The 7 best bars in Split, ranked: Bar Sistema, String's, Roof 68 and more, with closing times, walk-in rules and one honest reason to skip each bar.
The best bars in Split sit in a few streets. Four cocktail bars are within a few minutes' walk of each other around Diocletian's Palace, two rooftop and restaurant bars line the Riva, and the one bar with a local, record-shop feel is a 15 to 20-minute walk north in Lovret. Most close at 01:00, a few at 02:00 on Friday and Saturday, and none of them is listed with a cover charge.
This list ranks seven bars that are open in 2026. Each entry gives the closing time, the door rule and one honest reason to skip it. The basics first: the two best cocktail bars take no reservations, so arrive before 21:00 at the weekend. A draught beer costs roughly €3 to €6. Most of these bars close at 01:00 or 02:00, while Boiler Club runs to 05:00, so decide where you are heading next before you order the last round.
We ranked bars on five things: drinks, setting, hours, door and value. Drinks means a bar that takes its cocktails seriously. Setting means a room or a view you would choose on purpose. Hours means how late you can still get a drink: 01:00 is normal in Split, 02:00 is late. Door means you can tell in advance whether you will get a seat, because some bars take no reservations and others need a booking. Value means a fair price and no cover. Every bar here has a listing or social media activity from 2026, and every address and opening time comes from the bar's own page or a city listing. We do not sell tables.
The most serious cocktail bar in the old town, featured on 50 Best Discovery, the guide run by the organisers of The World's 50 Best Bars. Visiting bartenders take guest shifts, the team has run collaborations, and there is a mocktail list. Skip it if you want to book a table: it takes no reservations.
A prohibition-themed cocktail bar on Zagrebačka that works with milk clarification, infusions and fermentation. It sits a few minutes from Bar Sistema, which makes a two-bar night easy. Skip it if you want music or a dancefloor: this is a bar for drinks and conversation.
A rooftop restaurant and bar at the eastern end of the Riva with a view over the promenade, the palace and the sea, and a house soundtrack once the sun goes down. It opens from 08:00, so it works from morning to the last drink. Skip it if you want to dance late: it closes at 01:00, or 02:00 on Friday and Saturday.
A craft cocktail bar on Bajamontijeva that Split guides list for the palace area. Its listed hours of 18:00 to 02:00 make it one of the later options inside the old town. Skip it if you need certainty: it posts rarely, and we found no published menu or prices.
An all-day bar and eatery on Hrvojeva that opens at 09:00 and describes itself as a craft bar with sips and food. Its Instagram shows a steady run of new cocktails this autumn, which makes it a handy first stop before the other old-town bars. Skip it if you want a late night: it closes at midnight and is shut on Tuesday.
A party restaurant on the Riva where dinner gives way to cocktails and resident and guest DJs. It is the most central of the Boiler group's venues, a few minutes from Roof 68 and Boiler Club. Skip it if you want a quiet meal: the music is part of the evening.
A café, bar and shop in Lovret that sells records, books, clothing and magazines by day and hosts DJs and events in the evening. It feels like the opposite of the Riva: local, relaxed and a little out of the way. Skip it if you want a late finish, because it closes at 01:00 at the latest.
Treat the old town as one route. Start at The Daltonist on Hrvojeva for a drink and food before it closes at midnight, or at Bar Sistema on Kačićeva at 17:00 for a seat. Then walk to String's on Zagrebačka, a few minutes away. Noor on Bajamontijeva is the late finish inside the palace area, listed until 02:00.
The Riva is a separate evening: Roof 68 at the eastern end for sunset, then Olive Tree in the middle. Adriatic Social Club in Lovret is a different night again, and works best with an event at Kocka nearby. Split has no metro, so you walk between nearly everything. After midnight a taxi or Uber is easier to Lovret, and Uber runs 24/7.
Split rewards an early start and a plan, and hours change between summer and winter, so check a bar's Instagram before you set out. For the full picture, from closing times to what a night costs, read our Split nightlife guide. If you want to dance after the bars close, see the best clubs in Split, and if you are still choosing where to base yourself, our guide to Split nightlife by neighbourhood compares the areas. Looking for something booked in advance? Browse NightFind tickets and more of Croatia.
For cocktails, Bar Sistema on Kačićeva, which is featured on 50 Best Discovery and opens every day from 17:00 to 01:00. For a view, Roof 68 on the Riva.
Mostly at 01:00. Noor is listed until 02:00, Roof 68 and Olive Tree stay open until 02:00 on Friday and Saturday, and The Daltonist closes at midnight.
Not at Bar Sistema or String's, which take no reservations. Book Roof 68 and Olive Tree for sunset or dinner, and book The Daltonist if you are more than eight.
Yes. Roof 68 on Obala Lazareta looks over the Riva, the palace and the harbour, and String's has held rooftop parties at the AC Hotel Split.
A draught beer is roughly €3 to €6 and an imported bottle €3.50 to €5. Cocktail prices are not published by the bars, so check the menu before you order.
