Most people that visit Split tend to stick to the old town or the nearby beaches, but it’s worth paying a visit to Marjan Hill in Croatia. Here you can find hermitage caves from the 15th century, quaint old churches, a Jewish cemetery, as well as beautiful landscapes of cliffs, forests and sea. You can also go rock climbing and abseiling.
The Hermitage Caves on Marjan Hill are built into the cliffs on the southern side of the hill just behind St. Jerome Church. It’s just over a 3 km walk from the Riva.
The altar at St. Jerome Church was carved by Andrea Aleksi, an Albanian architect, painter and sculptor that was well known during the Dalmatian Renaissance period.
The closest caves to the church have steps leading up to the door. You can’t enter though, as the door is locked.
The area around the caves is well looked after, so it’s easy to get to and makes a nice break from the city.
The caves shown above are right next to the church, but there are other caves further along.
Can you spot the rock climber on the left in the image above?
This is a popular place for rock climbing and abseiling. There were four people climbing up the cliff face when we were there.
Marjan Hill has only become popular during the last 50 years, and many locals visit for a day out, for a picnic or to exercise.
The people that we saw rock climbing didn’t seem to be part of an organized group, so I’m not sure if that’s something that is available or not.
If you’re planning to spend some time in Split, Marjan Hill is well worth a visit. It’s a great part of the city and has some awesome views looking out over the old town and the sea.
As mentioned above, the hermitage caves are around 3 kms from the Riva. Here’s how to get there.
How To Get To The Hermitage Caves
If you start from the Riva, just head for the Church of Saint Francis and take the road to the right of it. Just follow this road up the hill and you’ll come to the look-out point, from where the photo above was taken from.
There’s a cafe next to the look-out area that’s open during high season. It’s a great place to stop for a coffee and take in the awesome views.
Keep walking up the hill and you’ll come to St. Nicholas Church. This was built in the 13th century. St Nicholas is a favorite saint among fishermen.
Keep following the path for around 2 kms and you’ll come to a paved road. You need to turn left at this point. Just look for the wooden signs shown above.
A few hundred meters further ahead you’ll come to a very sharp bend in the road and will see steps leading down to St. Jerome Church. The hermitage caves and next to the church
Jewish Cemetery in Split, Croatia
Next to the look-out point mentioned earlier, there is Jewish Cemetery that dates from 1573. There are over 700 graves, with the last burial taking place in 1945.
The cemetery is now closed and is a protected monument. We saw a woman from the cafe open the gates for two people, but I’m not sure if anyone can gain access or whether you need special permission.
Where To Stay In Split, Croatia
Two great studio apartments that we stayed in ourselves are Divota Apartment Hotel and Dosud Apartments. Here’s a photo of the outside of the Divota Apartment Hote, which was especially quaint.
We can personally recommend both of these. For over 1,000 other apartments and hotels in Split, visit Agoda Split.
