Substructures of Diocletian's Palace

What it is

The substructures (Podrumi) are the great vaulted halls that support the southern half of Diocletian's Palace. The emperor had it built between 295 and 305 as a fortified and luxurious residence: the northern half was for the troops and servants, and the southern for his apartments and temples. As the ground fell away in rock towards the sea, the architects built beneath it a level of halls to level it, support the imperial rooms and protect them from damp.

Above, centuries of building erased Diocletian's apartments: the city of Split grew over them. Below, by contrast, the halls repeat the exact plan of the rooms that stood above. That is why they are visited: it is the most faithful way to see what the emperor's house was like. From the Middle Ages they gradually filled with rubbish and rubble; the western halls were opened to the public in 1959 and the eastern ones, after a long restoration, in 1996. The palace has been a World Heritage site since 1979.

What you see

You enter by the Bronze Gate, the palace's south gate, which opened directly onto the sea and today opens onto the Riva. The central passage, which leads in a straight line to the stairs of the Peristyle, is free to walk and full of craft stalls. The paid visit is the side halls, to the left and right: great naves of stone and brick, with pillars and vaults. The plan of each hall coincides with that of the room above, so as you walk through them you walk through the layout of the imperial dwelling.

Hours

The Split City Museum, which runs the substructures, opens on winter hours, from 1 November 2026 to 28 March 2027, every day from 9:00 to 17:00. It closes on 18 November, 25 and 26 December, 1 and 6 January and 28 March. The last entry is half an hour before closing. In summer the hours are longer: check the museum website (mgs.hr) before going.

Price

• General admission: €10.
• Students and Split Tourist Card holders: €8.
• Families (parents with children under 15): €18.
• Under-7s: free.

Outside opening hours and on holidays, special visits cost more. For groups there is a 45-minute guided visit for €50.

How long

30 to 45 minutes for the halls. If you leave by the central passage to the Peristyle, you go straight on to the cathedral and bell tower.

Getting there

They are in the old town: the entrance is by the Bronze Gate, in the middle of the Riva (Obala Hrvatskog narodnog preporoda 1). The centre is pedestrian; if you come by car, see where to park outside the centre.

With children

Older children like it for the size of the halls and the coolness inside in summer. The floor is ancient stone: closed shoes are better than flip-flops. Under-7s do not pay, and the family ticket is worthwhile from two children.

When to go

First thing or last thing. Mid-morning the cruise groups and the palace's guided tours coincide. In summer it is a good refuge from the midday heat.

Where Daenerys kept her dragons

According to the Croatian tourist office, these halls stood in for the inside of Meereen in Game of Thrones: here Daenerys locked up and trained her dragons. The vaults are the same ones you visit with the ticket; nothing of the filming remains. Come first thing if you want the hall empty for the photo.