Car hire in Split

Car hire in Split: cars and prices

For 5 October to 19 October 2026, 84 cars were listed for car hire in Split, 64 of them collected at Split Airport and the rest by city delivery or at other listed points. 34 had an automatic gearbox and 15 had seven seats or more. Checked 2 October 2026.

Each car shows its own deposit, card rule, cancellation terms and seat count before you pay, and those vary from car to car at the same pick-up. The same search covers car hire at the other Croatian airports, so a Split pick-up can end at any of them. For the islands, the Split to Hvar ferry leaves from the city port, 35 minutes from the airport without traffic; it takes about two hours to Stari Grad, and a vehicle ticket on that line is also a reservation for the sailing.

Where do I collect the car at Split Airport?

Most Split cars are collected at Split Airport (SPU), which is not in Split itself but in Kaštela, towards Trogir. The airport is 20 km from Split and 6 km from Trogir; without traffic it is 30 minutes and 24 km to the Riva in the centre of Split, and 10 minutes to Trogir. The airport does not run car hire itself: every rental company there is an outside business, and the exact meeting point for your car is in your voucher.

Split is also listed with a city delivery option. Whether a particular car offers delivery, and at what cost, is shown on that car before you book. A stay in Trogir puts you 10 minutes from the airport pick-up without traffic.

What documents do I need to bring when I collect the car?

A valid national driving licence with its details in Latin script, valid until the end of the rental; copies and electronic licences are not accepted. If your licence is only valid in the country that issued it, the conditions strongly recommend an International Driving Permit as well. Bring the card the car asks for: some cars need a physical, embossed credit card in the main driver's name, others accept a debit card, and the car page says which.

The minimum age and driving experience are set per car, and similar models can differ, so check both on the car before you book. The agent can refuse the car at the pick-up if the driver does not meet them.

Can I drive into Split Old Town?

No. Diocletian's Palace sits inside Split's protected Zone A, and the city's communal order limits the streets and squares of its pedestrian zone to people on foot. The only vehicles allowed are maintenance, supply and emergency vehicles, which rules out dropping luggage at a hotel inside the walls. Park outside the old town and walk in.

Parking in Split: zones, hours and payment

Street parking in Split is run by Split Parking, a company set up by the City of Split, in four numbered zones, from Zone I in the tightest part of the centre out to Zone IV. No Sunday charging hours are listed for the street zones. Zones I to III have no time limit, and Zone IV, a single car park, has a 20-minute limit.

You can pay at the street machines, in the Split Parking app, with a parking card from a Tisak kiosk, or by SMS to the number listed for each zone below. SMS from a foreign phone is not confirmed, so the app or a machine is the safer choice on a visitor's SIM. Every street car park has a 5-minute grace period. The off-street car parks have barriers: take a ticket on the way in and pay at a machine, at the exit booth or in the app.

• Zone I: SMS 708211, charged weekdays 06:30 to 21:30, Saturdays 07:00 to 14:00
• Zone II: SMS 708212, charged weekdays 07:00 to 19:00, Saturdays 07:00 to 14:00
• Zone III: SMS 708213, same hours as Zone II
• Zone IV: SMS 708214, same hours, 20-minute limit

The rental conditions that matter in Split

Fuel is like for like: the car goes back with the level it left with. Parking, tolls and fines are the renter's to pay, and fines that reach the company after the rental can be charged to the deposit, which some companies keep for 30 to 45 days. The standard insurance on a Split car does not cover the wheels, the undercarriage, the windscreen or the interior, and the four gaps in standard cover are set by the rental conditions for all of Croatia.

How do I get from Split Airport to Makarska?

By road, Makarska is 98 km from Split Airport, 1 hour 30 minutes without traffic. From the airport the coast runs two ways: north-west past Trogir towards Šibenik and the Zadar pick-up, and south-east past Omiš to the Makarska coast. The times below are from the airport without traffic, rounded up to five minutes, and summer traffic towards the airport can be heavy, especially in the direction of Split.

Inland, Split to Plitvice is 3 hours 20 minutes from the city centre to Entrance 2 without traffic, which makes the lakes a long day trip. The capital is 4 hours 20 minutes from the airport without traffic, most of it on the A1 motorway to Zagreb.

Hire cars in Trogir, Omiš and Makarska

The towns either side of Split are listed with delivery rather than a pick-up point. For 5 October to 19 October 2026, 20 cars were offered by delivery in Trogir, 20 in Omiš, 20 in Makarska and 11 in Podstrana. Each car shows its delivery terms before you book.

Each town runs its own parking. In Trogir, Trogir holding operates the paid car parks, including Travarica (T1), a barrier car park beside the Trogir to Šibenik road that charges around the clock with the first 10 minutes free; street parking there is paid by SMS to 708210 for Zone 1 or 708110 for Zone 2, or with the Bmove, KeksPay or AirCash apps. In Omiš, SMS payment to 708215 or 708216 works on Croatian networks only, so use the Bmove app or a machine. Makarska colours its zones red, yellow and blue and charges 06:00 to 02:00 from 1 June to 30 September, every day of the week.

Returning the car at Split Airport

Traffic towards the airport can be heavy in summer, especially in the direction of Split, so set off early. Fill the tank to the level you collected it at before the last stretch, and check your voucher for where the car goes back. If you would rather not drive back to Split at all, drop the car in Dubrovnik or Zagreb: for 5 October to 19 October 2026, 48 Split cars could be returned in Dubrovnik and 55 in Zagreb, with the drop-off charge inside the price shown.

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