Split Airport to Split Old Town
About 25 km east of SPU; the Platanus shuttle bus (~€8-9) reaches the centre in 30-45 min, with the cheaper bus 37, taxis and transfers as alternatives.
Split Old Town, SplitTatyana Peshkova / Wikimedia, CC BY-SA 4.0Split's old town is built inside and around the walls of Diocletian's Palace, a 1,700-year-old Roman complex that is still a living quarter of cafés, apartments and the Riva waterfront promenade.
Every way to get there
Our verdict: for Split Old Town, a private transfer is the easiest door-to-door option (from €35). Travelling light on a budget? The bus is cheapest (from €8) but slower, with a change in the city.
What it costs for your group
The bus is charged per person, while a taxi or private transfer is one price for the whole car — so the more of you there are, the better door-to-door value looks.
| Group | Bus (per person) | Private transfer | Best value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solo · 1 traveller | €8 | €35 | Bus |
| Couple · 2 travellers | €16 | €35 | Bus |
| Family of 4 · 4 travellers | €32 | €35 | Bus |
Which option should you choose?
| If your priority is… | Our pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Lowest price | Bus | From €3, though slower with a change in the city. |
| Speed & comfort | Private transfer | Door-to-door, fixed price, a driver waiting for you. |
| A group of 3–4 | Transfer or taxi | One flat fare splits cheaper than several bus tickets. |
| A late-night arrival | Transfer or taxi | Both run 24/7 when buses and the tram have stopped. |
By transport mode
Bus / shuttle
Terminates at Split's main bus station, a 5-minute walk from the Riva and palace. This operator replaced Pleso Prijevoz in February 2026, so older signage may still say Pleso.
Where to catch it: Marked shuttle bay directly outside the terminal exit; buy tickets from the driver, the airport desk or in advance at ticket.platanus.hr.
Best for solo & budget travellersBus / shuttle
The local Trogir–Split line. Cheapest way in, but it stops through the Kaštela suburbs and ends at Sukoišan/HŽ station — a 15-20 min walk or a short taxi from the old town.
Where to catch it: Cross the car park to the main-road stop (signposted, opposite the terminal). Pay the driver or use the Promet Split app.
Best for solo & budget travellersTaxi
Usually cheaper and clearer than a street taxi. Surge pricing pushes fares higher on peak summer afternoons.
Where to catch it: Request from the app and meet at the designated ride-hail pickup point in the airport car park.
Best for small groups in a hurryTaxi
Metered but rates vary between drivers — agree an estimate before you set off. Bolt tends to undercut the rank for the same run.
Where to catch it: Taxi rank immediately outside arrivals.
Best for small groups in a hurryPrivate transfer
The price is locked when you book and the driver tracks your flight — handy because many old-town apartments sit on lanes closed to through traffic, and the driver knows the nearest drop point.
Where to catch it: Driver waits in the arrivals hall and helps with bags.
Best for families, groups & late arrivalsCar rental
Per-day rate. Worth it only if you plan day trips — old-town Split is largely pedestrian and parking near the centre is scarce and pricey.
Where to catch it: Rental desks are in the terminal; cars are in the adjacent lot.
Best for travellers who want to exploreSplit Old Town & Split in photos
Buying tickets in Split
Croatia uses the euro. City bus line 37 (Trogir-Split) stops on the main road near the airport and reaches central Split in about 55-60 minutes for roughly €3, paid in cash to the driver, with limited luggage space. Faster is the official Platanus airport shuttle to the city bus/ferry terminal, bookable at the counter or online (Pleso Transport stopped serving Split in early 2026). Have euros ready for the local bus, as the driver sells tickets onboard for cash only.
Taxi scams & safety in Split
Use the official taxi rank; metered fares to the centre usually run about €25-35, but confirm the meter is running or agree the price before departing to avoid an inflated flat quote. Decline drivers soliciting inside the terminal. Croatia allows ride-hailing, so Uber and Bolt operate at Split Airport, with pickup in the parking area in front of the terminal and typical fares around €25-40, often giving a clearer upfront price than a rank taxi. Watch for added luggage fees.
