Croatia’s official currency is the kuna, denoted by the symbol “kn” (ISO code: HRK). Although many tourist business owners may accept euros, they are not legal tender in Croatia. Any amount of kuna you have left at the end of your stay can be converted to euros at a local bank or exchange office.

Prices are around 10% to 20% lower than most other EU countries. Tourist destinations and articles are much more expensive.

ATMs:

ATMs (in Croatian bankomat) are readily available throughout Croatia. They will accept various European bank cards, credit cards (Diners Club, Eurocard/MasterCard, Visa, American Express, etc.) and debit cards (Cirrus, Maestro, Visa electron, etc.) Read the labels and notices on the machine before using.

BY PLANE:

National airline company Croatia Airlines connects major cities in Croatia to each other and foreign destinations. Due to the comparatively short distances and relatively high hassle of air travel – especially when you travel with luggage – domestic air travel is used mostly for getting to end points – e.g., Zagreb to Dubrovnik (see map) and vice-versa.

Another popular flight (available in the summer months only) is between Split and Osijek, saving a long trip back through Croatia, or alternatively through the middle of Bosnia.

BY TRAIN:

Train travel is definitely improving in Croatia, with money being spent on updating the aging infrastructure and vehicles. Trains are clean and mostly on time.

Croatia’s rail network connects all major Croatian cities, except Dubrovnik. If you want to visit Dubrovnik, you will have to travel by train to Split, and then go on the bus for Dubrovnik. Trains to Pula are actually connected via Slovenia due to historical accident, though there are designated connecting buses from Rijeka.

Rail is still the cheapest connection between inland and coast, though not the most frequent. 160 km/h “tilting trains” that connect Zagreb with Split and other major cities in Croatia such as Rijeka and Osijek provide more comfort and fast journeys between cities (Zagreb-Split is 5.5 hr, Osijek is 3, when other trains take around 4.5 hr). If you make a reservation early enough you can get a substantial discount, or if you are a holder of an ISIC card.

Information for the trains can be found on the Hrvatske željeznice – Croatian Railways site in Croatian and English has timetable and prices.

Tickets are not usually sold on board, except if you happen to get on the train on one of the few stations/stops without ticket sales. However, only local trains stop on such stations. In all other cases, a ticket bought on the train will cost considerably more than the one bought outside the train.

BY BUS:

A very comprehensive coach network connects all parts of the country. Bus service between major cities (intercity lines) is quite frequent, as well as regional services. The most frequent bus terminal in Croatia is Bus Terminal Zagreb (in Croatian “Autobusni kolodvor Zagreb”). Despite the recent improvements in the railway network, buses are faster than trains for inter-city travel. See Bus travel in the former Yugoslavia for more information.

• Autobusni kolodvor Zagreb – Bus Terminal Zagreb, timetable information, content in Croatian, English
  
• CroatiaBus – bus company – timetable information, prices, content in Croatian and English.
  
• Arriva Croatia – bus company – timetable information, prices, content in Croatian, English, German and Italian.
  
• Autobusni promet Varaždin – bus company – timetable information, prices, content in Croatian, English and German.
  
• Libertas Dubrovnik – bus terminal and company information in Dubrovnik, with international and domestic information. Content mostly in Croatian.

BY BOAT:

Croatia is endowed with a beautiful coastline which is best explored by ferry to access the hundreds of islands.

In many instances, the only way to get to the islands is by ferry or catamaran. If you plan on using either you should check these web sites because they have the regular ferry and catamaran information.

• Jadrolinija – Jadrolinija is the Croatian National ferry company, and as well as routes operating from the major cities to the islands, operate a ferry along the Adriatic Coast from Rijeka to Dubrovnik (and then across to Bari, Italy) calling at Split, Hvar, Mljet and Korčula. Check timetables [6] as the schedules are seasonal. The boats are large and have sleeping facilities as the Rijeka-Split leg goes overnight.
  
