Croatia: What I wish I knew before visiting
Croatia is one of the most beautiful countries in the world, but some things caught me by surprise during my first visit.
This summer, I travelled to Croatia for the first time. It was my first international trip since the COVID-19 pandemic and my very first time on the Adriatic Sea. As I always do, I did some research about Croatia before my trip. I read about the break up of Yugoslavia, the significance of Croatia to the Roman Empire, where to find the best seafood and wine, and what tourist traps to avoid. Nonetheless, my internet education didn’t tell me everything I needed to know. There are just some things you can only figure out once you’re actually at your destination!
Once I landed in Croatia I realized there were quite a few things that I didn’t learn online and as my trip went on, I continued to learn even more. This is the joy of being a travel blogger and I guess why my job even exists; so that I can travel to destinations and learn these things to report back to my audience. That way, you can avoid making the same mistakes that I did.
Some of the unexpected things I encountered were annoying inconveniences, some caused minor interruptions to my trip and others were just things I found surprising. Here are some of the things that I learned during my trip to Croatia that I wish I knew beforehand.
Read next: My Croatia Itinerary & How I’d change it if I did it again
It’s more expensive than I expected
I expected Croatian prices to be pretty affordable, but I was surprised to see price tags more closely resembled those in Western Europe. Dubrovnik, Korčula, and Hvar were by far the most expensive areas that I visited. If you want to do Croatia on a budget, travel further inland towards Zagreb. The country’s capital city is notoriously more affordable than the islands and cities on the coast.
Cash is king
Try to have cash and use it often. While most places take credit cards, especially in the major tourist areas, many still do not. And as usual for Europe, American Express is not really accepted outside major hotels. The places that do accept credit cards still prefer cash, often offering a discount of 10% if you pay with cash. It can also be difficult to split cheques when paying with a card. At some of the restaurants we dined at, servers refused to split cheques for our table of four, requiring one person to cover the entire bill on their credit card.
(P.S. Don’t forget that Croatia is NOT on the Euro. They use Croatian Kuna. Almost nowhere outside of the airport will accept Euros. I recommend downloading the xe Currency Exchange app to stay on top of how much you’re spending. )
The service is very slow
I wouldn’t say this if it only happened at one or two spots, but this was fairly consistent during my entire three-week trip. Service in restaurants and bars is very slow, especially when trying to get your cheque. I often waited 20-40 minutes for a drink and more often than not I found myself having to get up to find the server just so I could pay my bill and leave. There were a few exceptions to this, specifically in higher end restaurants.
(Note: There is no tipping culture in Croatia.)
You need a car to explore some places
Getting “off the beaten path” can be difficult in Croatia without a rental car. During my trip, I spent some time in Ston, a small fishing village just north of Dubrovnik, as well as the Pelješac Peninsula, one of Croatia’s largest wine regions. While I loved exploring these spots, it was difficult (and more expensive) without a car. I ended up missing my scuba diving excursion because the only taxi driver in Ston (seriously, there’s only one) was all the way in Dubrovnik and couldn’t make it back to take me. Getting to Pelješac would’ve been impossible without a car, but luckily I befriended a local winemaker who was kind enough to pick me up and bring me to the peninsula. To get back down to Dubrovnik (2 hrs), I ended up taking a transfer car for 99 Euro. There are a lot of busses you can take in Croatia, and they’re especially great for transiting between major cities, but they won’t get you very far in smaller towns.
Small towns are a great escape
Though they can be more difficult to access, Croatia’s smaller towns and villages provide a nice escape from the hustle and bustle of cities like Split and Dubrovnik. Travelling from Split to Ston was like night and day; whereas Split is Croatia’s second-largest city and bustling with tourist traffic, Ston is a sleepy village of no more than a few hundred people. While there isn’t much to do in these smaller towns, they provide a peaceful retreat for relaxing, hitting the beach, and for me, getting some work done under the Croatian sun.
It’s hot. Like, really hot
Of course, I expected a Croatian summer to be much warmer than a Canadian summer, but I was not prepared for the scorching heat I encountered. The days in Dubrovnik often reached highs of nearly 40 degrees, making it impossible to walk around Old Town or enjoy attractions like the historic city walls. I quickly found myself purchasing new, light clothes after I sweat through most of my ‘Canadian summer’ wardrobe. July and August are the warmest months in Croatia. If you’re planning to visit then, pack accordingly. Bring the lightest clothes that you own. Stay away from things like cotton and don’t forget your sunscreen!
Game of Thrones is everywhere
Especially in Dubrovnik. Every street and alley has a Game of Thrones gift store and there are dozens of different Game of Thrones walking tours that happen in the city every day. If you’re a fan of Game of Thrones, you’ll definitely have a lot to explore in Croatia!
The Uber’s are taxis
This is a pretty minor thing, but nonetheless can cause some confusion. In the major tourist areas, you’ll be able to order an Uber but they’re just taxi’s who’ve also registered on the app. This caused some confusion when we were trying to locate our driver as his taxi sign threw us off. Just be prepared that if you order an Uber in Croatia, you’ll likely get a taxi.
A lot of celebrities vacation in Croatia
During my stay, I dined at the same restaurant Harrison Ford dined at only a few hours prior. A few days later, we saw Michael Jordan on a yacht, and as I was leaving Croatia, Neil Patrick Harris was arriving.
You may have to travel through Bosnia and Herzegovina
In order to get back down to Dubrovnik from Split, you have to cross the Bosnia and Herzegovina border. There is about a 7km stretch through Bosnia and Herzegovina that you’ll have to travel through in order to get back down to the south of Croatia. The country has been working on building a bridge that will eliminate the need for this border crossing by Summer 2022.
I learned the hard way, so you don’t have to
Travelling is all about learning, growing, and getting out of your comfort zone. It’s not always easy, as this trip proved. Sometimes travel can test your resiliency and problem solving skills and force you to adapt quickly to new situations. That is exactly what happened to me in Croatia.
While my trip didn’t go entirely as planned, I’m still grateful for all the beautiful experiences that I had in Croatia and I’m even appreciative of the things that went wrong. Every time I encounter these kinds of hiccups on the road it makes me a better, more resilient traveller.
Plus, it makes for great blog content! Haha, just kidding, but I am committed to be open and honest about my experiences travelling whether they’re good or bad. I hope that this post provides some more insight into Croatia travel and helps you avoid the same hiccups on your trip. Above everything, Croatia is an incredibly beautiful country with great food and rich history; you won’t be disappointed when you visit!
