Bačvice is Split's most famous beach — a crescent of sand in a sheltered bay just ten minutes' walk east of the old town, with shallow water and a good number of snack bars and changing rooms. It is not the most beautiful beach on this stretch of coast, but it is the most alive: summer afternoons bring the full spectrum of Split society, from pensioners with newspapers to young families and the picigin players in the shallows.
The water here is shallow enough to stand in for 50 metres — which is why picigin works at all; the game requires the players to be in water just above the ankles. The beach gets crowded on summer weekends; weekday mornings are far more manageable. The beach pavilion has changed appearance many times over the decades; the current version has a terrace bar with a good view of the proceedings. It's reached by walking east from the harbour along the Riva and then south along the waterfront.