In this article I wanted to share simple yet important tips for visiting Croatia
You might have heard about Croatia. Perhaps you’ve seen photos of its gorgeous coastline and crystal-clear waters. Maybe your friends have told you about its charming towns and picturesque villages. Or you have heard stories about Croatia’s fascinating culture, World Heritage sites and wonderfully preserved monuments dating back to the Antiquity. Maybe you are attracted by its rich nightlife and would love to be part of the world-famous festivals like Outlook or Ultra music festival.
No matter what was the reason that enticed you to visit this wonderful Mediterranean country, I am sure that your travel to Croatia won’t disappoint. Croatia has it all – amazing coastline with over 1200 islands, fascinating culture, popular summer festivals, incredible nature, and rich gastronomy.
In this article I wanted to share simple yet important tips for visiting Croatia. Who can better explain and address this topic rather than a local who has been living here for the last 30 years and working in the travel industry for the last 10 years.

GEOGRAPHY OF CROATIA
The Croatian national territory totals 56.594 km2 with 31.479 km2 of coastal waters for sailing, swimming, and diving. Croatia borders Slovenia and Hungary in the north, Bosnia–Herzegovina and Serbia in the east, Montenegro in the south and it shares a maritime border with Italy in the west.
Croatia occupies the largest area of the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea which, as a part of the Mediterranean Sea, penetrates deep into the European continent. The narrow Dinara Mountain Range separates the country’s Mediterranean region from its central European continental section.
POPULATION
According to the recent 2021 census, there are 3.88 million people living in Croatia. That is a whopping 10% fall in the last decade (last census in 2011 showed there were 4.28 million people).
Three cities in Croatia have more than 100,000 inhabitants – Zagreb, Split and Rijeka. Eight have more than 50,000 inhabitants. Zagreb, the capital of Croatia, has around 770 000 inhabitants.
CLIMATE
Croatia enjoys three different climates: The coast has a pleasant Mediterranean climate with a high number of days of sunshine per year. Places like Hvar, Dubrovnik, Split, Bol and Korčula have around 2700 hours of sunshine per year. Summers are hot and dry, and winters are mild and wet. We rarely see snow here on the Croatian coast.
Temperatures drop as you move inland, where the climate is continental and moderate. That usually means hot summers and cold winters (a significant variation in temperature annually).
Once you climb above 1,200 m, (Croatia’s highest peak is on mountain Dinara, 1831 m which is around 6,007 ft) you’ll be greeted with fresh mountain air and temperatures around 13 ºC in the summer months, and very cold and snowy winters.
THE BEST TIME TO VISIT CROATIA
There is no best time to visit Croatia, as that depends a lot on your travel goals.
Croatia draws many to its sunny climate, pristine beaches, and its festivals and cultural events. While the best time to visit Croatia generally depends on what kind of trip you want to have, summer is undoubtedly the peak season for international visitors. That being said, in the peak summer months – July and August, it tends to be very busy all along the coast. It usually means that during those months the accommodation and plane tickets are more expensive, the temperatures go over 30°C (86°F) and there is traffic everywhere.
The shoulder seasons (May to early June and September to October) still offer warm, sunny weather but with fewer people. I would recommend visiting the coast during these months. I recommend visiting coastal regions like Istria and Dalmatia, cities like Zadar, Šibenik, Split, Trogir, Dubrovnik and our beautiful islands like Brač and Hvar.
Some of the most famous National Parks, like Krka and Plitvice Lakes are beautiful in all seasons, but I think that in spring they offer the most – the snow runoff means that the lakes and waterfalls are at their fullest and the whole nature is waking up and showing its beauty in full bloom.
The low season in Croatia runs from November through March and the coast sees the least amount of visitors. Weather-wise, this time tends to be cold and wet with temperatures dipping to below freezing in some areas. Coastal areas receive quite a bit of rain in these months and many businesses close their doors. But this is the perfect time to visit Northern Croatia! Visiting Zagreb, the capital of Croatia, should be on your list! Zagreb Advent has been voted the best Christmas Market in Europe 3 years in a row (2016, 2017, 2018). Or maybe if you would like to try skiing in Croatia, you could go to Sljeme, Platak or Petehovac.
Whenever you choose to come, I am sure you won’t be disappointed!

