Languages
Croatian, to a lesser degree Serbian, Italian, Hungarian, Czech, Slovak and German
We had no trouble with English in Croatia even in the small towns. It is a country now well-used to tourism
Currency
Croatian Kuna (HRK)
Cash is helpful in Croatia. You’ll need it for walking tours and tips. While the majority of hotels and restaurants take credit card, there were times we needed cash.
International Airports
- Zagreb (ZAG)
- Dubrovnik (DBV)
- Split (SPU)
- Zadar (ZAD)
- Rijeka (RJK)
- Pula (PUY)
Tipping
Restaurants: 5-10% unless “service charge” is listed on the bill
Cabs: Round up to nearest 5 or 10 (about 5%)
Airlines with Good Deals
- Turkish Airlines–offering a layover in Istanbul, this makes a nice trip to Zagreb
- Lufthansa
- Swiss
- Air Canada
Most airlines fly to Croatia, use KAYAK, Kiwi, or Skyscanner to find the best deals
Best Rental Car Companies
Avant (Booked via HolidayAutos.com)
Not-to-miss Local Food, Beer, Drink
Food
- Pizza
- Pasta: spaghetti, gnocchi, lasagna
- Squid ink risotto
- Mixed grill (balkan grilled meats)
- Veal or lamb Ispod peka (baked under lid covered with coals)
- Seafood: fish, mussels, squid, octopus, scampi
- Be prepared if you want a certain type of fish to find people among your party to eat it with. Though not always the case, sometimes when you want a fish, you get that whole fish in Croatia–ie if the fish they caught is 5 pounds, you are purchasing a 5 pound fish and better find some friends to enjoy it with (well worth it!)
Drinks
Water
Drinking tap water in this country is fine. Bring your reusable water bottle and request tap water at restaurants (voda iz slavine)
Local Beer
- Osječko
- Ožujsko
- Karlovačko
- Laško
- Tomislav
- Velebitsko
- Zmajska pivovara
- Bujska pivovara
- Šibenska pivovara
- Nova runda
- Varionica
- Medvedgrad
- Bura Brew
- Visibaba
- Vunetovo
- The Garden brewery
Local Wine
Croatia has the perfect climate to grow grapes, and Croatian wine is becoming more popular and ubiquitous in the US. You will see vineyards (spattered among olive groves) blanketing the countryside and islands. If you’ve ever been to Napa, you might have tasted at the most famous Croatian winemaker’s winery, Grgich (his Croatian varietal beat out French chardonnay in 1976, a feat which never previously happened and put Napa on the map. If you haven’t been we strongly recommend you go in our Napa itinerary). There are many fun wine bars to taste a bunch of options throughout the country if you can’t get out to taste at a vineyard.
Whites:
- Pošip (Korčula region)
- Malvazija Istarska (Istria and Damaltian Coast)
- Grk (Korčula region)
- Graševina (Slavonia)
Reds:
- Plavac Mali (Dalmatian Coast)
- Teran (Istria)
- Bogdanusa (Hvar)
- Babić (North Dalmatia)
Dessert:
- Prosek
Not-to-miss Sites:
- Zagreb: City walk, Museum of Naive Art, Museum of Broken Relationships
- Plitvice Lakes National Park: waterfalls
- Istria: Rovinj, Hill Towns, Opatija, Skopje caves
- Split: Diocletian’s Palace
- Hvar: Old Town + surrounding islands
- Korcula: Old Town
- Dubrovnik: city walls, stradum