Hotels near Salona Ancient Ruins

Salona (modern Solin) was the largest Roman city on the eastern Adriatic and the provincial capital of Dalmatia before Diocletian built his palace at Spalato, today's Split. The site is one of the most substantial archaeological things to do in Split, with around 60 hectares of city walls, an amphitheatre that once seated 18,000, an early Christian basilica complex at Manastirine, and the sarcophagi of the first Christian martyrs of Dalmatia.

The city grew from an Illyrian-Greek trading post in the 1st century BC, peaked in the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD with a population estimated at 60,000, and was sacked by the Avars and Slavs in the 7th century - refugees who fled to Diocletian's empty palace founded medieval Split. Diocletian himself was born here around AD 244. Tickets cost about 5 EUR in 2026 and a small on-site museum opens daily.

Pro Tip: Wear proper shoes - the site is open, exposed, and the stones get scorching in midsummer. Start at the Tusculum visitor centre near the Manastirine cemetery for orientation maps, then walk the perimeter walls counter-clockwise to the amphitheatre. Two hours is enough for a confident overview, three if you want to read every plaque.