Trogir is a tiny place, a minuscule island in the channel between the mainland and the larger island of Čiovo. The entire island, most of which is covered by the walled city, measures only roughly a third by a fifth of a mile.
If Trogir were in France and had just a bit smaller population, it would undoubtedly have been designated Un Plus Beaux Village. Even more prestigious though is that the entire medieval town is designated as a UNESCO world heritage site. The justification, from the UNESCO declaration: Trogir is an excellent example of a medieval town built on and conforming with the layout of a Hellenistic and Roman city that has conserved its urban fabric to an exceptional degree and with the minimum of modern interventions, in which the trajectory of social and cultural development is clearly visible in every aspect of the townscape.
From this, you can imagine that it has been heavily influenced by tourism - especially since it’s only a short drive from Split, the second largest city in Croatia and a major tourist destination in its own right. Shops, restaurants and accommodations are everywhere, but it’s all handled as well as can be expected and you don’t have to look past too much to appreciate what an exceptional little place it is. It helps the experience immensely that the entire area within the historical walls is a pedestrianized zone, and traffic flow even around the perimeter is controlled; and that most people just visit it as a day tour from Split, so if you stay overnight you nearly have the place to yourself. It’s small enough that a day visit makes perfect sense, but staying overnight is much better as long as you plan enough in advance to make sure you can get accommodation.
For such a small place, it’s striking how many bell towers rise above the town.
The most important monument in Trogir is of course its Saint Lawrence Cathedral; and possibly its most noteworthy feature is this elaborate Romanesque portal, completed in 1240 and recently restored.
You can climb up the tower for a magnificent view of the surroundings. The stairwell is very narrow in the lowest, oldest tier. It’s really only wide enough for one person at a time.
One of the two cathedral bells, electronically activated. When I reached this level I had a sudden feeling of panic, fearing I would be deafened if they started ringng next to my head.
