Health The health service is of a good standard. You
have to pay for seeing a doctor or being treated in a hospital.
Certain countries, such as Britain, have reciprocal medical arrangements
whereby, in principal, you should not have to pay for any emergency
treatment. It is therefore useful to wave your passport first
and mention this!
Safety It is quite safe to travel
all over Croatia and mugging and thefts are not a problem. You
can safely walk in any town at night, but use your common sense,
as always. In some coastal resorts, as is common all over the
Mediterranean, single women may be approached or wolf-whistled
at. Say no firmly and you will not be bothered. In case of any
problems, approach a policeman who will assist
you. Both the Croatian police and the army are well disciplined.
If you have a language problem, approach a younger person (teenagers/students)
as they all speak some English and will be eager to help.
Accommodation The high season, July and August,
is more expensive. In April, May, September and October, prices
can sometimes be reduced by up to 50%.
There are over 200 camping grounds along
the Croatian coast - see the Croatian
Camping Union for a listing.
For the best value accommodation, stay in
private rooms or apartments which are very popular in Croatia. You may either see people advertising "sobe" (rooms) at ports and bus/train stations in popular resorts. These private rooms or apartments may sometimes in people's houses, but in most cases they are located in a separate area or floor of the house, or in another house they the owner uses for holiday rentals. You can always ask to see the room/apartment first before agreeing to take it.
Alternatively, every single
town has a tourist office (Turisticki ured) - should you ever be stuck for accommodation, head to the tourist office and they will help sort something out.
Hotels are of good value, but top class accommodation
is expensive.
Food & Drink You get the standard fare as
in many other central European or Mediterranean countries (pizza,
pasta, meat dishes, fish). All food is safe to eat as restaurants
are regularly inspected, and there is no problem with drinking
water. Seafood is a speciality along the Croatian coastline, unsurprisingly!
Croatian beers (the word beer in Croatian is "pivo") are of a high quality. Try Zagreb's
Ozujsko pivo or Karlovackopivo or Tuborg,
which is brewed by Carlsberg Croatia. In Dalmatia, some red wines such
as Faros or Dingac are exquisite. You should also
try Croatia's favourite brandy sljivovica, made from plums,
or travarica, a herbal brandy.
A refreshing glass of Karlovacko
If you are back home and fancy cooking a Croatian
meal of your own, why not take a look at our Croatian
Cuisine section?
Other information
Electricity is 220V, 50Hz.
Croatia uses the standard European 2 point plugs.
The weights and measures system is metric.
Croatia is 1 hour ahead of GMT, the same time zone as the majority
of Western Europe.
The Croatian language uses the Latin alphabet. There are 30 characters in the Croatian alphabet. See more about the Croatian language in our Croatian for Travellers section.
