Croatia shares borders with Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina to the southwest, and Montenegro to the southeast. Located on the Adriatic Sea, Croatia is bordered by Serbia and Montenegro to the east and the Adriatic Sea to the south. The capital is Zagreb, and Croatia is known for its unique natural landscape and beautiful coastline. The region offers tourists a beautiful experience of charming beaches and historic cities. As a country with a large number of foreign tourists, English is spoken in most parts of the country.
1. Croatia Quick Facts
Language Hrvatska
Religion Catholic
Currency EURO (€, EUR)
Visa Free 90 day visa for 60 nationalities, Shengen Area rules apply
Power Plugs 230 V 50 Hz (G Type)
Capital Zagreb
ATM ATMs are also readily available, allowing you to withdraw local currency using your credit or debit card.
Use card
Credit cards are accepted, but some coffee shops, restaurants, etc. may not accept them, so be sure to check in advance.
Visa and MasterCard are widely accepted, while Amex and Discovery cards may not be accepted in some places. JCB and UnionPay cards are not accepted.
For this reason, it is recommended that you carry a Visa or Mastercard when travelling to Croatia.
APP
Google Maps
Uber
Bolt
2. Packing for your trip
Air plain Ticket
Dollar Flight Club has made it easier and cheaper to buy flights to the Airport.
SIM card
Airalo is the world’s first eSIM store that solves the pain of high roaming bills by giving you access to 200+ eSIMs (digital SIM cards) globally at affordable prices.
New member one-time use 15% discount coupon
10% discount coupon for multiple use by all members.
Pacsafe Pro safe 800 Luggage Lock
Good protection against snatchers or impulse thieves.
Universal Power Adapter
One of the most essential but most forgotten items in your travel gear? A power adapter!
Travel insurance
Prepare for risky situations Travel insurance can be a big help in the event of an emergency
GoPro HERO11
If you want to capture your own memories of your travels, GoPro is the way to go. It’s small, has great image quality, and is easy to carry around
3. Transportation
The city of Zagreb is well served by public transport, including trams, buses, and taxis, making it easy to get around, and when travelling between regions within Croatia, it is often less time-consuming and more convenient to take a bus rather than a train, as railways have less infrastructure than roads.
Buses
Croatia has an extensive bus network and well-maintained motorways, so travelling by bus is more convenient than by train. However, you should be aware that traffic can be heavy during the summer holidays. Intercity and rural buses can be more than 30 minutes apart on holidays, so it’s a good idea to check the timetable in advance.
Trams
Trams are the main form of city transport and run through most of the city.
Tickets can usually be purchased from newsstands called iNovine or TIsak near the stops, or from the tram driver after boarding, but they are expensive. Local residents mainly use rechargeable cards, which can be purchased at tram and bus operator ZET offices.
Cards must be tagged on the card reader when boarding, and tickets must be stamped at the card reader at the front of the tram. Unannounced checkpoints are used to catch fare evaders and high fines are imposed.
City tram fares (purchased on the street/purchase price after boarding the bus)
30-minute ticket: €0.53/€0.80
60-minute ticket: €0.93/1.33
90 minutes: €1.33 / €1.99
1 day unlimited: € 3.98
3 days unlimited: €9.29
Taxis
Taxis in Zagreb work on a call-taxi system, where you hail a taxi by phone, rather than hailing a passing taxi as in most large cities, so unless you’re in the city center where taxis are always on standby, it’s better to call a taxi rather than hail one on the street. You can dial 060800800, 1414, 1212, etc. to get a taxi within 5 minutes, and it costs the same as a regular taxi.
Outside of the city centre, taxis are hard to come by, and prices vary greatly between companies for the same distance.
In recent years, call-taxi services using mobile phone applications such as Uber and Bolt have become more common, and you can easily register a credit card to use them. Of course, you can also pay for a taxi with cash. However, it is difficult to use these services outside of large cities. Bolt is slightly cheaper than Uber.
