Watch the crescent over the Adriatic on 7 February
You are standing on the Riva, Split's palm-lined waterfront promenade, at dusk on 7 February 2027. The bura is likely to be cutting in from the mountains, so you'll want a warm layer for night walks, but the promenade is where the city gathers in the evening, and tonight you are looking west over the water for the crescent that opens Ramadan 1448 AH. The evening marks 29 Sha'ban, the last night before the fast, and the sighting determines whether the first fast falls on 8 or 9 February. In Croatia, dates are set by astronomical calculation and regional committees, then confirmed locally by Split's Muslim community, so the reliable move is to ask at the Islamic Centre in Split, the city's mosque and cultural anchor, or to follow local announcements. Arrive by 7 February and keep your first days flexible; the whole arc runs through the first week of March.
Take your evenings at the Islamic Centre and your mornings at the Pazar
The observance in Split is community-based, so build your days around the Centre and the city's markets rather than a municipal programme.
- Taraweeh prayers are held nightly at the Islamic Centre after the evening prayer. Times shift with the prayer schedule, so ask at the Centre for that day's hours. The Centre is busiest during the last ten nights, which begin around 27 February; Laylat al-Qadr is sought on the odd nights between 27 February and 8 March, with the 27th night of Ramadan falling around 6–7 March.
- The Pazar, the produce market inside the palace walls, is fullest before noon. Go for dates, dried figs and pastries, and buy a night ahead: suhoor is pre-dawn and dark, and most restaurants are closed then.
- The Ribarnica, the fish market at the edge of the old town, is the other morning stop worth knowing.
- Bakeries along the Riva and in Varoš cover your pre-dawn needs. The Riva stands selling fritule and fried dough operate year-round rather than for Ramadan, but they are there when you want them.
Break the fast with pašticada as the sun drops at five
February sunsets come at about 5 pm, so iftar lands in the late afternoon and the whole evening opens up ahead of you. Restaurants in Varoš and the old town serve Dalmatian dishes — fish, pašticada — from early evening, and sunset tables go quickly, so book ahead. The first fast, projected for 8–9 February, is the one to plan around: settle in somewhere in Varoš, let the light go off the stone, and eat as the city does. The fast closes with Eid al-Fitr, projected around 9 March, again subject to the same sighting process.
Walk Marjan in the afternoon, then eat again after dark
Between the morning market and the evening table there is a whole city to move through, and February keeps the crowds thin. Diocletian's Palace is a living neighbourhood, with residences above the colonnade; the Peristyle, the cathedral and the lanes of Varoš sit within minutes of each other. West of the old town, Marjan hill is a wooded park with paths to viewpoints over the harbour and the islands, and an afternoon walk there before iftar is a local habit worth adopting. The islands are reachable from the harbour, but early-March ferries are still on winter schedules, so check locally before you commit a day.
Plan around the moon, not the brochure
The dates you are working with — first fast around 8–9 February, the last ten nights from about 27 February, Eid around 9 March — are all tentative and moon-dependent, and Ramadan advances roughly ten to eleven days each year, so February is not a fixed slot. Confirm the start through Split's Muslim community rather than expecting a public ceremony, and expect wet, windy February weather with the bura blowing off the mountains. Book your stay from 7 February into the first week of March, keep the opening days loose, and let the Centre's prayer schedule set the rhythm of your evenings.