Climbing the Bell Tower in the Medieval City of Trogir

What a fun day! I took a bus to an ancient city up the coast from Split, called Trogir. The city encompasses a small island and is sandwiched in between the mainland of Croatia and the Island of Ciovo. One of the main sights to see is the Cathedral of St. Lawrence and climbing the bell tower in the medieval city of Trogir was the highlight of my day.

Getting There

Super easy if you are in the city of Split. I walked about 8 minutes to a bus station and took bus number 37 all the way to Trogir which is the last stop. The cost was €4 each way. The ride is one hour long. This is the same bus you can take to reach the airport.

Cathedral of St. Lawrence

In the ancient city of Trogir, dating back 2,300 years, there are 10 churches. The largest is the Cathedral of St. Lawrence. Construction began in 1193 and didn’t finish until 1500. The bell tower was added in 1420 and is the tallest building in Trogir.

Approaching the cathedral, I was completely overwhelmed by the main doorway or porta. The intricate and hugely carved marble doorway is so incredibly beautiful. I stood there for I don’t know how long, trying to absorb what I was seeing. It is a stunning sight and one of my favourite parts of the day.

Inside the cathedral it is quite dim. The entire building is made of stone and does not contain a lot of ornamentation on the walls themselves, however there is a lot to see.

There are several naves off to the sides which house smaller altars and paintings.

The main altar is quite grand and also made of stone and marble, dating from the 14^th century.

I was free to take photographs of everything except the treasury. Inside this special room, cases were filled with ornate and ancient silver artifacts. It was incredible to see these amazing relics. The centuries old textiles and bead-work were astounding.

Bell Tower

Now to the fun part! Off to one side inside the church, is a small doorway. There is a warning sign that says you are entering the bell tower at your own risk. The first staircase is a tiny stone spiral case that took me onto the roof of the church.

Across the roof, and around a dome, I entered into the bell tower itself. Oh wow, it is amazing. Climbing another staircase around the walls, you make your way up to a landing just below the bells.

Its is fairly windy up here and you are visiting with the pigeons. 😂

The remainder of the climb is up a very narrow and steep metal ladder. If you can climb that, you enter through a hole and tada!! You are standing just below the massive brass bells! It is so windy but absolutely breathtaking!