Why should I go? Because there’s so much or, if you’d rather (this being the Mediterranean), so little to do. Such history, presented so compactly on a peninsula in Croatia – with sun and a handy wine bar or cafe at every turn. Many centuries ago, the Roman emperor Diocletian (AD245313) quit and retired to Split (previously named Spalatum, after aspalathos, the thorny Spanish broom rife in parts of Dalmatia.) His rambling palace still commands the port like a walled old city, medieval upon Roman.

It’s a real (cruise) crowd-puller: a wormy pattern of living ruins redolent of an older, smaller Venice (which once ruled it): glassless windows sport weedy brows; laundry flaps artfully; barley-twist gothic adornments enliven facades; and corinthian columns crumble from walls. Beyond, tall palms and cafes line the gusty Riva waterfront, where days are measured out in a leisurely manner, in white wine, coffee and cat yawns. If any cultural city in the Med can be ticked off quickly, then relaxed into and really enjoyed, this is it.

What do I do? Diocletian’s Palace. It’s navigable in a day, with 3,000-odd residents inside its flanks – the ancient cocooning walls form the interiors of diminutive homes and shops. See the 13th-century oak doors of the Cathedral of St Domnius, depicting dramatic scenes of Christ’s life. Look up within and there’s a fine, if age-worn, likeness of Diocletian himself. Time for a quick coffee outside at the Café Luxor, which occupies a spreading peristyle speckled with geraniums: on the limestone steps are cushions to collapse on. Head on to the Temple of Jupiter and your gaze is met by 4th-century faces gaping wide-mouthed from the heights. Then, if you only do one church in Split, make it St Martin’s – a miraculous little place of worship wedged secretly in the city’s walls at Majstora Jurja 17.

Split was made for aimlessness: a left turn may lead to a hobbity front door and a dead end, but, backtracking, you’ll emerge into a cafe-filled piazzetta, your cue for a Karlovacko lager – with its crisp, thirst-slaking powers, it’s a daily essential. Board the Jadrolinija car ferry for the breezy 50-minute voyage to the island of Brac (www.jadrolinija.hr; £2.15 each way). Disembark for lunch in the Riviera-glam port of Supetar (see Where do I eat?), then bus or cab it to the tapering, bleached beach at Bol, 40 minutes south – you may have seen its white pebbles in brochures. It’s a beauty, with shallows the barely-there blue of a paintbrush swirled in a jam jar.

Where do I stay? Le Meridien Lav (00 385-21 500 500, www.lemeridien.com; doubles from £210) is the luxury one: well out of the centre, but business-smart, with a low-chaired champagne bar, Diocletian spa and a cool waterfront pool. Inside the palace, the Hotel Vestibul Palace (21 329 329, www.vestibulpalace.com; doubles from £114) is dead clean and lean, with repro Le Corbusier chairs and designer-sexy rooms bearing chunks of the 1,700-year-old walls (ask for room 3, 4 or 6). The Hotel Bellevue (21 345 644, www.hotel-bellevue-split.hr; doubles from £72.50) is a fusty hoot: grand, flock-wallpapered, and furnished with what looks like granny’s hand-me-downs. The Hotel Peristil (21 329 070, www.hotelperistil.com; doubles from £109), wedged into the perimeter walls, is central, clean and friendly, with a snug breakfast terrace.

Where do I eat? At fashionable Spalatum in Le Meridien Lav (see Where do I stay?). Executive chef Rafael Peterkovic gives great gourmet – try the veal medallions; mains from £14. For a lazy lunch, go alfresco at Restaurant Koralj (Uvala Baluni; 21 398 568), where yachts creak at their moorings. The £4 risotto with succulent squid is a tour de force. Owned and run by a benign professor, Sperun (Sperun 3; 21 346 999; mains from £7) is a family favourite and a good bet for a fish dinner. On Brac, make for Bistro Palute (21 631 730; mains from £9), on the quayside in Supetar, for huge portions and satisfying french fries.

How do I get there? Fly to Split with Croatia Airlines (020 8563 0022, www.croatiaairlines.hr) from Heathrow and Gatwick, from £143. Alternatively, British Airways (0870 850 9850, www.ba.com) and EasyJet (www.easyjet.com) fly from Gatwick; Wizz Air (www.wizzair.com) flies from Luton; and Flybe (0871 522 6100, www.flybe.com) flies from Birmingham. For more information, contact the Croatian National Tourist Office (020 8563 7979, www.croatia.hr ).

Nick Redman was a guest of Le Meridien Lav, Split, and Croatia Airlines

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