Peak-summer SPU is a leisure crush; shoulder/winter SPU is compact — pad for the season you actually fly.

July/August turnstile the terminal; January can feel almost empty. Build far more check-in and security buffer on peak Saturdays than the building size suggests, and treat the D409/coast road into Kaštela as a delay risk in high season (airport explicitly says start ~90 minutes earlier for road trips to the airport). Single runway 05/23 plus Adriatic thunderstorms and strong crosswinds can ripple banks even when the hall looks calm.

Single expanded terminal with upstairs Business Lounge — easy layout, hard peaks when leisure banks stack.

Landside atrium: check-in / bag drop, self-service kiosks, arrivals reclaim, info, car hire, parking links. Airside: security into a departure commercial zone (duty-free / cafés) then gates; Business Lounge upstairs on floor 2. Apron walks and bussing are normal. Re-read FIDS after the shops for Schengen vs non-Schengen. Meeting point: landside arrivals after reclaim.

Kupola / Ikar / Jug / Promenade / Sjever cover the basics — budget for café prices and peak queues.

Airport restaurants & bars page (posted hours 06:00–22:00): Restaurant Kupola under the dome (2nd floor), Caffe bar Ikar (1st floor), Bistro Jug (runway view snacks), landside Caffe bar Promenade, and gate-area Caffe bar Sjever. Fine for coffee and a plate; long gaps are often better spent in Split or Trogir than fighting airside queues in August.

Platanus €10 shuttle is the simple Split link; Promet Zone 4 is cheaper if you buy before boarding.

Official Platanus shuttle: North parking / entrance ↔ Split main bus station, ~30 minutes, €10 / €15 return (platanus.hr; day-valid outbound, return valid 15 days). Promet Split lines 37 (and 2) stop at the airport — from 1 Jun 2026 Promet’s published Zone 4 singles are €2.50 via app/ machines / kiosks and €5 from the driver. Taxi rank outside the terminal during operating hours; ride-hail works but summer surge is real.