Taxi starting price (normal tariff) €2.60 Taxi 1km (normal tariff) €0.79
Rent a Car
Parking in Zagreb is difficult and there are many one-way streets, so be careful. In addition, trams (trams) often share the city’s narrow streets, so you need to be extra careful when driving. Pedestrians have the right of way, so if there are pedestrians at a crosswalk, you must stop and wait for them to pass. When driving a private car, foreigners are required to have green licence plates, and liability insurance is compulsory. Seat belts must be worn when driving, and parking and stopping in designated areas is mandatory as there are frequent enforcement checks.
There are many roundabouts in Zagreb, and the first vehicle to enter a roundabout has the right of way. At roundabouts with more than two lanes, traffic accidents between entering and exiting vehicles occur frequently, so be careful to drive safely.
4.Safety
Croatia is currently rated as having one of the best security situations in Southeastern Europe. However, due to the recent surge in tourist arrivals, there have been a number of petty crimes and pickpocketing incidents targeting tourists.
Useful phone numbers for tourists
Police: 192
Ambulance: 194
Fire department: 193
General emergency number: 112
5. Climate
Summer in Croatia is from June to September, with about 10 to 12 hours of sunshine per day, and summer lows of around 14°C (57°F) to 16°C (61°F) and highs of 25°C (77°F) to 28°C (82°F), rising to 30°C (86°F) on the hottest days. The humidity in Croatia is very low, around 60 per cent, so the heat is bearable even under the scorching sun. With the exception of winter, the Adriatic’s mild weather makes it a great place to travel.
6. price
Smaller rural towns are very affordable, but major tourist destinations are comparable to prices in other European resorts. Prices are particularly high in Dubrovnik.
Petrol (1 litre) 1.60 EUR
McDonald’s combo meal:6.00 EUR
Water (1.5 litres): 0.99 EUR
Milk (1 litre) 1.00 EUR
Domestic beer (0.5 litre bottle) 1.30 EUR
7. Travel precautions
The local tap water contains a lot of lime, so it is advisable to buy mineral water and drink it with caution, as it may or may not be available with gas.
Mineral water in hotels is expensive, so it is advisable to buy mineral water from the local supermarket when you check in to your hotel.
Croatia is a Catholic country. Visitors should dress appropriately and observe respectful behaviour when visiting places of worship.
8. Etiquette & Service Tip
Croatians are usually straightforward, as there is a prejudice against Croatians who speak too softly or are too shy to be considered weak.
Tip
Tip in Croatia is non-existent and not expected. However, if you are satisfied with the service in a high-end restaurant, it is customary to leave between 5-10 %
9. Holidays
The following are the national public holidays for 2024:
1 Jan Mon New Year’s Day
6 Jan Sat Epiphany
31 Mar Sun Easter Sunday
1 Apr Mon Easter Monday
1 May Wed Labour Day
30 May Thu Corpus Christi
30 May Thu Statehood Day
22 Jun Sat Anti-Fascist Resistance Day
5 Aug Mon Victory and Homeland Thanksgiving Day
15 Aug Thu Assumption Day
1 Nov Fri All Saints’ Day
18 Nov Mon Remembrance Day
25 Dec Wed Christmas Day
26 Dec Thu St Stephen’s Day
2025 National Public Holidays:
Wednesday, 1 January : New Year’s Day
Monday, 6 January : Epiphany
Sunday, 20 April : Easter Sunday
Monday, 21 April : Easter Monday
Thursday, 1 May : Labour Day
Friday, 30 May : Statehood Day
Thursday, 19 June : Corpus Christi
Sunday, 22 June : Anti-Fascist Resistance Day
Tuesday, 5 August : Victory and Homeland Thanksgiving Day
Friday, 15 August : Assumption Day
Saturday, 1 November : All Saints’ Day
Tuesday, 18 November : Remembrance Day
Thursday, 25 December: Christmas Day
Friday, 26 December: St Stephen’s Day