Marjan at sunrise: the hill above the city

Beat the heat and the crowds. An early climb up Split's forested peninsula for the light coming over the islands, the old hermit chapels, and the whole coast at your feet.

Marjan is the green hill the whole city leans against — pine forest, hidden chapels, and viewpoints that make the Dalmatian coast make sense. In summer the only civilised time to walk it is early, before the stone starts throwing heat back at you, so we start at dawn. The route climbs gently past the 15th-century church of St Francis and up through the pines to the Telegrin summit, with the Kozjak range behind us and the islands of Brač, Šolta and Čiovo laid out ahead. We'll look in on the tiny cave chapels cut into the south cliffs on the way back down. A single flat price for the whole group, so bring whoever you like up to six. Moderate effort, some steps and uneven paths; not a hard hike, but not step-free either.