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Croatia Travel Guide

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Cathedral of Saint Jacob in Šibenik
Location
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Flag
Image:Hr-flag.png
Quick Facts
Capital Zagreb
Government parliamentary democracy
Currency kuna (HRK)
Area 56,542 sq km
Population 4,494,749 (July 2006 est.)
Language Croatian 96%, other 4% (including Italian, Hungarian, Czech, Slovak, and German)
Religion Roman Catholic 87.8%, Orthodox 4.4%, Muslim 1.3%, other Christian 0.4%, others and unknown 6.1%
Electricity 230V/50Hz (European plug)
Calling Code +385
Internet TLD .hr
Time Zone UTC +1


Croatia[1] (Croatian: Hrvatska) is a country in Southern Europe on the east side of the Adriatic Sea, to the east of Italy. It is surrounded by Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the north, Bosnia and Herzegovina to the east, Serbia in the northeast and Montenegro in the south east.

Contents

Regions

Map of Croatia
Map of Croatia

Historic Regions

Administrative divisions

Croatia is divided into 20 counties (Croatian: županija) and the city district of the capital, Zagreb*:

  • Zagreb county
  • Krapina-Zagorje county
  • Sisak-Moslavina county
  • Karlovac county
  • Varaždin county
  • Koprivnica-Križevci county
  • Bjelovar-Bilogora county
  • Primorje-Gorski Kotar county
  • Lika-Senj county
  • Virovitica-Podravina county
  • Požega-Slavonia county
  • Brod-Posavina county
  • Zadar county
  • Osijek-Baranja county
  • Šibenik-Knin county
  • Vukovar-Srijem county
  • Split-Dalmatia county
  • Istria county
  • Dubrovnik-Neretva county
  • Međimurje county
  • City of Zagreb*

Cities

Islands

  • Krk
  • Cres
  • Lošinj
  • Rab
  • Pag
  • Molat
  • Dugi otok
  • Ugljan
  • Kornati
  • Murter
  • Pašman
  • Žirje
  • Drvenik
  • Čiovo
  • Šolta
  • Vis
  • Brač
  • Hvar
  • Korčula
  • Lastovo
  • Mljet
  • Šipan
  • Lopud

Other destinations


Understand

Climate

Northern Croatia has a temperate continental climate wheras central, semi-mountainous and mountainous regions have a mountainous climate. The entire Adriatic coast has a pleasant Mediterranean climate. Spring and autumn are mild along the coast, while winter is cold and snowy in central and northern regions. The average temperature in the inland in January ranges from 0 to 2°C, August 19 to 23°C. The average temperature at the seaside is higher: January 6 to 11°C, August 21 to 27 °C.

Terrain

Geographically diverse; flat plains along Hungarian border, low mountains and highlands near Adriatic coastline and islands. There are 1,185 islands; the largest ones are Krk and Cres.

Highest point 
Dinara 1,830 m

History

Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb
Enlarge
Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb

Croatian lands were part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire until the latter's dissolution at the end of World War I. In 1918, the Croats, Serbs, and Slovenes formed a kingdom known after 1929 as Yugoslavia. Following World War II, Yugoslavia became an independent communist state under the strong hand of Marshal Tito. Although Croatia declared its independence from Yugoslavia in 1991, it took four years of sporadic, but often bitter, fighting before occupying Serb armies were mostly cleared from Croatian lands. Under UN supervision the last Serb-held enclave in eastern Slavonia was returned to Croatia in 1998.

Visitors now to Croatia's more popular towns would see little physical evidence of this violence. Croatia's coastal areas are especially stunning, and have the hybrid charm of Eastern European and the Mediterranean.

Get in

North American and many other nationals can enter Croatia with a valid passport and without a visa. The citizens of EU member countries and Bosnia and Herzegovina can even enter the country with a valid identity card. The document of identity must be valid at least three months longer than you plan to stay in Croatia.

By plane


  • As of October 31 2006 Ryanair will be flying from London Stansted to Pula.
  • Additionally you can use neighbouring airports in Ljubljana (for EasyJet flights to London Stansted), Trieste and Graz (for Ryanair flights to London Stansted) which are all within few hours of reach from Zagreb and Rijeka. Some also use Tivat Airport (in Montenegro) which is within easy reach from Dubrovnik.

