Aboard Silver Whisper with Silversea
Cruise Overview
Split's ancient core is so spectacular and unusual that a visit is more than worth your time.
The heart of the city lies within the walls of Roman emperor Diocletian's retirement palace, which was built in the 3rd century AD.
Diocletian, born in the nearby Roman settlement of Salona in AD 245, achieved a brilliant career as a soldier and became emperor at the age of 40.
In 295 he ordered this vast palace to be built in his native Dalmatia, and when it was completed he stepped down from the throne and retired to his beloved homeland.
Upon his death, he was laid to rest in an octagonal mausoleum, around which Split's magnificent cathedral was built.In 615, when Salona was sacked by barbarian tribes, those fortunate enough to escape found refuge within the stout palace walls and divided up the vast imperial apartments into more modest living quarters.
Thus, the palace developed into an urban center, and by the 11th century the settlement had expanded beyond the ancient walls.Under the rule of Venice (1420–1797), Split—as a gateway to the Balkan interior—became one of the Adriatic's main trading ports, and the city's splendid Renaissance palaces bear witness to the affluence of those times.
When the Habsburgs took control during the 19th century, an overland connection to Central Europe was established by the construction of the Split–Zagreb–Vienna railway line.After World War II, the Tito years saw a period of rapid urban expansion: industrialization accelerated and the suburbs extended to accommodate high-rise apartment blocks.
Today the historic center of Split is included on UNESCO's list of World Heritage Sites.
Dalmatia's capital for more than 1,000 years, Zadar is all too often passed over by travelers on their way to Split or Dubrovnik.
What they miss out on is a city of more than 73,000 that is remarkably lovely and lively despite—and, in some measure, because of—its tumultuous history.
The Old Town, separated from the rest of the city on a peninsula some 4 km (2½ miles) long and just 1,640 feet wide, is bustling and beautiful: the marble pedestrian streets are replete with Roman ruins, medieval churches, palaces, museums, archives, and libraries.
Parts of the new town are comparatively dreary, a testament to what a world war followed by decades of communism, not to mention a civil war, can do to the architecture of a city that is 3,000 years old.
A settlement had already existed on the site of the present-day city for some 2,000 years when Rome finally conquered Zadar in the 1st century BC; the foundations of the forum can be seen today.
Before the Romans came the Liburnians had made it a key center for trade with the Greeks and Romans for 800 years.
In the 3rd century BC the Romans began to seriously pester the Liburnians, but required two centuries to bring the area under their control.
During the Byzantine era, Zadar became the capital of Dalmatia, and this period saw the construction of its most famous church, the 9th-century St.
Donat's Basilica.
It remained the region's foremost city through the ensuing centuries.
The city then experienced successive onslaughts and occupations—both long and short—by the Osogoths, the Croatian-Hungarian kings, the Venetians, the Turks, the Habsburgs, the French, the Habsburgs again, and finally the Italians before becoming part of Yugoslavia and, in 1991, the independent republic of Croatia.
Zadar was for centuries an Italian-speaking city, and Italian is still spoken widely, especially by older people.
Indeed, it was ceded to Italy in 1921 under the Treaty of Rapallo (and reverted to its Italian name of Zara).
Its occupation by the Germans from 1943 led to intense bombing by the Allies during World War II, which left most of the city in ruins.
Zadar became part of Tito's Yugoslavia in 1947, prompting many Italian residents to leave.
Zadar's most recent ravages occurred during a three-month siege by Serb forces and months more of bombardment during the Croatian-Serbian war between 1991 and 1995.
But you'd be hard-pressed to find outward signs of this today in what is a city to behold.
There are helpful interpretive signs in English all around the Old Town, so you certainly won't feel lost when trying to make sense of the wide variety of architectural sites you might otherwise pass by with only a cursory look.
Off the coast of Croatia in the southern Adriatic Sea lie some thousand islands and the largest of them, Korçula, is considered the most beautiful.
With an average of 3,000 hours of sunshine per annum, which guarantees a wide assortment of Mediterranean vegetation, it is not difficult to understand why seasoned travelers compare Korçula to a latter-day Eden.