• SNAV is an Italian company connecting
  
• Split with Ancona and Pescara. Check timetables as the schedules are seasonal.
  Split Taxi Boat, speed taxi boat transfers from Split Town or Split Airport to nearby islands.
• Azzura lines, is an Italian operator connecting Dubrovnik with Bari Check timetables as the schedules are seasonal.
  
• Split Hvar taxi boat Taxi boat service that works 24 hr and can take you anywhere you want.
  
• Yacht Charter in Croatia, a charter company with one of the largest fleets, situated in Split ACI Marina.
  
• A Yacht Charter Croatia offers a variety of sailing yachts, gulets and catamarans.
  
• Antlos offers a selection of skippered yacht holidays in Croatia, including Split, Hvar, Brac and the whole of the Dalmatian Coast.
  
• Navis Yacht Charter services are intended for those who want to explore coast and hidden bays by sea for one week or more.
  
• Europe Yachts Charter Europe Yachts Charter offers you chartering services in Croatia and some other Mediterranean countries.
  
• Croatia Cruise Cabin Charter Discover a completely new cruising experience that gives you the freedom to sail individually or in smaller groups.
  
• Crewed Yacht Charter in CroatiaLion Queen charter offers Gulet Cruises Croatia as one of the main specialist in this area.
  
• If travelling as an individual or small group tour operators like Med Experience offer individual spots on a yacht trip down the coast.
  
• Map with Croatian yachting marinas There are 6 main regions where you can charter a yacht: Istria, Kvarner gulf, Zadar region, Sibenik region, Split region and Dubrovnik. All of them all well-communicated with Croatian airports.
  
• Globe Yacht Charter is specialized for organizing cruises around Croatian islands. They offer all inclusive yacht charter.
  
• Catamaran Charter Croatia brand new catamarans for charter in Croatia. Bare boat or with skipper.
  
• PlainSailing.com bareboat, skippered and crewed yacht and catamaran across Croatia.

Outside the summer months it is often difficult or impossible to make a day trip to the more remote islands. This is because ferry schedules are made to suit commuters who live on islands and travel to the mainland, not vice versa.

BY CAR:

Roads in Croatia are usually well maintained, but can be very narrow and full of curves. Some local roads in Istria have been worn down to a smooth surface from regular wear and tear, and can be extremely slippery when wet. It’s difficult to find a true highway with more than one lane per direction, the only exceptions being the ones connecting Rijeka, Zagreb, Osijek, Zadar and Split. Speed limits are thus low (60–90 km/h), and it’s not recommended to drive faster (although most locals do), especially at night. Be aware of animals crossing the road.

In case you want to overtake a slow vehicle on a narrow road, often the drivers in front of you will set the right yellow turning lights, and drive on the very right side, to sign the drivers behind, that it is okay to overtake. But at your own risk.

Renting a car is around the same price as in the EU (from around €40). Almost all cars have a manual transmission. Most rental agencies in the Balkans allow you to rent a car in one country and drive in the neighboring countries however try to avoid a renting a car in Serbia and driving it into Croatia (or vice versa) in order to avoid negative attention from nationalists.

On Croatian Motorways toll fees apply (and may be paid in either kuna or euros). The A6 motorway runs between Zagreb and Rijeka, and the main motorway A1 from Zagreb to Dubrovnik is still under construction (the current ending point is in Vrgorac, which is 70 km from Dubrovnik). To reach southern Dalmatia including Dubrovnik, you must cross a short portion of Bosnia-Herzegovina, so check if you need a visa or other special requirements for entry into Bosnia (EU and US citizens don’t need a visa). Another major motorway is the A3, linking the Slovenian border (not far from Zagreb) with eastern Croatia and the Serbian border (120 km from Belgrade). The general speed limit on motorways is 130 km/h (81 mph). You will probably encounter cars driving much faster, but following their example is of course highly unsafe.

When exiting a toll motorway, ask the receipt at toll booth if it is not given to you to be sure you do not get overcharged (you could receive along with the receipt some unexpected change compared with the price you were given verbally).