By train

The rail network connects all major Croatian cities, except Dubrovnik. There are direct lines from Austria, Switzerland, Germany, Hungary, Slovenia, Italy, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, and Greece. There are indirect lines from almost all other European countries.

Tourists coming from or going to neighbouring countries should note the following EuroCity and InterCity railway lines:

By car

To enter Croatia, a driver's licence, an automobile registration card and vehicle insurance documents (including Green Card) are required. If you need road assistance, you should dial 987. The following speeds are permitted:

  • 50 km/h - within built-up areas
  • 90 km/h - outside built-up areas
  • 110 km/h - on major motor routes
  • 130 km/h - on motorways
  • 80 km/h - for motor vehicles with a caravan trailer
  • 80 km/h - for buses and buses with a light trailer

When driving in the rain, you should adjust speed to conditions on wet roads. Driving with headlights is obligatory during both day and night. Use of mobile phones while driving is not permitted. Maximum permitted amount of alcohol in blood: 0.0 per ml! Use of seat belts is obligatory.

Hrvatski Auto Klub is the Croatian Automobile Club dedicated to promoting greater traffic security. Its site offers minute-by-minute updates, status of national traffic, weather, numerous maps and webcams located all over Croatia. Content is available in Croatian, English, German and Italian.

By bus

Very good network of buses - cheap and regular.

Coming in from Trieste, Italy is popular among Europeans, for Trieste is a RyanAir destination. One crosses the Italian-Slovenian border first, and then the Slovenian-Croatian border, but they are very close to one another. Border security is high, but that's just normal.

By boat

Ferries are cheap and go regularly between various places by the coast. Although they are not fast they are probably the best way to see the beautiful Croatian islands of the Adriatic Sea.

Jadrolinija is the main Croatian passenger shiping line that maintains the largest number of regular international and domestic ferry and shipping lines. The following international lines are serviced by car ferries:

Get around

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.

By train

The 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.

Rail is still the cheapest connection beetween inland and coast. As of 2004 you can ride on the new 160kph “tilting trains” that connect Zagreb with Split and other major cities in Croatia such as Rijeka and Osijek. If you make a reservation early enough you can get a substantial discount.

Hrvatske željeznice - Croatian Railways's site in Croatian, German and English has timetable and prices.

Tickets

On board tickets are not available. An exception is made if you happen to get on the train on one of the few stations/stops where tickets are not sold. However, only local trains stop on such stations. In all other cases, the ticket you will buy from the conductor 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").

  • Autobusni kolodvor Zagreb - Bus Terminal Zagreb, timetable information, content in Croatian, English is under construction.
  • CroatiaBus - bus company - timetable informaton, prices, content in Croatian and English.
  • Autotrans Rijeka - bus company - timetable informaton, prices, content in Croatian and English.
  • Autobusni promet Varazdin - bus company - timetable informaton, prices, content in Croatian, English and German.
  • Contus - bus company - timetable informaton, prices, content in Croatian and English.

By thumb

Hitchhiking is generally good. If you can get to a highway toll stop simply ask people to take you with them as they open their windows to pay the toll. The toll collectors usually won't mind. The tricky part, of course, is to get to the toll stop. If you are in Zagreb and you are, like most people, heading south, take the bus 111 from the Savski most station in Zagreb and ask the bus driver where to get off to get to the toll stop. Next best place to ask people to pick you up are tank stations. Unlike in the US tank stations are safe places in Croatia. And finally, just using the good old thumb will work too if everything else fails.

Talk

See Croatian phrasebook

Many Croatians speak English as their second language, but Italian (along the coast) and German (in the northern parts of Croatia) are very popular too. People in the tourist industry most often speak quite good English, as does the younger generation, especially in the tourist areas of Istria, along the coast down to Dubrovnik, and in the capital, Zagreb. Don't count on elder people to speak English.

Croatian is not an easy language to learn, but the people like when foreign travellers use it for basic things such as greeting and thanking.

The Croatian language is not identical with Serbian, Bosnian or Bosniak, but is similar.

Travel

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has included the following Croatian sites on its World Heritage List:

Buy

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 Croatian debit cards (Cirrus, Maestro etc.). Read the labels/notices on the machine before using.