Separated from the mainland by a channel of only one mile, Korçula's main town, named the same as the island, ranks among the best preserved medieval towns in the Mediterranean.
It is the island's main tourist, economic and cultural center.
Thanks to its strategic location along the sea trade routes, Korçula has always attracted travelers and settlers.
Korcula was founded by Greek colonists, who were followed by Illyrians, Romans and finally the Croats.
The Korçula Statute of 1214 is one of the oldest legal documents to have been adopted in this part of Europe.
The same century saw the birth of the famous world traveler, Marco Polo.
The house said to be his birthplace can be seen in town.
Korçulans have always been known as keen seafarers, excellent shipbuilders, stonemasons and artists.
From their many voyages, sailors brought back new ideas, which eventually mixed with local customs.
To this day, Korçula has maintained the tradition of performing knightly games such as the chivalrous Moreska dance, which has been in existence for more than 400 years.
Visitors to Korçula enjoy its stunning location, natural beauty and medieval ambiance.
And if that's not enough, the town offers numerous attractions that are within walking distance from the pier, including the City Museum and the Bishop's Treasury.
The heart of the city lies within the walls of Roman emperor Diocletian's retirement palace, which was built in the 3rd century AD.
Diocletian, born in the nearby Roman settlement of Salona in AD 245, achieved a brilliant career as a soldier and became emperor at the age of 40.
In 295 he ordered this vast palace to be built in his native Dalmatia, and when it was completed he stepped down from the throne and retired to his beloved homeland.
Upon his death, he was laid to rest in an octagonal mausoleum, around which Split's magnificent cathedral was built.In 615, when Salona was sacked by barbarian tribes, those fortunate enough to escape found refuge within the stout palace walls and divided up the vast imperial apartments into more modest living quarters.
Thus, the palace developed into an urban center, and by the 11th century the settlement had expanded beyond the ancient walls.Under the rule of Venice (1420–1797), Split—as a gateway to the Balkan interior—became one of the Adriatic's main trading ports, and the city's splendid Renaissance palaces bear witness to the affluence of those times.
When the Habsburgs took control during the 19th century, an overland connection to Central Europe was established by the construction of the Split–Zagreb–Vienna railway line.After World War II, the Tito years saw a period of rapid urban expansion: industrialization accelerated and the suburbs extended to accommodate high-rise apartment blocks.
Today the historic center of Split is included on UNESCO's list of World Heritage Sites.
Dalmatia's capital for more than 1,000 years, Zadar is all too often passed over by travelers on their way to Split or Dubrovnik.
What they miss out on is a city of more than 73,000 that is remarkably lovely and lively despite—and, in some measure, because of—its tumultuous history.
The Old Town, separated from the rest of the city on a peninsula some 4 km (2½ miles) long and just 1,640 feet wide, is bustling and beautiful: the marble pedestrian streets are replete with Roman ruins, medieval churches, palaces, museums, archives, and libraries.
Parts of the new town are comparatively dreary, a testament to what a world war followed by decades of communism, not to mention a civil war, can do to the architecture of a city that is 3,000 years old.
A settlement had already existed on the site of the present-day city for some 2,000 years when Rome finally conquered Zadar in the 1st century BC; the foundations of the forum can be seen today.
Before the Romans came the Liburnians had made it a key center for trade with the Greeks and Romans for 800 years.
In the 3rd century BC the Romans began to seriously pester the Liburnians, but required two centuries to bring the area under their control.
During the Byzantine era, Zadar became the capital of Dalmatia, and this period saw the construction of its most famous church, the 9th-century St.
Donat's Basilica.
It remained the region's foremost city through the ensuing centuries.
The city then experienced successive onslaughts and occupations—both long and short—by the Osogoths, the Croatian-Hungarian kings, the Venetians, the Turks, the Habsburgs, the French, the Habsburgs again, and finally the Italians before becoming part of Yugoslavia and, in 1991, the independent republic of Croatia.
Zadar was for centuries an Italian-speaking city, and Italian is still spoken widely, especially by older people.