CURRENCY, CASH/CARDS, ATM’s
Since January 1st 2023, our official currency is EURO (EUR). Croatia is part of the European Union since 2013. From 1994. till the end of 2022. the currency was Croatian “Kuna”. As Euro has been recently introduced, you will still be able to see prices shown in both Kuna and Euro, but the only legal tender is Euro.
In most of the bars, clubs, restaurants, shops…it’s possible to pay with a debit/credit card, but there are also some places like smaller cafes, the farmer’s (green) market, and some shops, that still accept only cash, so it might be good to have some cash (Euros) with you. There are plenty of ATMs in every city where you can withdraw the money.
You can also exchange money at any of the country’s banks, money exchange offices and post offices.
GUIDE’S TIP: Ask for an exchange rate and commission rate and compare it to official ones before you exchange money. Nowadays it’s not uncommon to have exchange offices with very bad rates in touristic places. Also, when looking for an ATM to withdraw money, keep in mind that some of the ATMs have unreasonably high commissions on foreign cards. I would definitely recommend trying to find an ATM which belongs to one of the banks and to avoid the “yellow and blue” ones.
LANGUAGE
The Croatian language is a South Slavic language and is the official and literary language of Croatia. It is written in the Latin alphabet, although Croatian was originally written in Glagolitic – the oldest known Slavic alphabet, which was invented in the 9th and commonly used till late 18th century.
Although it is considered as a hard language to learn, Croatian is pronounced how it’s read, which makes it easy to read. Each letter in Croatian alphabet represents a single sound, which means that after a little practice, Croatian words are easy to pronounce.
You don’t have to learn Croatian to be able to communicate while on vacation – Croatians are commonly multilingual. Almost 80% of Croatians can speak foreign language and they are near the top of European Union statistics for knowing a second language. English is the most popular foreign language in Croatia, but German and Italian are also very popular and widely spoken among Croatians.
With all that being said, still, learning a few words of Croatian will go far in gaining locals’ respect and an extra smile.
• Hello / Hi: Bok / Hej
• Good-bye: Doviđenja / Ciao
• Yes: Da
• No: Ne
• Good morning: Dobro jutro
• Good afternoon: Dobar dan
• Good evening: Dobra večer
• Please: Molim
• Excuse me / Sorry : Oprosti / Oprostite (informal/formal)
• How are you?: Kako si? / Kako ste? (informal/formal)
• A beer / water/ coffee / tea, please: Pivo / voda / kava / čaj, molim.
• Thank you: Hvala / “Fala” (dialect)

HOW TO GET TO CROATIA
Croatia is part of the European Union since 2013, and it is in Schengen zone since 2023. That means that visitors coming from the EU can enter freely without border (passport) controls.
Visitors from outside of the European Union must have a valid passport (at least six months before expiration), and entry is valid for three months within a 180-day period.
For more information, visit the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration of the Republic of Croatia.
ARRIVAL BY PLANE:
Croatia has an impressive number of eight international airports – Zagreb, Split, Dubrovnik, Pula, Rijeka, Zadar, Osijek, Brač and Mali Lošinj, but only the three biggest – Zagreb, Split and Dubrovnik accept international flights year-round.
Croatia Airlines is Croatian national carrier, but during summer months there are lots of other international and low-budget carriers available.
You can find more information about air traffic at: www.ccaa.hr
ARRIVAL BY SEA:
Croatia has a maritime boarder with Italy and there are some international ferry and fast ferry lines that connect these two countries:
Zadar – Ancona (Jadrolinija – www.jadrolinija.hr)
Split – Stari Grad – Ancona (SNAV – www.snav.it)
Split – Stari Grad – Ancona (Jadrolinija – www.jadrolinija.hr)
Dubrovnik – Bari (Jadrolinija – www.jadrolinija.hr)
Jadrolinija is Croatia’s largest liner shipping company for the maritime transport of passengers and vehicles, with a hundred year long tradition ( www.jadrolinija.hr ). Some other lines that offer similar services and connections between islands and the mainland are:
Bura line & off shore (www.buraline.com)
MB Kapetan Luka – Ivan Tomić t.p. (www.krilo.hr)
Krilo Shipping Company d.o.o. (www.ksc.hr)
Miatrade d.o.o. (www.miatours.hr)
ARRIVAL BY CAR:
Highways are the main transport network in Croatia. The main motorways are named A (autocesta) accompanied by one or two digits. They are controlled-access toll highways with a ticket system.
It is very easy to rent-a-car in Croatia and some consider it the best way to explore the country.
