Autumn in Split

With lazing at the beach no longer an option, you'll need somewhere else to wile away your days. Re-opened in 2009 in a converted hospital, the Split Gallery of Fine Arts is home to one of the finest collections of modern and contemporary Croatian art in the country. Founded in 1931, the gallery originally comprised some 500 works, 300 of which were on display at its original base on Lovretska. The gallery now holds some 3,500 pieces, including some by Dürer and Venetian Masters from as far back as the 14th century – but it’s the modern, Croatian, works that have made the gallery its name. These range from paintings by Vlaho Bukovac to sculptures by Ivan Meštrović, and then there’s Edo Murtić’s abstract Sky Over New York from the early 1950s. Works in video and new media are also included, lending a contemporary touch and underlining the gallery’s position at the cultural forefront.

Split's recent gastro revolution hasn't turfed out traditional eateries, so the dining scene here is a winning mix of traditional cuisine and newer, hipper food joints, Try the gregada, a local fish stew, best slurped up at Konoba Hvaranin. 

The Diocletian’s Palace is the perfect backdrop for Croatia’s best bar crawl, a night of revelry in the secret alleyways and hidden corners of this atmospheric ruin overlooking the seafront. Certain bars stand out amid the blur – though whether you’ll be able to find them the next night is another matter. In fact, retracting your footsteps, or trying to, is half the fun. In any case, do look out for Charlie's Bar, Kavana Ovčice, Gaga, and the long-established Academia Ghetto Club. If you just want to sit down for ten minutes and observe, then the little hub on Majstora Jurja containing Teak and Na Kantunu should do nicely.

Cooler evenings call for culture - although Split doesn’t have an opera house per se, the eclectic, high-brow agenda at the Croatian National Theatre (‘HNK’) includes opera as well as ballet and local-language theatre over the length of the cultural season between September and June. The building itself is a landmark – the national theatres here and in Zagreb played a vital role in the development and promotion of the Croatian language before the country gained any kind of independence. Thus it is with great pride that citizens attend performances here, dressed accordingly, and so creating a real sense of occasion. The venue is a pleasant stroll along pedestrianised Marmontova, with plenty of spots nearby for a pre-show meal or drink. During the summer, the HNK hosts the Split Summer Festival, which also includes crowd-pleaseing opera outdoor performances at Peristil in the Roman Palace.

Croatia’s greatest sculptor spent many years in Split, where his villa and studio have since been converted into two major attractions: the Mestrovic Gallery and Kaštelet. The former shows the range of his works, the latter, his remarkable 28-piece work of wooden reliefs depicting the life of Christ. All is set on a leafy boulevard overlooking the seafront,beneath Marjan hill. Nearer to town, you’ll find the sculptor’s works around the Diocletian Palace: his statue of Grgur Ninski next to the Golden Gate and another of Renaissance writer Marko Marulić at Voćni trg.

Surrounded by some of Croatia's best-known beauties, Split's an excellent base for exploring Central Dalmatia. Hvar, Brac, and Lastovo are short ferry rides away. Though they're at their travel-agent-catalogue-picture best in summer, you can now enjoy their old towns and natural wonders without elbowing crowds out of the way. The nearby Krka National Park, a miraculously stunning national park, is no less awe-inspiring without the summer heat.