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.
Today an industrial port town and Istria's chief administrative center (pop.
58,000), as well as a major tourist destination, Pula became a Roman colony in the 1st century BC.
This came about a century after the decisive defeat by the Romans, in 177 BC, of the nearby Histrian stronghold of Nesactium, prompting the Histrian king Epulon to plunge a sword into his chest lest he fall into the hands of the victors, who indeed conquered all of Istria.
Remains from Pula's ancient past have survived up to the present day: as you drive in on the coastal route toward its choice setting on a bay near the southern tip of the Istrian peninsula, the monumental Roman amphitheater blocks out the sky on your left.
Under Venetian rule (1331–1797), Pula was architecturally neglected, even substantially dismantled.
Many structures from the Roman era were pulled down, and stones and columns were carted off across the sea to Italy to be used for new buildings there.
Pula's second great period of development took place in the late 19th century, under the Habsburgs, when it served as the chief base for the Imperial Austro-Hungarian Navy.
Today it's as much working city as tourist town, where Roman ruins and Austro-Hungarian architecture serve as backdrop for the bustle of everyday life amid a bit of communist-era soot and socialist realism, too.
James Joyce lived here for a short time, in 1904–05, before fleeing what he dismissed as a cultural backwater for Trieste.
What's more, there are some outstanding restaurants and a number of pleasant family-run hotels, not to mention the nearby resort area of Verudela, where seaside tourism thrives in all its soothing, sunny sameness.
Šibenik's main monument, its Gothic-Renaissance cathedral, built of pale-gray Dalmatian stone and designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, stands on a raised piazza close to the seafront promenade.
From here a network of narrow, cobbled streets leads through the medieval quarter of tightly packed, terra-cotta–roof houses, and up to the ruins of a 16th-century hilltop fortress.
The city has never been a real tourist destination.
Before the Croatian war for independence, it was a relatively prosperous industrial center, but when the factories closed, Šibenik sank into an economic depression.
However, the cathedral more than warrants a look, and it makes a decent base for visiting the waterfalls of Krka National Park.
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.
Today an industrial port town and Istria's chief administrative center (pop.
58,000), as well as a major tourist destination, Pula became a Roman colony in the 1st century BC.
This came about a century after the decisive defeat by the Romans, in 177 BC, of the nearby Histrian stronghold of Nesactium, prompting the Histrian king Epulon to plunge a sword into his chest lest he fall into the hands of the victors, who indeed conquered all of Istria.
Remains from Pula's ancient past have survived up to the present day: as you drive in on the coastal route toward its choice setting on a bay near the southern tip of the Istrian peninsula, the monumental Roman amphitheater blocks out the sky on your left.
Under Venetian rule (1331–1797), Pula was architecturally neglected, even substantially dismantled.
Many structures from the Roman era were pulled down, and stones and columns were carted off across the sea to Italy to be used for new buildings there.
Pula's second great period of development took place in the late 19th century, under the Habsburgs, when it served as the chief base for the Imperial Austro-Hungarian Navy.
Today it's as much working city as tourist town, where Roman ruins and Austro-Hungarian architecture serve as backdrop for the bustle of everyday life amid a bit of communist-era soot and socialist realism, too.
James Joyce lived here for a short time, in 1904–05, before fleeing what he dismissed as a cultural backwater for Trieste.
What's more, there are some outstanding restaurants and a number of pleasant family-run hotels, not to mention the nearby resort area of Verudela, where seaside tourism thrives in all its soothing, sunny sameness.
Šibenik's main monument, its Gothic-Renaissance cathedral, built of pale-gray Dalmatian stone and designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, stands on a raised piazza close to the seafront promenade.
From here a network of narrow, cobbled streets leads through the medieval quarter of tightly packed, terra-cotta–roof houses, and up to the ruins of a 16th-century hilltop fortress.
The city has never been a real tourist destination.
Before the Croatian war for independence, it was a relatively prosperous industrial center, but when the factories closed, Šibenik sank into an economic depression.
However, the cathedral more than warrants a look, and it makes a decent base for visiting the waterfalls of Krka National Park.
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.