Getting from SPU to Split Old Town
Split's old town is not a district next to some Roman ruins — it is the Roman ruins. The lanes you will be dragging your bag through are the corridors of Diocletian's Palace, a 1,700-year-old complex that never stopped being lived in, so cafés, apartments and the Riva waterfront all sit inside or against the ancient walls. That single fact settles most of the airport-transport question before you even start. The old town is roughly 25 km east of Split Airport, but the last few hundred metres are car-free: vehicles stop at the edge of the pedestrian zone no matter what you paid to get there. So the real decision is not how fast you cross the 25 km, it is how close to the palace gates your ride can legally set you down. The official Platanus shuttle answers that better than almost anything with four wheels.
The Platanus shuttle ends a five-minute walk from the palace gates
The airport shuttle runs to Split's main bus station, which shares the same stretch of waterfront as the Riva and the southern wall of the palace — call it a five-minute walk with your case, mostly flat, no stairs into the old core. The operator is now Platanus, which took over from Pleso Prijevoz in February 2026, so if you spot older signage or a booking page still saying "Pleso," it is the same service. Fares run about €8-9. The shuttle bay is marked directly outside the terminal exit, and buses leave roughly every 30 minutes after each arrival, all day, so you rarely wait long. You can pay the driver, buy at the airport desk, or book ahead at ticket.platanus.hr if you would rather not fumble for coins. For a first-time arrival heading straight into the palace, this is the cleanest match between where the bus stops and where you actually want to be.
Bus 37 is cheaper, but Sukoišan is not the old town
If you are counting every euro, the local Promet Split bus 37 costs only around €3-4. It is the Trogir–Split line, so it does not care about your holiday: it threads through the Kaštela suburbs, takes closer to 55 minutes, and ends at the Sukoišan / HŽ station rather than the waterfront. From there you face a 15-20 minute walk to the palace or a short taxi to finish the job. Buses come every 20-40 minutes in the daytime and thin right out on Sundays. Catch it at the main-road stop across the car park from the terminal — it is signposted — and pay the driver or use the Promet Split app. Reckon on this one if your luggage is light, your budget is tight, and you are not landing late on a Sunday. Otherwise the extra few euros for the Platanus shuttle buys you a shorter trip and a doorstep finish.
Bolt, the rank, and why the drop-off is the same either way
Want a door you step out of rather than a stop you walk from? A ride-hail car through Bolt or Uber runs about €20-35 and takes roughly half an hour; request it from the app and meet at the marked ride-hail point in the car park. Fares climb on peak summer afternoons when surge kicks in, so a midday August arrival can cost more than the range suggests. The airport taxi rank sits right outside arrivals and is the more expensive option at around €30-50 — metered, but rates vary between drivers, so agree an estimate before you pull away. In practice Bolt tends to undercut the rank for the identical run. Just remember the catch that applies to every car: none of them can enter the palace. Your driver drops you at the nearest edge of the pedestrian zone, and you walk the last stretch on foot — which is exactly what the shuttle passengers are doing too, only they paid a fraction of the price.
A pre-booked driver earns its keep when your apartment is on a closed lane
The one situation where paying more genuinely pays off is a booked private transfer, roughly €35-45 with firms like Welcome Pickups or local Split operators. The driver waits in the arrivals hall, helps with the bags, and tracks your flight so a delay does not strand you. The reason it fits this particular route: a lot of old-town apartments sit on narrow lanes closed to through traffic, and a driver who knows Split will take you to the nearest legal drop point rather than leaving you to work out the maze yourself. The price is locked when you book, so no surge surprises. As for renting a car (around €30-55 a day), skip it unless you are planning day trips to Trogir or Krka — inside the old town you will not drive anywhere, and parking near the centre is both scarce and pricey.
Short version: for most people arriving to explore the palace, take the Platanus shuttle, walk the five minutes from the bus station, and put the saved cash toward a coffee on the Riva. Save the private driver for the days your apartment hides down a lane a taxi cannot reach.
