– Germany –
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Geocatching in Split mit Smartphone. Habe zum finden der Punkte Google Maps benutzt. Denke aber mit einer Stadtkarte von Split ist es noch cooler. Die Rätsel sind alle relativ einfach aber interessant gehalten. Wenn man fix ist dauert alles nur 30 Minuten. Da man aber jederzeit pausieren kann zum Essen oder andere Sachen passt das schon. Insgesammt ist es eine spannende Sache , die man mit Familie oder in kleinerer Gruppe machen kann
France –
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France –
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Activité sympathique pour découvrir la ville
Christopher-France –
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Aaron-Sweden –
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Adrian-Germany –
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Isabella-Germany –
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Spain –
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Germany –
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France –
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Germany –
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Die Stadt selbst ist auf jedenfall eine Rwise wert, die Schnitzeljagd war ok sber auch nicht mehr. Als wir vor 2 Jahren in Rom waren hat sie uns besser gefallen, da es dort aber auch wirklich quer durch die Stadt ging. In Split handelt es sich lediglich um die Altstadt welche doch überschaubar ist von der Größe her.
France –
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C est sympa de se promener dans la ville de cette façon
Netherlands –
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Zeer leuke actuviteit om te doen je leert op een creatieve manier iets van de stad.
Jarrige– France –
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très bien avec les enfants c étaient très agréable de découvrir la ville de cette façon. petite chose à améliorer, la possibilité de passer une étape mais en pouvant y revenir plus tard : cathédrale et Palais impraticables à cause d un tournage de film donc deux étapes que nous n avons pas pu faire car on ne peut pas revenir en arrière si on passe l étape.
Stefan-Germany –
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Ernst-Germany –
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John-U.K –
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Stephanie– Germany –
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Für Jung und Alt ein tolles Vergnügen auf diese Art und Weise Split zu entdecken. Sehr empfehlenswert!
Adrian-Switzerland –
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Aurora-France –
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Genesis-France –
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Riley-Denmark –
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Klaus-Portugal –
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Josiah-Bulgaria –
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Isla-Estonia –
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Emma-Belgium –
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Julian-Romania –
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Stella-Estonia –
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Isla-Greece –
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Abigail-France –
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Amelia-Germany –
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