Marjan forest park Split - location, price, and things to do

The green oasis of Split, Marjan forest park, is one of the most beautiful places to visit in the town known for its Diocletian's Palace. The numerous visitors of Split climb Marjan and enjoy its nature, peacefulness, and mystery. Being the former residence of monks, Marjan is today's top place for recreation and vacation for many locals and foreigners.

Table of Contents

1. Marjan forest park location
2. Marjan forest park price
3. Things to do in Marjan forest park

Marjan forest park location

Marjan is located in the western part of the town, in the vicinity of the centre and Riva. The easiest way to approach the forest park is by using stairs (called Marjan Stairs) located near Riva, next to the monastery and the church of St. Francis.
The other entrance is called Spinut Door (Spinutska Vrata), and it is located on the street Šetalište Marina Tartaglie.
The third option is Šetalište Ivana Meštrovića, a street that can be reached by walking western of the Riva.

Marjan forest park price

Entrance to Marjan forest park is free. All the facilities of the park are publicly available to everyone and are free of charge.

Things to do in Marjan forest park

The first thing we would like to mention is cycling. Marjan is perfect for all those who love recreation on two wheels, whether it is mountain biking or road cycling.

If you enjoy road cycling and you are ready for some upwards riding, I recommend taking a ride on the street called Marangunićevo Šetalište. You can approach the street from the southwest side of the park. If you want to reach the top of the hill, you need to turn into Marjanski Put street at the crossroad. Total riding time is less than an hour.
If you are a mountain biker, you can choose from hundreds of forest trails located in the park.

For those who want to visit the park on foot, we recommend taking the so-called "Marjan Stairs" located next to the monastery of St. Francis on Riva. It will take you half an hour to reach the top of the hill. After a few minutes of walking, at the first Marjan viewpoint called Vidilica, you can drink coffee in a bar while enjoying the beautiful view of the city of Split.
At the top of Marjan hill called Telegrin, there is a cross which was built in 2013. The height of the cross is 13 meters.

Marjan is ideal for those who like walking or running as well. For that purpose, we recommend entering the park at the location called Spinut Door (Spinutska Vrata) in the street Šetalište Marina Tartagile. The trail, which is around two kilometres long, has a section for cyclists, and a section for walkers and runners. Inside the park, there is outdoor exercise equipment as well.

The top cultural attractions of Marjan are churches, mostly located on a street called Marangunićevo šetalište, on the south side of the park.
Church of St. Nicholas is an interesting gothic architectural work which you can see a hundred metres away from Vidilica, towards the top of the hill.

The church called Bethlehem is another gothic achievement from the 14th century, located on the south side of the hill.

A hundred meters downhill there is a church of St. Jerome with a Renaissance hermitage built in the 15th century.

As you can see, churches give additional value and mystique to Marjan, which is already amazing in itself.

Marjan is ideal for swimming as well. If you look for an intimate beach, there are kilometres of rocky coast at the foot of the hill. If you want a concrete beach, you can visit Bene, a beach which is located on the northwest side of the park. Lastly, if you want a pebble beach, take Kasjuni or Obojena Svjetlost, beaches located on the south side of the park.

Split Zoo is located inside the forest park, on the way to the peak of Marjan hill.
Although the exhibition of animals in the zoo is not that rich, it is worth spending an hour or so to see and find out more about animals typical for Mediterranean villages and culture.
The most featured animal in the zoo is a Dalmatian donkey, which takes an essential place in traditional agriculture and livestock breeding in Mediterranean villages.
The ticket price for Split zoo is 3 euros per adult person.