Croatia
Split
Away-day guide
unverified draftSplit is a Roman palace with a city grown inside it, a seafront promenade, and one of the great away-day atmospheres in the Adriatic at Hajduk's Poljud. In July and August it is hot, packed with tourists and not as cheap as it used to be — but the ferries, the beaches and the Torcida make it one of the best trips on the qualifying calendar.
🚺 To Stadion Poljud
Poljud is about 2 km north-west of the Old Town — walk along the seafront past the Sustipan headland in around 25 minutes, or take a Promet bus heading that way from the centre. A taxi from the Riva is €6–8.
- Nearest stop
- Poljud bus stops on the approach roads
- Lines
- Promet Split buses towards Poljud / Spinut
- Walk from centre
- 25 min
- Parking
- Very limited around the ground and the streets close before kick-off; leave the car in the centre and walk.
Public transport
You will walk almost everywhere: the Old Town, the Riva and the ferry port are all within ten minutes of each other, and Poljud is a 25-minute stroll along the coast. Promet Split runs the buses — a single is around €1.30–1.50 bought from a kiosk, a bit more from the driver — and that is the whole public network; there is no tram or metro. The other transport that matters is the ferry: Jadrolinija and the catamaran operators run from the central port to Brač, Hvar and Šolta, and a morning on an island is the standard way to fill a matchday.
Typical prices
- Beer (0.5L)
- EUR 3.5
- Coffee
- EUR 2.2
- Meal, mid-range
- EUR 22
- Taxi from airport
- EUR 40
- Single transit ticket
- EUR 1.5
✈ Airports & cheaper alternatives
- Split Airport (Resnik) SPU primary 24 km The airport shuttle bus runs to the central bus station beside the ferry port in about 40 minutes for €8; local bus 37 towards Trogir is cheaper and slower and drops you at the Sukoišan terminus. A taxi is €35–45. Ryanair, easyJet, Jet2 and Wizz all fly here in the summer; the shuttle meets flights, so the transfer is easy at any hour.
- Zadar Airport ZAD alternative 160 km Airport shuttle into Zadar, then a coach down the coast to Split in about two and a half hours (€12–20). A Ryanair base with cheap UK fares. The transfer is straightforward and the coastal drive is spectacular — worth it if the Split fares have gone summer-silly.
🍺 Supporters' pubs
Hajduk Split
Home fans: Hajduk's support is the city itself. On matchday the bars around the Riva and inside the palace fill from early afternoon, and the Torcida gather near Poljud and along the walk up from the centre; the small bars on the streets around the ground are home territory.
Away fans: The Riva, the palace lanes and Bačvice are all mixed and full of tourists, so a visiting group will not stand out. Drink in the centre and walk up to the ground rather than settling in a bar right outside it.
Founded in 1911 and supported with an intensity out of proportion to the city's size; the Torcida, formed in 1950, are Europe's oldest organised supporters' group.
Sourced from supporters' forums — always follow your club's and police advice for the fixture.
Nightlife
The lanes inside Diocletian's Palace are the heart of it, with bars packed into Roman cellars and courtyards — Academia Ghetto Club is the long-standing bohemian one. The Riva is for the evening promenade and an overpriced beer with a view. Bačvice, the beach ten minutes east of the centre, is where the late night happens: a strip of beach clubs that run until the early hours in summer. For a proper drink rather than a cocktail, the bars along Ulica Šperun and the streets behind the Riva are more local and cheaper.
Food & drink
Dalmatian food is grilled fish, black risotto, octopus salad and peka — meat and potatoes slow-cooked under a bell, usually ordered hours in advance. Pašticada, beef in a sweet-sour sauce with gnocchi, is the Sunday dish. Eat in a konoba (tavern) rather than on the Riva, where you pay for the sea view. Drink Karlovačko or Ožujsko, local Dalmatian whites (pošip, grk) at very fair prices, and rakija when it appears. Fritule — small doughnuts — are the street pudding.
Cheap eats & beer
Kantun Paulina near the Old Town is the institution for ćevapi in a somun for a handful of euros; bakeries sell burek and pizza slices for €2–3 all over the centre. The Pazar green market and the fish market are the cheapest lunch in Split. A half-litre of beer is €3–4 in a normal bar and €5-plus on the Riva, so walk one street back from the water. Supermarket beer is around €1.20. Prices in the Old Town roughly double between May and September — the further from the palace you drink, the better.
Staying safe
Split is safe, and the crowds in summer are the main hazard: pickpockets work the palace lanes and the ferry port in high season. The heat is a real risk — July kick-offs come after a day at 33°C, so drink water alongside the beer. Take taxis through Bolt or Uber, both of which operate, rather than the ranks at the port. Hajduk's Torcida are the oldest organised supporters' group in Europe and treat the club very seriously; they are not hostile to visiting fans, but do not wander into their end and do not wear anything that could be read as a provocation.
On matchday
Hajduk play at Poljud, the 1979 shell-shaped ground north-west of the centre — a 25-minute walk along the sea or a short bus ride. The Torcida's north stand is the reason to arrive early; on a big European night it is as good as anything in this part of Europe. Away fans get a segregated section with their own gate and an escort from the centre if numbers are large. Bring the ticket and a passport, expect thorough searches, and note that alcohol is not sold inside. Kick-offs are late in July because of the heat, and the Old Town is still going strong when you get back.
This city guide is still being fact-checked — some details may be inaccurate.