Things to do in Central Dalmatia, Dalmatia: The Best Art Museums

Reviewed By IN_Travelers47906 - West Lafayette, United States

Before going, you want to check to make sure the gallery will be open. If you walk, you will probably need 45-50 minutes to reach the Gallery from Diocletian’s Palace (as an example of a starting point). It is a pleasant walk, although slightly uphill at the end. If the temperature and humidity are oppressive you may want to consider public transportation. I am no help there, since I walked in May when the weather was very pleasant. However, you get there, if you appreciate art and artists, the trip will be well worth your time. His work (mostly bronze and marble statues) is remarkable. You can anticipate perhaps 1 hour in the gallery. After that you will want to take the 10-minute walk down and across the road to visit his chapel, which includes a lovely courtyard and large wood bas-relief carvings Mestrovic created to line the walls of his chapel. The walk to the chapel and your time there will probably take around 45 minutes total. So, with the walk to the gallery, time at the gallery and time at the chapel, you can probably count on 3 hours total. If you are adventuresome, we followed the shoreline from the chapel back into Split. It was about an hour walk back, but it was a pleasant surprise on a beautiful day. The path first passes through a small park with a public ocean swimming area, then past an Olympic swimming facility, through more park and then to the Split Marina. The views of Split from the marina are spectacular. I honestly had never heard of Ivan Meštrović prior to our 3-week trip through Croatia, but, having now been there, I have a true appreciation for the man’s art and his importance to the country of Croatia. Although the Gallery and Chapel are the places to see the largest collections of his work, other works are literally found throughout the country. So, if you plan to travel elsewhere in Croatia beyond Split, stay alert for his name and his works.