Inside this huge and amazing natural space is a myriad of hiking trails that I plan to explore in the coming weeks. To get a feel for the size of this park though, I thought I would try walking the Marjan Forest Park loop. It is a 5 kilometre walk around the perimeter, and took me just over two hours at a somewhat brisk pace.
Entry
I entered the park from the Riva Waterfront just past old town in Split, on a road named Ivana Mestrovica. There is in fact a main entrance on the opposite side of the park with an enormous metal gate and guard post called Spinut Door. That road is called Marina Tartaglie and is where you can park should you have a vehicle.
At that main entry, there are no vehicles allowed past the gate. So even though the perimeter road circles around the park, public vehicles are only allowed basically on one side, the south side.
The Loop
So, this route is very easy, no getting lost, which is good for me, lol. I could quite simply follow the road around the entire park almost in a circle. This particular roadway is close to the water, yet up a substantial embankment for most of the way on the south side. The views are amazing. Today it was overcast but not cold, so the skies were white, but on a sunny day, you would be afforded magnificent views.
The south side of Marjan Park is the side with the enormous cliffs rising high above the roadway. This is an area for free climbing and also has an interesting history of churches and hermits. Iโll go into that in another post.
The South Side
Walking the south side, I was on an actual roadway for all of the walk. There was not much traffic, but I had to stay alert. There is no sidewalk for most of the way. The roadside scenery is utterly charming, with farms fields of vegetables, olive, citrus and fig trees and old stone houses. To say it was picturesque was an understatement.
The Point
At the tip of the peninsula, the roadway comes to an abrupt corner. This is as far as vehicles can travel on this public road. You will be stopped at a manned gate. Right here, I was able to walk down to the water where there is a lovely small beach.
Down near the water is St. George church built in the 9th century, and the Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries building. A few private houses are also located here, hence the need for the public road to reach this far point.
The North Side
The entire north side of this walk is under a lush pine forest heavily protected by the City of Split. There are no vehicles on this entire length of road. The paved walkway is divided equally between bicycle lanes and walking lanes. This roadway is down near the water and there is beach front access available almost the entire way.
I can tell this is a very popular place in the hot summer months. Inside this parcel of the park, it is incredibly beautiful. The smell of clean fresh air combined with new growth is enchanting. The floor is carpeted with wildflowers and the blue sea water glistens in the light, even on a cloudy day.
Iโm fairly certain this is the cleanest park I have ever step foot in. It was immaculate. There are showers and change stalls at the beaches. Benches line the paths at regular intervals and even water fountains are available.
The North side road will take you all the way to the main gate and which point you are officially outside of the park boundaries. Walking this park, I was continually awed by the beauty surrounding me. I highly recommend spending lots of time exploring this vast area of natural wilderness. The City of Split has done an incredible job of maintaining this preserve.
