Kaštela Travel Guide: Kaštel Stari and the Seven Castles

Most visitors see Kaštela only through a plane window. Split Airport sits right here, and the long green bay between Split and Trogir flashes past on the way to somewhere else. We think that is a shame. Kaštela is one of the most relaxed places to spend a summer on the Dalmatian coast, and it puts Split, Trogir and the islands within easy reach.

Seven castles, seven villages

Kaštela is not one town but a string of seven settlements along roughly 17 kilometres of coastline. Each grew up around a fortified summer house built in the 15th and 16th centuries, when local nobles and the church built castles by the sea to protect villagers from Ottoman raids. Houses clustered around the walls, and the villages took the castle names. From east to west they are:

• Kaštel Sućurac, closest to Split, with the old archbishop's summer palace
• Kaštel Gomilica, where the castle stands on a small islet joined to land by a bridge
• Kaštel Kambelovac, with the round Cambi tower right on the water
• Kaštel Lukšić, home of Vitturi Castle and the local legend of the lovers Miljenko and Dobrila
• Kaštel Stari, our village, built around the Cipiko castle
• Kaštel Novi, with its tall Cipiko tower and small harbour
• Kaštel Štafilić, known for the Stafileo castle and a centuries-old olive tree

You do not need a plan to enjoy them. Pick a village, walk to its castle, have a coffee by the harbour, then walk on to the next one.

The promenade and the old town of Kaštel Stari

The best way to see Kaštela is on foot along the seafront promenade that links the villages. In the morning you share it with joggers and fishermen, in the evening with families, prams and ice cream. It is flat, mostly shaded by pines and tamarisks in places, and you can step off for a swim almost anywhere.

Kaštel Stari has a compact old centre of narrow stone lanes, a parish church, a small harbour with wooden boats and a square where locals meet in the evening. It is lived in rather than restored for tourists, which is exactly its charm. Villa Marina sits inland, about 2 km from the old town and the beaches on the seafront, which is 4 minutes by car or around 28 minutes on foot. Supermarkets are 400 metres from the villa, a bakery about 650 metres, and the nearest bus stop about 800 metres.

What to eat in Kaštela

Food here is simple Dalmatian cooking built on the sea and the garden: grilled fish, octopus, blitva with potatoes and olive oil, pašticada with gnocchi, and peka, meat or octopus slow-cooked under an iron bell in embers, which usually needs to be ordered a few hours ahead. Kaštela is also known for its cherries in late spring and for Crljenak Kaštelanski, an old local grape that turned out to be the same variety as Zinfandel and Primitivo. Ask for it by name.

For eating out, look for a konoba. Traditionally a konoba was a stone cellar where families kept wine, oil and cured ham; today the word means a relaxed tavern with local food and house wine. The good ones have a short menu that changes with the catch. The restaurants on the promenade and in the old town of Kaštel Stari are about 2 km from the villa, 4 minutes by car or around 28 minutes on foot. We are always happy to tell guests where we would eat that week.

When to visit Kaštela

Our season runs from 1 May to 15 November, and every part of it has something going for it:

• May and early June: green hills, cherries, quiet beaches and comfortable temperatures for sightseeing
• July and August: hot, lively and sociable, with summer events in the castles and harbours; this is the high season
• September: warm sea, fewer people, harvest time in the vineyards
• October to mid-November: mild days, empty old towns and the best light for walking

The sea is usually warm enough for most swimmers from June to early October. Outside that window, a heated pool makes a real difference, which is why the saltwater pool at Villa Marina is heated.

Why stay in Kaštela instead of Split

Split is wonderful for a day or an evening, but staying in the centre in summer means noise, busy streets, expensive parking and small apartments. Kaštela gives you the opposite: a quiet residential coast, space, gardens, local beaches and prices in shops and cafés that feel like normal Croatian life. You are still close to everything. Trogir is about 14 minutes by car, Split about 24, and Split Airport just 8. The nearest bus stop, with lines towards both Split and Trogir, is about 800 metres from the villa, around 11 minutes on foot, so even without a car you are well connected.

That is why Villa Marina is here in Kaštel Stari, about 2 km inland, with a panoramic view of the sea. It is a place to come back to after a day in Split or on the islands, with a heated saltwater pool, a covered terrace and a barbecue area with a large dining table. If you want a calm base on the coast between Split and Trogir, we would be glad to host you.