If an unknown person flashes their car lights at you it may be a sign that they’ve recently passed a police unit doing speed limit checks. Ensure you comply with all the traffic rules and regulations to avoid being stopped and fined.

Trying to find a parking space near Croatia’s coastal old towns in the summer can be an exercise in futility. Even though prices range from the merely expensive 7 kn in Split to the extortionate 30 kn per hour in Dubrovnik, the spaces fill up very quickly. However, away from the old towns, parking is convenient and often free at shopping malls and large supermarkets, sports venues, near residential tower blocks and at restaurants (free for guests).

BY TAXI:

You can use a taxi service by calling 970, or sometimes another number for a private company – check individual city articles. The taxi usually comes within 10 to 15 minutes from the call except in the busy summer season where it depends on how much business they have. Croatian taxis are generally rather expensive.

You can also book the transportation in advance which is great when you are in a hurry or have a larger number of people in need of transportation, or you just want everything organized in advance.

You can also arrange a taxi service by E-mail in advance to have even more comfort and to save money since these taxi operators are cheaper than the regular taxi service.

EAT:

Croatian cuisine is quite diverse so it is hard to say what meal is most typically Croatian. In the eastern continental regions (Slavonija and Baranja) spicy sausage such as kulen or kulenova seka is a must try. Čobanac (“shepherd’s stew”) is a mixture of several kinds of meat with a lot of red spicy paprika. In Hrvatsko Zagorje and Central Croatia pasta filled with cheese called štrukli is a famous delicacy (it is said that the best štrukli in Croatia is served in the Esplanade Hotel restaurant in Zagreb), as is purica s mlincima, which is baked turkey cooked in a special kind of pastry. Sir i vrhnje (sour cream with cottage cheese) can be bought fresh on the Zagreb main market Dolac. Croats love a bit of oil and you will find plenty of it in piroška. In the mountainous regions of Lika and Gorski Kotar meals containing mushrooms, wild berries and game meat are very popular. One of typical dishes in Lika is police (oven-baked potatoes covered with bacon) and several kinds of cheese (smoked cheese and škripavac).

The coastal region is well known for its truffle delicacies and soup maneštra od bobić (Istria), Dalmatian pršut and paški sir (Pag-island cheese). Dishes made of fresh fish and other products of the sea (calamari, octopus, crabs, scampi) shouldn’t be given a miss! Many places serve fish delivered from the local fisherman the night before – find out which ones!

Croatian cuisine has yet to come up with a fast food representative. The market is dominated by globally ubiquitous hamburgers and pizzas but you will also find “burek” and “ćevapčići” imported from the Ottoman Empire, which stretched from the Middle East to neighboring Bosnia. The latter two dishes are widely popular throughout Southeastern Europe. Burek is a type of meat or cheese pastry whereas ćevapčići are seasoned minced meat shaped in finger-size portions served in bread and often covered with onions. Although definitely not a fast meal (takes several hours to prepare), also foreign in origin is the so-called sarma or sauerkraut rolls filled with minced meat and rice. For those coming back from nightclubs at 04:00 or 05:00 as is common in Croatia, it is popular to go to the local bakery and get fresh bread, burek or krafne (Croatian chocolate filled donuts) straight out of the oven. As far as fast food goes, who needs it when you can buy delicious prsut during the day and warm bread at night to compliment it. Most Croatians generally look down at fast food.

Desserts: What it lacks in the fast food department Croatia makes up with a myriad of desserts. Probably the most famous is its delicious creamy cake called kremšnite but different kinds of gibanica, štrudla and pita (similar to strudel and pie) such as orehnjača (walnut), makovnjača (poppy) or bučnica (pumpkin and cheese) are also highly recommended. Dubrovačka torta od skorupa is delicious but hard to find. Paprenjaci (pepper cookies) are said to reflect Croatia’s tumultuous history because they combine the harshness of the war periods (pepper) with the natural beauties (honey). They can be bought in most souvenir shops though the freshly made ones are always a better choice. Rapska torta (The Rab island cake) is made with almonds and locally famous cherry liquor Maraschino. This is hardly an exhaustive list and to dive further into the regionalities of Croatian cuisine, one can read the city and region articles.

