Croatia’s Split Port Gets Major Boost With New Passenger Hub Hotel Plan and Waterfront Redevelopment

Development at the Port of Split’s €600m passenger facility project gains momentum. The port recently launched the redevelopment of the Dalmatian winery into a passenger and hospitality facility. The project will modernize one of Split’s public beach areas, and provide Split Port with additional passenger and cargo transportation, parking, retail, and potentially a hotel, facilities.

The redevelopment has moved forward after the Split Port Authority secured a location permit allowing changes to the protected building and the surrounding site. The approval comes after more than two years of planning and administrative procedures and clears an important hurdle before the project can move towards the concession and development stage.

The former winery occupies a highly visible position where the city meets the port and the Adriatic Sea. Once regarded as an important example of Croatian modern architecture, the structure has deteriorated significantly over the years and has remained largely unused.

Its strategic waterfront location, however, has continued to make the site important to Split’s wider urban and transport development plans.

Protected Building to Gain a New Role

The building will not simply be demolished and replaced. Its redevelopment will take place under strict conservation requirements because the property is protected by the Conservation Department of Croatia’s Ministry of Culture.

The planned transformation therefore needs to balance commercial development with the protection of the building’s architectural character.

The project is designed to give the ageing structure a new purpose while improving the wider passenger environment at Split Port.

The location permit allows the former industrial building to be converted for new uses connected with passenger services, hospitality and supporting commercial activities.

This could help transform a neglected part of the waterfront into a much more active area serving residents, cruise visitors, ferry passengers and other travellers entering or leaving the city through the port.

Major Passenger Expansion Planned

Passenger facilities are expected to form a major part of the redevelopment.

Split is one of Croatia’s most important coastal gateways and the port handles significant passenger movements linked to ferries, islands, cruise tourism and wider Adriatic travel.

Improving the available passenger space could therefore strengthen the port’s ability to manage growing demand while giving travellers a more organised and comfortable arrival and departure experience.

The project could provide additional areas for passenger movement, waiting, services and other travel-related functions.

Hospitality businesses could also be introduced as part of the redevelopment, creating a wider range of services directly within the port area.

The overall concept reflects a broader trend in major passenger ports, where terminals are increasingly being integrated with hotels, retail space, restaurants, mobility facilities and urban waterfront development.

New Hotel Could Add Around One Hundred Rooms

One of the most significant elements permitted within the existing planning framework is the possibility of developing a hotel with approximately 100 rooms.

A hotel within the port area could provide an important accommodation option for passengers arriving before ferry departures, cruise travellers spending additional time in Split, business visitors and tourists making short stays in the city.

The location would place guests close to both maritime connections and the historic centre of Split.

Such a development could also extend the economic impact of passenger traffic beyond transport alone by encouraging travellers to spend more time and money within the city.

Hospitality investment around transport hubs has become an increasingly important part of destination development because it can connect accommodation, mobility and tourism services within a single area.

Five Hundred Parking Spaces Could Address Port Congestion

Parking and road traffic remain major challenges around busy city ports, particularly during peak tourism periods.

The redevelopment framework allows two garages with a combined capacity of around 500 parking spaces to be constructed at the site.

The parking facilities could help address stationary traffic problems within the port area and potentially reduce some of the pressure caused by vehicles waiting, parking or circulating close to passenger terminals.

Improved parking capacity could be particularly important during the summer season, when Split experiences intense tourism demand and large numbers of travellers move between the city, the port and nearby islands.

Better vehicle management could also support smoother passenger flows and improve access to maritime services.

The proposed garages form part of the wider Eastern Coast development vision contained within Split’s existing General Urban Plan.

Wider Eastern Waterfront Transformation

The former winery redevelopment is not being planned as an isolated construction project.

It forms part of a broader effort to reorganise and modernise Split’s eastern waterfront.

This part of the city has enormous strategic value because it connects central Split with maritime transport infrastructure and some of the busiest passenger routes along the Croatian coast.

Redeveloping underused buildings and improving transport infrastructure could help the city create a more attractive gateway for visitors while strengthening links between the port and surrounding urban districts.

The project could also improve the visual appearance of an area that currently includes ageing and abandoned infrastructure despite occupying one of the city’s most valuable waterfront positions.

International Concession Tender Expected

With the location permit now secured, the next major step will be the launch of an international tender covering the concession of the building and surrounding area.

The tender process is expected to attract investors and operators capable of delivering a large mixed-use passenger and hospitality development while meeting the required conservation and planning conditions.

Preparatory work has already included economic and legal studies undertaken in cooperation with academic institutions in Split.

An international expression-of-interest process has also previously been carried out to assess potential interest from concessionaires.

These steps have helped establish the commercial and planning framework for the project before the formal concession tender begins.

Concession Valued at Around €600 Million

The scale of the proposed development is highlighted by the estimated value attached to the concession.

According to the project information, the concession is estimated at approximately €600 million.

The figure underlines the long-term commercial importance of the waterfront site and the scale of investment associated with transforming the former industrial property into a major passenger, hospitality and urban development complex.

If successfully delivered, the redevelopment could become one of the most significant changes to Split’s port landscape in years.

For travellers, the project could mean better passenger facilities, easier parking, new accommodation and more services close to maritime departure points.

For Split, it represents an opportunity to restore an important architectural property while modernising a crucial transport gateway.

The project now enters a decisive stage as authorities prepare the international concession tender that will determine how the historic waterfront site is redeveloped and integrated into the future of Split Port.