Overview of some useful information about Croatia you will need during your stay

Where is Croatia
Croatia is a middle European country, which has bordering neighbours as follows: Slovenia on the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herzegovina to the southeast and Montenegro to the southeast. A natural border between Italy and Croatia is the Adriatic Sea.

Language
Croatian

Regions in Croatia
Croatia can be divided into the following regions: Central Croatia, City of Zagreb, Slavonia in the east (not Slovenia! ;), Lika-Karlovac, and 3 major regions on the coast: Istria, The Kvarner Bay and Dalmatia.

Capital 
The capital of Croatia and the largest city is Zagreb.

Climate
Climate in Croatia is mostly moderately warm and rainy continental. The coldest areas are the hinterland of Lika and Gorski Kotar. The warmest parts of Croatia are on the Adriatic coast, which is characterised by the Mediterranean climate, and in general, hot and dry summers with usually a large number of sunny days. Bear in mind that two significant types of stronger wind can blow along the coast and islands: bura and jugo! Bura is a dry and cool wind, which blows from the north: from the mountains to the Adriatic Sea. Bura blows usually during winter months, but can occur throughout the year. On the other hand, jugo is a moist wind, which blows from the south: from the islands onto the shore. Jugo brings big waves, usually rain and sometimes storms. Do not underestimate the power of these two winds! For more information about the daily weather forecast in Croatia, we can suggest to click on the webpage of the Croatian meteorological and hydrological service. This webpage is always up-to-date.

Currency 
From January 1st, 2023 the official currency in Croatia is Euro.



ATM 
ATMs (bankomat in Croatian) are available throughout Croatia. They accept various credit cards and debit cards. This way, by withdrawing the money, you can exchange it to kuna, as well.

Croatia within the EU 
In July 2013 Croatia became a member state of the European Union. Although Croatia is a member of the EU, it is not part of the Schengen Zone. This means that crossing the border also includes checking of your ID’s and/or passports by the officials. Please check in advance if you need a visa for your stay in Croatia. For more information, please click on the website of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs.

Transportation modes:
Car 
Croatia is connected to all neighbouring countries with a very good road system. In Croatia, as in most of the countries, drivers are required to keep right when driving and overtake on the left. The main motorways are called autocesta in Croatian. Toll charges may be paid in cash or by credit cards and prepaid devices. The network of state roads in Croatia is also well connected. There are state roads, drzavna cesta in Croatian, county roads zupanijska cesta in Croatian and local roads. Having a car during your stay in our villas with pool is always a good idea. This way you will have more freedom and possibilities to discover all beauties that Croatia has to offer. Also, most of the villas are located in small villages away from it all, so a car will be necessary.

Car Rental / Taxi
If you are traveling to Croatia without a private car, you don’t have to worry. There are numerous possibilities for car rental or taxi. If in Istria, do not hesitate to contact our trusted partner for car rental, taxi services and pickup from nearby airports.

Bus
There is a good connection of buses between all major cities in Croatia and to the foreign countries. Tickets for buses in Croatia can be bought at the bus station, online or sometimes directly in the bus from the bus driver. In summer months it is always a good idea to buy tickets in advance. Schedule changes depending on the time of the year. We can advise you to check the time of departure, arrival and duration of the trip on the official webpages of each city or bigger town. Make sure to check if the line drives directly or if it stops in several places, which will make your journey longer. There are also local buses with connections to and from small towns, but bear in mind that they do not operate frequently. Especially during the summer months or on weekends, services are even reduced. All major cities have good connections of public transport by buses (Zagreb, Pula, Rijeka, Split, Zadar, Dubrovnik) and trams (Zagreb, Osijek). Tickets can be bought either at a kiosk, specialized selling spots of the bus company or directly in the bus from the bus driver.