Chocolate candy Bajadera is available throughout shops in the country and along with Griotte, is one of the most famous products of the Croatian chocolate industry.

An unavoidable ingredient in many meals prepared in Croatia is “Vegeta”. It is a spice produced by Podravka.

Olives: a lot of people claim that Croatian olives and their olive oil are the best in the world. Many brands exist and some of them have several world awards. Try to buy olive oil from Istra (although oil from Dalmatia is also excellent) and choose only Croatian brands for olives. Try to read the label before buying to ensure you are buying Croatian olives and oil, since there are many cheaper imports, usually from Greece. All of this can be found in most supermarkets, but you should be really aware of the imports. Most Croatians aren’t experts and prefer cheaper products, so the cheaper oils dominate the shelves.

The olive oil is an irreplaceable ingredient in coastal Croatian cuisine, but be aware of the use of cheaper, non-Croatian oil in restaurants. Most tourists don’t notice the difference so the restaurants don’t find it profitable to use excellent oil; they rather use cheaper Spanish or Greek. Usually, asking the waiter for a better oil (and looking like an expert) helps, and soon the waiter will get you a first-class oil hidden away at the back of the restaurant.

DRINK:

Alcoholic: Rakija, a type of brandy which can be made of plum (šljivovica), grapes (loza), figs (smokovača), honey (medica) and many other types of fruit and aromatic herbs, is the main distilled beverage served in Croatia. Pelinkovac is a bitter herbal liquor popular in Central Croatia, but is said to resemble cough-medicine in flavor. Famous Maraschino, a liquer flavored with Marasca cherries, which are grown around Zadar, Dalmatia.

Croatia also produces a broad palette of high quality wines (up to 700 wines with protected geographic origin), beers and mineral water. On the coast people usually serve “bevanda” with meals. Bevanda is heavy, richly flavored red wine mixed with plain water. Its counterpart in northern parts of Croatia is “gemišt”. This term designates dry, flavored white wines mixed with mineral water.

Two popular domestic beers are “Karlovačko” and “Ožujsko”, but “Velebitsko” and “Tomislav pivo” have received a semi-cult status in the recent years. It is served only in some places in Zagreb and Croatia. Many well-known European brands (Stella Artois, Beck’s, Carling, Heineken and others) are made under license in Croatia.

Non-alcoholic: Mineral water, fruit juices, coffee (espresso, Turkish or instant), tea, Cedevita (instant multivitamin drink), and drinkable yogurt. Sometimes although very rarely you may find “sok od bazge” (elderflower juice) in the continental region. Worth trying! Also, in Istria there is a drink called “pašareta” and it is a sparkling red drink with herbal extracts. Very sweet and refreshing!

In some parts of Istria (especially south) in local basements, you can try ‘smrikva’ – a non-alcoholic refreshing drink made out of berries which grow on one sort of pine tree. The taste is a bit sour but very refreshing.

Alcoholic drinks can’t be sold or served to anyone under 18, though this rule isn’t strictly enforced.

Accommodation in Croatia is increasingly geared towards well-furnished, self-declared four and five star hotels. Prices are at their most expensive during the warmer months from June to September, especially July and August. Many coastal hotels are closed during the winter but there is at least one play to stay which is open in the off-season in all major towns.Private rooms and apartments are quite common, targeting the masses as the country has experience a tourism surge in recent years. Apartments tend to be self-containing, with a kitchen, bathroom, small lounge, and often a terrace outside.

B&Bs haven’t really taken off in Croatia because of the bureaucratic rules in place. In the countryside, rural homestays have become more visible, particularly in the inland regions. These homestays are slightly pricier than the private rooms and apartments, but include breakfast and home-cooked meals.

TBC.