Indeed, it was ceded to Italy in 1921 under the Treaty of Rapallo (and reverted to its Italian name of Zara).
Its occupation by the Germans from 1943 led to intense bombing by the Allies during World War II, which left most of the city in ruins.
Zadar became part of Tito's Yugoslavia in 1947, prompting many Italian residents to leave.
Zadar's most recent ravages occurred during a three-month siege by Serb forces and months more of bombardment during the Croatian-Serbian war between 1991 and 1995.
But you'd be hard-pressed to find outward signs of this today in what is a city to behold.
There are helpful interpretive signs in English all around the Old Town, so you certainly won't feel lost when trying to make sense of the wide variety of architectural sites you might otherwise pass by with only a cursory look.
Off the coast of Croatia in the southern Adriatic Sea lie some thousand islands and the largest of them, Korçula, is considered the most beautiful.
With an average of 3,000 hours of sunshine per annum, which guarantees a wide assortment of Mediterranean vegetation, it is not difficult to understand why seasoned travelers compare Korçula to a latter-day Eden.
Separated from the mainland by a channel of only one mile, Korçula's main town, named the same as the island, ranks among the best preserved medieval towns in the Mediterranean.
It is the island's main tourist, economic and cultural center.
Thanks to its strategic location along the sea trade routes, Korçula has always attracted travelers and settlers.
Korcula was founded by Greek colonists, who were followed by Illyrians, Romans and finally the Croats.
The Korçula Statute of 1214 is one of the oldest legal documents to have been adopted in this part of Europe.
The same century saw the birth of the famous world traveler, Marco Polo.
The house said to be his birthplace can be seen in town.
Korçulans have always been known as keen seafarers, excellent shipbuilders, stonemasons and artists.
From their many voyages, sailors brought back new ideas, which eventually mixed with local customs.
To this day, Korçula has maintained the tradition of performing knightly games such as the chivalrous Moreska dance, which has been in existence for more than 400 years.
Visitors to Korçula enjoy its stunning location, natural beauty and medieval ambiance.
And if that's not enough, the town offers numerous attractions that are within walking distance from the pier, including the City Museum and the Bishop's Treasury.
Cruise Itinerary
Aboard Silver Whisper
Launch Year: 2001 Length: 186 Width: 24 Currency: USD Capacity: 392 Crew Count: 302 Deck Count: 7 Cabin Count: 194
Silver Whisper, sports a relaxing, sophisticated and genuinely elegant atmosphere. A multi-million dollar refit in 2018 makes her one of the most technically up-to-date ships at sea.
The amenities of a larger ship with the charm of a boutique hotel. Silversea’s Millennium Class ships Silver Whisper and sister ship Silver Shadow invite you to enjoy Silversea’s world-class accommodation, shipboard conviviality and warm, personal service. Revel in the pampering treatments of an expanded spa, enjoy dynamic full-scale productions in a multi-tiered show lounge and dine on delectable cuisine in her four superlative restaurants. Silver Whisper has it all.
Small and nimble, Silver Whisper features four restaurants and many suite options. She emphasises the hallmarks of boutique ship passenger pampering, including fine dining and spaciousness throughout. View her deck plan here.
Silver Whisper Facilities
Silver Whisper Includes
Cabin Details
Silversea’s suites offer one of the highest space-per-guest ratios of any luxury cruise accommodations. All Silversea suites have ocean views, and most include a private teak veranda so that you can breathe in the fresh sea air simply by stepping outside your door. And regardless of the ship or suite category, all guests will be pampered with the personalised services of an attentive butler.
For a truly personal experience, customise your suite with an abundance of thoughtful options and luxurious amenities from Bulgari toiletries and personalised stationery to a bar with your favourite wines and liquors. Settle in with a complimentary movie or choose instead to simply watch the ocean swim by. You can even have dinner in-suite served course by course by your butler. Then, when it’s time to retire, curl up beneath Egyptian cotton linens and a fluffy duvet, with your choice of nine different pillow types. The ultimate in luxury cruise accommodations, Silversea’s suites are your home away from home.