Train 
There are train connections from several European cities to Croatia, but mostly to bigger Croatian cities only. The network of railways in Croatia is extensive, but unfortunately the trip usually takes longer than by buses. Tickets for trains in Croatia can be bought at train station, directly in the train or online. We can suggest to check schedule and connections on the official webpage of the Croatian Railways. Unfortunately, do not be surprised if you cannot find the preferred route. In this case, choose some other way of travel. :)



Airplane 
Croatia has international airports in Zagreb, Zadar, Split, Dubrovnik, Rijeka, Osijek and Pula. The largest and the most frequent one is Franjo Tudman Airport in Zagreb. There are daily domestic flights from Zagreb to several European cities. Airports in Zadar, Split, Dubrovnik, Rijeka and Pula are usually busier in summer months. There is also a small airport on the Island of Brac, usually for charter flights. If you are travelling to Istria, you can check flights to Ljubljana (Slovenia) and Trieste or Venice (Italy). You can either find your flight on the official webpage of the particular airline or search it through an engine for finding comparisons for flights.

Boat and Ferry 
As located on the Adriatic Sea, Croatia has several ports. Many ports have an extensive system of ferries, which connect Croatian islands and coastal cities and towns. There are ferry lines to several cities in Italy as well. Ferries to the islands operate quite frequently, especially in the summer months, when they offer their services with additional connections, which no longer depend on the time table, but on the traffic flow and operate even more frequently. We can suggest to visit the official webpage of Jadrolinija, the Croatian sea shipping company in order to find your preferred route.
The Croatian region Istria and its coastal towns are connected with Venice in Italy via catamarans operated by Venezia Lines. On the link you can check from which towns and how frequently.
There are numerous day trips by boat organized from the ports of touristic hotspots and coastal towns. You can find them either online, but more often directly on the promenade next to the sea. The offer is really big and you can choose it according to your own wishes.

Rent a bike
If you would like to discover Croatia, its beautiful nature and landscapes in an active way, bicycle is a great idea for shorter routes. In this guide you can read more about cycling routes in Croatia. If in Istria, do not hesitate to contact our trusted partner for bike rental.

Croatia Traffic Info 
Useful information regarding traffic flow and road conditions can be found on the HAK webpage (Croatian Automobile Club). We can suggest to check this webpage regularly, because new information (border crossing, roadworks, etc.) are updated regularly.
Useful and the most important telephone numbers in Croatia:
(+385) 112 – emergency number
(+385) 192 – police (+385) 193 – fire service
(+385) 194 – ambulance
(+385) 195 – search and rescue at the sea
(+385) 1987 – road assistance
(+385) 1 4640 800 – HAK (Croatian automobile club)
(+385) 072 777 777 – HAK traffic flow

Health services
In Croatia, hospitals, clinics and dental clinics are located in all bigger cities (Zagreb, Rijeka, Split, Pula, Zadar, Osijek). In smaller towns you can find ER’s, medical and dental services. Pharmacies can be found in all bigger cities and towns. Please take your health insurance ID or private insurance policy with you.

Veterinary services
Veterinary clinics can be found in all bigger cities (Zagreb, Rijeka, Split, Pula, Osijek). Dispensaries can be found in smaller towns.

Electricity 
Croatia uses the standard European plugs, sockets type C.
Power supply: 220 V
Frequency: 50 Hz

Registration of the guests
For your stay in any accommodation in Croatia, as well as in villas in our offer, your host has to register you and members of your party on arrival at the tourist office. For this reason, a valid passport or identification document for each guest is required. Tourist tax for a stay in our villas is already included in the price. At the arrival in the villa, the host will collect your documents and give them back to you, as soon as your data has been noted. This is for your own personal safety, but it is also a matter of the Croatian law.

Supermarkets and grocery shops 
There are numerous big supermarkets in bigger cities that are open every day, usually from 7a.m. until 8 p.m. or longer, on weekends and holidays as well, especially during summer months. In small towns you can find supermarkets and local grocery stores. In villages there are grocery stores with more modest offer.

We hope this was helpful.
My Istria Team wishes you a nice stay in Croatia! :)


Nikolina Mladic

17.10.2017