Croatia / Republika Hrvatska – Let’s explore here
Croatia has a stunningly beautiful and very long coastline that lies entirely on the Adriatic Sea. It’s peppered with loads of amazing islands that can be accessed via turn-up-and-wait ferries. The sea is crystal clear, there’s year round sunshine, the people are super friendly and the food is delicious. You can even apply to stay and work for an extended time as a digital nomad. What more could you ask for?!
Inland the terrain is mostly flat or hilly, particularly in the North where it reaches towards Hungary (also super flat!). The capital, Zagreb lies in the middle of a large basin, bordered in the North by small mountains. The incredible Plitvička lakes National Park with its amazing colours and waterfalls is definitely worth a visit. Its highest point is Mount Troglav in the Dinaric Alps, at 6,276 ft (1,913 m) above sea level.
It’s about a quarter of the size of the UK, and its population is around four million people (2023). It has land borders with Bosnia and Herzegovina, Hungary, Montenegro, Serbia and Slovenia.
Current travels
We’ve created a blog for our visit to Croatia. You may find it helpful, and you may pick up some tips, or more likely mistakes not to make that we’ve made 😉
This time around we travelled from Hungary, through the hills of Croatia to Osijek and Kopačev, before moving on to the capital, Zagreb. We’ve been to Croatia several times, and so wanted to explore inland rather than the coast. We also travelled to the amazing Plitvička lakes before moving up the coast to the Roman town of Pula, and then travelling through to Slovenia.
We met loads of people who were willing to share some of their stories, including a British Royal Family obsessive! and an Albanian taxi driver that would very much like to meet a nice girl 🙂 There’s more about some of these people in the blog.
This is the route that we took through Croatia on our travels this time, from Romania and Hungary to Slovenia.
Osijek – Kopačev – Zagreb – Slunj – Plitvička lakes – Zalužnica – Pula
We’ve been to Croatia several times, so we mostly avoided the coast from Split down for that reason.
This is the route that we took back through Croatia on our travels, from Slovenia to Bosnia and Herzegovina.
This route bypasses the capital, Zagreb. In late October the entire route was blanketed in dense fog.
This is the route that we took back through Croatia on our travels, from Serbia to Slovenia.
Our best places in Croatia
Sucuraj, Hvar
One of our favourite islands is Hvar – about halfway between Split and Dubrovnik along the coast. We stayed in the bustling ferry port of Sucuraj. Most move on from here to go to the town of Hvar. However we found that with its multitude of local restaurants, its non-crowded beaches and its always willing to help and smiley inhabitants – it was the perfect place to stay.
Pula
Pula is an amazing town that has some of the best preserved Roman antiquities we’ve seen!
Plitvička lakes
Plitvička lakes are gorgeous! It’s the largest and oldest natural park in Croatia comprising of many, many waterfalls and lakes, all connected via a network of lovely natural paths through forests. Once you’ve paid to get in, all of the coach rides and ferry rides are free should you wish to travel that way. It’s an expansive set of wonders that takes most of a day to explore. Well worth a visit!
What’s it like to drive in Croatia?
For the most part driving in Croatia is a fairly laid-back affair. All along the coast cars travel slowly due to the volume of people crossing between the coastline and houses. Inland, cars travel pretty courteously in the main. The amount of traffic in most places is quite low compared with city life in the UK.
Due to the number of islands, island hopping via ferry tends to be a fairly normal part of life for many. Despite the fact that when you turn up for the ferry, it appears fairly disorganised, it’s usually very well-mannered. Tempers don’t tend to flare and the ferry workers are great at getting you organised into the most economic space once you’re on the ferry.
Quite a lot of the island roads are quite narrow without barriers to the sides. Whilst this enables great views, it also means that some roads can be quite dangerous. This is especially the case when driving at speed, which is quite common for locals. We found that there is a definite subset of Croatians that have joined the Colin McRae school of driving around blind bends – i.e. “if in doubt – flat out”! For us, we decided that there are two ways to approach the speedy driving – either join in 🙂 or slow down sufficiently so that others know you’d like to employ more caution.
We’ve also created a dedicated page to driving abroad, which you might find helpful 🙂
What currency do they use in Croatia?
In Croatia they use the Euro. The use of credit / debit cards is now widespread. Traveller’s cheques are accepted. There are lots of ATMs.
You should make yourself aware of the amount that your bank charges you for using credit and debit cards abroad. Often credit cards are cheaper for purchasing items directly, and for withdrawing cash from ATMs.
What language do they speak in Croatia?
They speak Croatian in Croatia. We found that many also speak English, particularly in tourist areas. On Hvar, many speak Italian, as it’s a popular holiday destination for Italians.
What time zone is Croatia in?
Remember, when you’re planning your next trip to take a look at what time zone it’s in.
Do I need a visa to visit Croatia?
We’ve created a dedicated, more comprehensive page on visas, which you should find helpful. Check it out!
Is wild camping legal in Croatia?
No, wild camping is Illegal in Croatia, especially in tourist areas.
Is it safe to drink water in Croatia?
Yes, it is safe to drink tap water in Croatia. Bottled water is also readily available across the country.
If you’ve got some awesome pictures, or some useful info that you’d like to share, let us know!
And don’t forget to check out all the other pictures!