The Croatian Kuna
The Croatian currency is the Kuna, which is divided into 100 lipas. (The word "Kuna" means marten, a weasel-like animal, whose fur Croats used for payment many centuries ago. The lipa is a lime tree, but we don't know the connection here!) When listed as a price, the Kuna is abbreviated to Kn.

The Kuna comes in dominations of 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, 500 and 1,000 as notes and 1, 2, 5, 25 as coins. The Lipa comes in coins of 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 and 50.

The 200 Kuna note. The front features Stjepan Radic, a Croatian politician and founder of the Peasant Party in the early 20th century. The back shows Osijek's headquarters, a building which dates from 1726

In the opinion of many, the Kuna is overvalued but is nevertheless a stable currency. The current exchange rate between the Kuna and various world currencies can be found at the Croatian National Bank.

Obtaining Kunas prior to your visit to Croatia
In the UK, it is possible to obtain the Kuna prior to your trip to Croatia at some foreign exchange stores. The easiest way might be to purchase your money online, as once you order the amount you want, the money can either be posted to you (for a charge) or it can be picked up at an airport prior to your departure.

Travelex, for example, now offer home delivery for foreign currency purchases. The also allow you to pick up your purchased currency at various Heathrow and Gatwick terminals. Travelex charge 0% commission - click on the banner for more details.

Check also with your own bank to see if can order Kunas online with them.

ATMs in Croatia
Alternatively, you may not see the need to purchase Croatian Kunas prior to your trip - which is perfectly understandable! In this case, our first piece of advice would be to take a bank card/cash card instead - this avoids the need to travel with large-ish amounts of cash, and ATMs are readily available in all resorts, towns and cities in Croatia, in banks, supermarkets, airports and elsewhere.

As a foreign card is inserted into the machine, you will most likely be presented you with a choice of languages - no need to navigate through Croatian-language menus! The exchange rate you'll receive will be fairly good, and there may only be a small service charge, which depends on your bank back home - you may want to check before travelling. Local banks may also charge an operating fee on top of this.

If you travel abroad a fair bit, you may like to see if you can find a bank in your home country that will give you a debit card that doesn't incur charges when used aboard.

Are Euros accepted in Croatia?
You will find that you can pay for some items - accommodation, taxis, some restaurants - in Euros. Do note that this is entirely on an unofficial basis; the Euro is NOT an official currency and NO business/individual is required to accept them as payment. (It is just the case that some businesses, particularly small/family-run ones are happy to receive Euros - this probably harks back to the days of Yugoslavia when people were happier "holding" Deutschmarks rather than the unstable Yugoslav Dinar.)

So when will Croatia join the Euro?
Croatia is not even presently in the EU - although is it confirmed to be the next country to join (most likely on the 1st July 2013). There are no plans to adopt the Euro as its official currency even when it does join, and any plans for this would be a great number of years off. (If there is still a Euro to join given the present problems!) So the answer to this question is - who knows!

Currencies to take with you and changing money in Croatia
Taking your "home" currency (Euros, UK Pounds or U.S. Dollars) to Croatia and changing it there will not result in any problems - all are easy to change for Kunas in the country, although other currencies can of course be changed too.

If you're home currency is something other than these three, and you'd like to play it safe, the best currency to take to Croatia is Euros - for the reasons given above, and also because you'll find most people know the current rate of exchange between the Euro and the Kuna.

Hotel exchange rates are usually quite poor, so try to avoid changing your money at your hotel. You'll probably be better off changing your money in a bank or in one of numerous Bureaux de Change dotted around towns.