During the peak season (July and August), you can expect a lot of traffic, especially on some of the boarders – the most popular entrances to Croatia. Before travelling, check the conditions of road and ferry traffic with HAK on www.hak.hr.
Speed Limits:
50 km/h – within settled areas
90 km/h – outside settled areas
110 km/h – on major roadways designed exclusively for motor vehicles, and on highways
130 km/h – on motorways
80 km/h – for motor vehicles with a caravan trailer without brakes
80 km/h – for buses and buses with a light trailer; on motorways, buses are allowed to drive up to 100 km/h, except for those buses carrying children
ARRIVAL BY TRAIN:
GUIDE’S TIP: Don’t use trains in Croatia. While hitting the rails might be a great choice in many European countries, train travel isn’t always the best way to get around Croatia. The national train company does connect many Croatian cities, but our rails and trains are very old and you would probably reach your destination faster with a bike than on a train.

OTHER USEFUL INFORMATION:
Drinking Water
Tap water is safe to drink in Croatia and I recommend it. Most of Croatians prefer tap water to the bottled one. Croatian water has great quality and by drinking tap water we are also thinking about our beautiful planet by not producing additional plastic waste.
Electric Current
Outlets are standard European plugs (types C and F), and normally the current is 230 volt and 50 hertz.
Internet
Internet in Croatia is widely available and broadband services are now very common and fast! Wifi is extremely widespread – you’ll find it offered in your place of accommodation, in restaurants, cafes and bars and in ‘hotspots’ around town.
Tipping
Tipping is not obligatory in Croatia, but it’s a good practice to leave 10-20 percent for good service in restaurants. In bars and cafes rounding up the bill is considered almost obligatory (all the locals do it), and if you were satisfied with the service, the tip (10-20%) is recommended.
It is not desirable to tip on the card, because some of the Croatian laws are ridiculous so they charge taxes on the tip, so the person wouldn’t get the whole amount that was offered – this is also why it is good to have some cash with you.
Public Bathrooms
Public toilets in cities are generally a scarcity, but you’ll find them at bus stations, train stations and service stations. They usually cost 1 euro. My recommendation is to rather go to a café or a bar, enjoy a drink and use their toilet.
General Safety
Croatia is a very safe country. Me (and all of my female friends) feel completely safe going back home alone at night time. It is very uncommon to see and/or hear of some larger crimes. But on the other hand, during the peak season, where there are large groups of people on some very popular sites, every year there is more and more pickpockets. I would always recommend to keep an eye on your belongings while walking around, taking photos and strolling around the most popular tourist places.
Religion
Most of Croatians are Catholics (almost 80% according to the last census in 2021.), so you will see lots of churches and hear lots of bells ringing, especially on Sundays. On Sundays you might also find some of the establishments closed (some bars, smaller shops and restaurants choose to do so). When entering churches, cathedrals, synagogues and other places of worship, it is important to behave with respect and dress accordingly – generally that means covering shoulders and knees.
Coffee Culture
Croatians have a very strong coffee culture. We love our coffee and we take it seriously 🙂 We often meet with friends for a cup of coffee, we sit and chat, and sometimes those coffee dates can last for hours! Lots of cafes and terraces are full of locals enjoying the sun and good company. The situation is similar when we talk about food. We love to meet with family to eat, most typically on weekends, and the gastronomy is really an important part of our lives.
Regonal Diversity
Croatia is a small country, but there is lots of regional diversity. People who live close to the sea, on the coast are usually very different from those who live in the northern and eastern part of the country. Those differences in lifestyle and behaviour are mostly caused by weather conditions and historical influences.
Taxi / Uber
Most of the larger cities have Uber, and we use it a lot. If you are using other taxi services, be sure to check and agree on the price before getting inside the car (during the season it is not uncommon that taxi drivers try charging very high prices)
Sports
Football (all sports, but football especially) is almost like a religion. Croatians are very passionate about sports and we are generally pretty good at it. While in Croatia, I would recommend going to a game of a local (football) club, or if possible, at least watching a game in a bar with some locals – it is a special experience even for those who don’t like sports.
And I believe that’s it! I have managed to make this article way longer than it should be.
I have tried to cover some of the most frequent questions that I get. Hope you’ll find it useful.
Feel free to contact me for all the additional information that you were looking for and with the details that can help me plan a perfect Croatian holiday for you.