Located on a fertile plateau inland from Split, Sinj is a tranquil market town enlivened every August by the festival known as the Alka.

Riders dressed in traditional costume mount locally-reared horses and compete in trying to spear with their lances a circular metal symbol hanging over the end of a downhill track. The Alka is held in honour of a battle against the Ottoman Turks on August 14 1715, when local forces - aided, it is said, by the miraculous intervention of the Virgin Mary - repelled a siege by a numerically superior army.

The event is marked with parades and attracts spectators from all over the country. For those who can’t make it to the town for the event itself, the state-of-the-art Sinjska Alka Museum traces the history of the festival through a colourful and engaging display.

Practical Info

By bus: Sinj is served by hourly buses from Split: ak-split.hr/en/

visitsinj.hr/en/