The town and the port situated on the peninsula. On the western part of the peninsula is the mountain Marjan covered with planted forest. The climate is Mediterranean, and the vegetation evergreen and Mediterranean, and even the sub-tropical vegetation, like palm-trees, agaves and cactuses.

The settlement is probably of the Greek origin, with the name Aspalathos, from the 9th to the 11th century under the Byzantine rule. In 1069 king Petar Kresimir IV annexed it to Croatia. In the 15th century it seeks the protection of Venice, and after its fall in the 18th century, it became Austrian. For a short period it was under France, and then again under Austria. In 1882 it acquired Croatian government. The oldest part of Split (Grad) is situated within the walls of Diocletian's palace built around 300. In the middle of the southern front are the Brass doors Mjedena vrata, and to the south from them is the entrance to the cellars with corridors and halls. Along the eastern wall one reaches the Silver doors (Srebrna vrata), across which is the church of Saint Dominik from the 13th century. Through the doors one exits to the square Poljana kralja Tomislava and along the church of Saint Rok from the 16th century one gets to Peristil, the central area of the palace. The longitudinal sides of Peristil are lined with pillars connected with arches.

On the eastern side is the cathedral of Saint Dujam, the former mausoleum of the emperor Diocletian. The mausoleum kept its original form, octagonal from the outside, surrounded with 24 pillars that carried the roof, and inside circular with two rows of Corinthian pillars and frieze decorated with medallions with the pictures of emperor Diocletian and his wife Periska. The monumental wooden doors with the relief with scenes from the life of Christ are the work of Andrija Buzina, and the stone pulpit from the 13th century are the oldest monuments in the cathedral. Master Bonino from Milan built the right altar with the late-Gothic canopy in 1427, while the left hand side one of Saint Staso is the work of Juraj Dalmatinac from 1448. The main altar was built in the 17th century, and above it is the Gothic crucifix from the 14th century. The baptistery from the 10th century has engraved figure of an old Croatian ruler. Beside the cathedral is the building with the sacristy and the treasury, as well as the archive of the capitular of Split, in which is the collection of golden objects and ceremonial clothing from the Romanesque, Gothic and baroque times. The base of the bell tower is decorated by two Romanesque lions, and beside them on the wall is the Egyptian sphinx made of black granite in the 15th century BC. Opposite to the mausoleum is the little temple, later turned into the baptistery. To the north from Peristil are Zlatna vrata (Golden Doors). To the right is the palace Papalic from the 15th century, the most important monument from the Gothic times, where today is the city museum. Through the doors one reaches the location where the statue of Grgur of Nin is situated. To the west from Peristil, following the street Kresimirova ulica, one reaches the Iron Doors (Željezna vrata), and to the right of them is the most beautiful baroque palace in Split - palace Cindro (17th century). Above the doors is the little church of Gospa od Zvonika, and its bell-tower, built in 1100 is the oldest Romanesque bell-tower in Dalmatia. On the north side of the square Narodni trg is the preserved city hall (15th century) in which today is the Ethnographic museum. The Renaissance palace Krepic from the 16th century is to the right of the hall, and in the north-eastern part of the square is the baroque palace Tartaglia. The street Subiceva ulica leads to the square Trg brace Radica, in the centre of which is the monument of Marko Marulic. On the southern side is the tower Hrvojeva kula, the remain of the Venetian castle from the 15th century.   In the west part of the town, on the little square, is the monastery and the church of Saint Frano, and beside in the Gothic Klaustar (cloister). On the slopes of Marjan Veli Varos is situated - a thick cluster of streets and picturesque environment. Here is the church of Saint Nikola from the 12th century, and nearby is the parish church of the Holy Cross (Sveti Križ) with the baroque bell-tower. Up the slopes of Marjan is the little church of Saint Nikola from the 13th century, and to the right from it is the Museum of Natural History, and from there the path leads to the top of Marjan. Downhill to the west is the little church of Saint Jerolim (15th century), by which is a former cave. On the little peninsula Sustipan is a graveyard that originattes from the 19th century. The road to the west leads to the little castle (kastelet) of the Mestrovic family, inside which is the chapel with a collection of wooden relieves by Ivan Mestrovic.   In the northern part of the town, on the square Bulatove poljane, is the thermal bath, the bastion wall from the 17th century, the building of the Croatian National Theatre and the church of Gospa od zdravlja with the bell-tower from the 17th century, which originally belonged to an older church. Not far from the Park mladeži (Park of youth) is the pre-Romanesque little church of Holy Trinity (Sveta Trojica) with the ground-plan in the form of a six-foil. Beside the stadium is the monastery in Poljud with the church from the 15th century, in which cloister are the grave-stones of the patrician families of Split.

In the eastern part of the town, on the elevation uzvisina, is the big light-house with a relief. In the street Ulica kralja Zvonimira is the church of Saint Klara with the monastery in which the painted Romanesque crucifix is kept (13th century). On the elevation is the fortress Gripe from the 17th century