En este artículo, quiero compartir consejos sencillos pero importantes para visitar Croacia

En este artículo, quiero compartir consejos sencillos pero importantes para visitar Croacia. Es posible que hayas oído hablar de Croacia. Tal vez has visto fotos de su hermosa costa y aguas cristalinas. Quizás tus amigos te han hablado de sus encantadores pueblos y aldeas pintorescas. O has escuchado historias sobre la fascinante cultura de Croacia, sus sitios Patrimonio de la Humanidad y monumentos maravillosamente conservados que datan de la Antigüedad. Tal vez te atrae su rica vida nocturna y te encantaría formar parte de festivales mundialmente conocidos como Outlook o el Festival de Música Ultra. No importa cuál haya sido la razón que te atrajo a visitar este maravilloso país mediterráneo, estoy seguro de que tu viaje a Croacia no te decepcionará. Croacia lo tiene todo: una impresionante costa con más de 1.200 islas, una cultura fascinante, populares festivales de verano, una naturaleza increíble y una rica gastronomía. En este artículo, quiero compartir consejos sencillos pero importantes para visitar Croacia. ¿Quién mejor que un local que ha vivido aquí durante los últimos 30 años y ha trabajado en la industria turística durante los últimos 10 años para explicar y abordar este tema?

Geografía de Croacia El territorio nacional de Croacia abarca 56.594 km², con 31.479 km² de aguas costeras para navegar, nadar y bucear. Croacia limita al norte con Eslovenia y Hungría, al este con Bosnia y Herzegovina y Serbia, al sur con Montenegro y comparte una frontera marítima con Italia al oeste. Croacia ocupa la mayor parte de la costa oriental del mar Adriático, que, como parte del mar Mediterráneo, penetra profundamente en el continente europeo. La estrecha cordillera montañosa de Dinara separa la región mediterránea del país de su sección continental centroeuropea. Población Según el censo más reciente de 2021, Croacia tiene 3,88 millones de habitantes, lo que representa una caída del 10% en la última década (el censo anterior de 2011 mostraba 4,28 millones de personas). Tres ciudades en Croacia tienen más de 100.000 habitantes: Zagreb, Split y Rijeka. Ocho tienen más de 50.000 habitantes. Zagreb, la capital de Croacia, tiene alrededor de 770.000 habitantes. Clima Croacia disfruta de tres climas diferentes:

• Costa: Clima mediterráneo agradable con un alto número de días de sol al año. Lugares como Hvar, Dubrovnik, Split, Bol y Korčula tienen alrededor de 2.700 horas de sol al año. Los veranos son calurosos y secos, y los inviernos son suaves y húmedos. Rara vez vemos nieve aquí en la costa croata.
• Interior: Clima continental y moderado. Esto generalmente significa veranos calurosos e inviernos fríos (con una variación significativa de temperatura anual).
• Montañas: Una vez que subes por encima de los 1.200 m (el pico más alto de Croacia está en la montaña Dinara, a 1.831 m), serás recibido con aire fresco de montaña y temperaturas alrededor de 13 ºC en los meses de verano, y inviernos muy fríos y nevados.

Mejor Época para Visitar Croacia No hay una mejor época para visitar Croacia, ya que depende mucho de tus objetivos de viaje. Croacia atrae a muchos por su clima soleado, playas vírgenes y sus festivales y eventos culturales. Mientras que la mejor época para visitar Croacia generalmente depende del tipo de viaje que quieras hacer, el verano es sin duda la temporada alta para los visitantes internacionales. Dicho esto, en los meses de verano pico —julio y agosto— tiende a estar muy concurrido a lo largo de la costa. Esto generalmente significa que durante esos meses el alojamiento y los boletos de avión son más caros, las temperaturas superan los 30°C y hay tráfico por todas partes. Las temporadas intermedias (de mayo a principios de junio y de septiembre a octubre) aún ofrecen clima cálido y soleado, pero con menos gente. Recomiendo visitar la costa durante estos meses. Algunas de las regiones costeras más famosas, como Istria y Dalmacia, las ciudades de Zadar, Šibenik, Split, Trogir, Dubrovnik y nuestras hermosas islas como Brač y Hvar, son ideales para visitar en estas temporadas intermedias. Algunos de los parques nacionales más famosos, como Krka y los Lagos de Plitvice, son hermosos en todas las estaciones, pero creo que en primavera ofrecen lo mejor: el deshielo de la nieve significa que los lagos y las cascadas están en su máximo esplendor y toda la naturaleza se despierta y muestra su belleza en todo su esplendor. La temporada baja en Croacia va de noviembre a marzo, y la costa recibe la menor cantidad de visitantes. En cuanto al clima, este período tiende a ser frío y húmedo, con temperaturas que bajan por debajo de cero en algunas áreas. Las zonas costeras reciben bastante lluvia en estos meses y muchos negocios cierran sus puertas. Pero este es el momento perfecto para experimentar una Croacia más tranquila y auténtica.    

CURRENCY, CASH/CARDS, ATMs 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 9^th and commonly used till late 18^th 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. Regional 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.