Tax-free shopping

If you buy goods worth more than 500 Kuna you are entitled to a PDV (VAT) tax return when leaving the country. Note that this applies to all goods except petroleum products. At point of purchase ask the sales person for a PDV-P form. Fill it out and have it stamped on the spot. On leaving Croatia the receipt will be verified by the Croatian Customs service. A PDV refund in Kunas can be obtained within six months, either at the same shop where you bought the goods (in that case the tax will be refunded to you immediately), or by posting the verified receipt back to the shop, together with the account number into which the refund should be paid. In this case the refund is dealt with within 15 days of receipt of the claim. There is another, much easier way to receive the refund. Buy your goods in shops with a "CROATIA TAX-FREE SHOPPING" label. This label is displayed on the shop's entrance, usually next to the labels of credit and debit cards this particular shop accepts. Using an international coupon, refund is possible in all countries-members of the TAX-FREE international chain. In this case the service charge is deducted from the tax refund amount.

Eat

Drink

Alcoholic: Try many different kinds of wines. Also worth trying is the plum brandy (rakija). Non-alcoholic: Sometimes although very rarely you may find "sok od bazge" (elder-berry juice) in the continental region. Worth trying!

On a more general note, Croatia produces a broad palette of high quality wines (up to 700 wines with protected geographic origin) and brandies, fruit juices, beers and mineral water. On the coast people usualy serve "bevanda" with meals. Bevanda is heavy, richly flavored red wine mixed with plain water. Its counter-part in northern parts of Croatia is "gemisht". This term designates dry, flavored wines mixed with mineral water.

Sleep

Camping

Private Accommodation

Private accommodation is the right choice for independent traveler or holiday maker. Apartment-style accommodation offers a flexible alternative to hotels while Private rooms are great option for shorter stays.

You can find adds for apartments and holiday homes online. These are often more expensive than those you could get directly, but they are generally much nicer and more comfortable than what you will usually get on the spot from the people at the ferry or bus terminal when you arrive. Use local agencies or check the property before you accept the deal. In High Season reservation is highly recomended.

Try for example Urlaub Anbieter for apartments anywhere in Europe or do your search online. There is a huge online offer of private accommodation in Croatia, apartments and villas with pool, hotels, lighthouses and isolated cottages so you can find your accommodation.


Hotels

In Croatia there are 3 major types of Hotel Accommodation: - mass tourism usually **/ *** hotel resorts - ***** luxory hotels - small private hotels

Croatian hotels take a reservation based on a credit card deposit.

Do

Sailing in Croatia

Yacht charter Croatia is a good way to see the coastal islands and networks of small archipeligos. Most charters leave from Split or or the surrounding area on the North or the South circuit, each offering its own pros and cons. A good way is to book a package with a company at home, but many Croatian companies also offer both bareboat and crewed charters.

Sail in Croatia with Navis Yacht Charter http://www.navis-yacht-charter.com Croatia registered company offering selection of sailing yachts, catamarans and motor boats and luxury yachts.

You can also have a look on the "Web's favourite Charter" on the address http://www.SailingEurope.com. The team is helpfull and they have LiveChat and good contact center (pretty girls in contact center too :).

Naturist resorts

Croatia was the first country in Europe to start with the concept of commercial naturist resorts. According to some estimates about 15% of all tourists that visit the country are naturists or nudists (more than one million each year). There are more than 20 official naturist resorts as well as a number of the so-called free beaches which are unofficial naturist beaches, sometimes controlled and maintained by local tourist authorities. Naturist beaches in Croatia are marked as "FKK". Most popular nudist destinations are Pula and island Rab.

Learn

Work

Safety

There are still many landmine fields left thoughout the country. If one sticks to well-trodden trails in the west and also urban areas there is no need to worry, but poking around in the brush is strongly discouraged.

During summer make sure you use adequate SPF to protect yourself from sunburn. There are no ozone holes over Croatia but it's fairly easy to burn in the sun. If this happens make sure you get out of the sun, drink plenty of fluids and rehydrate your skin. The locals will often advise covering the burnt spot with cold yoghurt bought from the supermarket.

In case of an emergency you can dial 112 - responsible for dispatching all emergency services such as fire departments, police, emergency medical assistance and mountain rescue.

Stay healthy

Respect

Remember Croatia used to be at war scene in the 1990s. One should not start debates about the war or politics, unless you are certain that the Croats are interested. But if one asks politely about the history of the country, the Croats will gladly respond. Socially, displays of affection among the younger generation are the same as Western European standards, but the older generation (over 65) still are quite conservative.

Contact

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