The Christmas Fair on the Split Riva

(all photos by Jakov Prkic)

The stunning December weather has been the icing on the cake for what has been a very successful 2013 for Split tourism. Some hardy souls are jumping around in the Adriatic playing picigin, but the saner part of the population has plenty to enjoy outdoors without getting too cold.

One great addition to the recent Split events calendar has been the introduction of the Christmas fair on Riva, which has really brought the waterfront to life. The various small blue and white cottages, offering drinks, food and souvenirs, have been doing a brisk trade since they opened a few weeks ago.

From morning coffee to early evening entertainment, music later on or a very late night drink, the fair has been an excellent addition to the December atmosphere in Split. And to think that people are flying to snow-covered Egypt in search of late season sun and fun... 

Central Dalmatia Tourist Board Releases New Promotional Video

The Central Dalmatia Tourist Board is delighted to release its latest promotional video, showing off the incredible beauty and diversity of this fantastic region.

The question is simple: What is Central Dalmatia? The answer? Well to get to that, sit back and relax and take a tour of what awaits you in 2014...

A Christmas Fair to Bring Festive Cheer on Split Riva

With the Christmas festive season soon upon us, the Split Tourist Board has announced that last year's very successful Christmas Fair will be repeated once more this year.

The popular Riva promenade in front of Diocletian's Palace will assume a festive look from November 30, as some 30 white cottages will be erected and remain there until January 10 next year, filled with food, drink music and souvenirs.

The fair will be opened by Split mayor Ivo Baldasar on November 30.

Split Cruise Tourism Breaks 200,000 Passengers for 2013

The 2013 tourist season in Central Dalmatia has been an unqualified success, with significant increases in flights, visiting tourists and overnight stays, and all the signs are that 2014 is going to be another great year.

One area where there has been a major increase is in cruise tourism, which has played its part in helping to prolong the season in Split.

The final large cruise ship off the season, the 1,000 passenger Splendour of the Seas, arrived in Split on November 17, and its passengers were among the more than 200,000 cruise passengers who visited the Dalmatian capital in 2013. This number is well below the million visitors to Dubrovnik, which shows the growth potential of cruise tourism, a growth in Split which will be further facilitated by work in the harbour of Split, which will allow for docking of ships up to 300 metres in length.

Picigin, the First Beach Sport to Become Cultural Heritage

Cental Dalmatia may be popular because of its excellent beaches, but it also has an astonishing amount of cultural heritage to be explored. But until now, beach and cultural heritage have not mixed.

Meet picigin, the world's first beach sport to achieve cultural heritage status. The Ministry of Culture has included picigin on its list of protected cultural goods, as a non-material heritage.

Tourists visiting Split will have seen the strange spectacle of fully grown adults throwing themselves full stretch in the shallow waters of Bacvice in desperate attempts to keep a small ball in the air. The game picigin started at Bacvice almost 100 years ago, and now has its own world championships, held each year in Split.

To get a flavour of the sport, check out the video below, and don't be afraid to ask to join in a game next time you are at Bacvice. 

Historic Trogir in 2014: Medieval Battle World Championship Comes to Trogir

Visitors to Trogir in June next year will have the opportunity to see the UNESCO town's heritage relived in all its glory, as the historic town welcomes the Historical Medieval "Battle of the Nations" World Championship from June 12-15. Trogir will be reverting to the past, as international teams of Medieval fighters descend on the Dalmatian coast to do battle to become world champions for the fifth year of the event. More info on the event from the official Facebook page below.

WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP on Historical Medieval Battle “Battle of the Nations”

The concept of “Battle of the Nations” differs from everything that existed earlier – there is nothing remotely the same in the world. On the championship you can see mass full-contact battles between national teams of fighters. They create a new history, a history of the new victories and heroic deeds!

Every year the quantity of teams taking part in the championship "Battle of the Nations" grows. These men practice medieval full-contact fights and gather every year in the medieval castles of the X-XVIII cent. Hundreds of medieval historical reenactment clubs are involved, and the teams challenge each other in fierce battles, pulling themselves into the times of armour, courage and heroes.

First two years the championship was held in Khotyn fortress (Chernivtsi region, Ukraine). In 2012, the "Battle of the Nations" was held in Warsaw (Poland) and brought together 12 national teams. In 2013, IVth WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP "Battle of the Nations" will be held on May 9-12 in a city Aigues Mortes, which is in the region of Languedoc-Roussillon in the south of France. This year, the championship will be attended by 22 national teams!



The memories of the olds live at Aigues Mortes fortress again – real martial encampments, customs and everyday life of the Middle Ages, authentic medieval arms and armour made by modern craftsmen, historical costumes and other medieval attributes. Real victories and defeats, no staged battles, no scripts and no theatre sketches! You can see only full contact – sparks of steel, crackle of shields and glittering swords – and the adrenaline will rush!

The atmosphere of the struggle, spirit of the Middle Ages and action on the battleground will leave no one indifferent. There will be various cultural and sport activities, original master classes of medieval arms and armor manufacturing, medieval martial arts, courses in medieval dancing, archery, competitions and concerts, as well as fire-shows and theatrical performances. The festival activities are intended to recall a lively interest in medieval martial art and to revive interest and excitement in a unique and new kind of sport.


See how the air sparkles with tension when armies clash on the battlefield. Feel the energy of medieval battles! Support your national team on the battlefield!

Croatia in top 3 European destinations, say Guardian readers

After a lull in visits due to regional conflict in the 1990s, it would seem that British tourist interest in Croatia is back, with the results of the Guardian and Observer Readers Travel Awards 2013 - published online on November 11, 2013 - the latest confirmation of the increased travel from the UK.

Prior to the war in former Yugoslavia, British tourists came to the Yugoslav - primarily Croatian - coast in their droves, some 440,000 of them annually, making it the second most popular destination after Spain.

War in the region, coupled with the emergence of other affordable sun destinations, such as Egypt, Turkey and Greece, made it harder for Croatia to regain its market share, but the progress the country's tourism chiefs has made in recent years has been commendable, with the latest endorsement from Guardian readers yesterday.

In the awards, Croatia was named third favourite country behind Austria and Sweden, and ahead of Turkey and Switzerland.

The vote is mirrored by a marked increase in British visitors to the Adriatic coast. As Digital Journal has previously reported, there was a 24% increase in British visitors in the first 8 months of the year, compared to the corresponding period in 2012.

More than 500,000 British visitors are expected in 2014, up from the peak numbers in the 1980s.