Money:
The official currency
of the Republic of Croatia is the Kuna, which has 100 Lipa. Foreign currency
may be exchanged in banks, exchange offices and post offices in accordance
with the valid exchange rate.
All major credit cards (American Express, Diners,
Visa, Eurocard/Mastercard) and Eurocheques (after being changed in banks)
are accepted. Accessing money on ATMs is possible in all larger cities
and the more important tourist areas; the ATMs of Zagrebacka banka accept
Eurocard/Mastercard, and ATM of Euronet accept Diners, American Express
and Visa.
Croatian Monetary
Institute
Exchange
rates
Croatian National
Bank
Customs:
 Custom duties
are not paid on personal objects. Radios, telephones, sporting and professional
equipment may be brought into the country after having been registered
at the border crossing.
Croatian Customs
Passports:
Passports or other identification documents recognized
by international agreement. Tourists may stay for up to three months.
A driving license, traffic license and the relevant insurance documents
(except for countries that have other regulations) are necessary for entry
into Croatia with a vehicle. Animals (dogs, cats and others) must have
permission, the yellow health document and certificate of vaccination,
especially vaccination against rabies.
Climate:
Northern Croatia has a continental climate. Central,
semimountainous and mountainous regions, as well as the entire Adriatic
coast, have a Mediterranean climate. Spring and autumn are mild along
the coast, while winter can be cold and snowy in central and northern
regions.
Public holidays in 2004:
- New Year's Day, January 1st
- Epiphany - the Coming of the Kings, January 6th
- Easter, April 11th
- Easter Monday, April 12th
- Labor Day, May 1st
- Antifascism Day, June 22nd
- National holiday, June 25th
- National Thanksgiving Day, August 5th
- Our Lady of Assumption, August 15th
- Independence Day, October 8th
- All Saint's Day, November 1st
- Christmas, December 25th, 26th
Working hours:
Banks and post offices are generally open from
7AM to 7PM without breaks, and public offices from Monday to Friday from
8AM to 4PM. During the tourist season, post offices are generally open
until 9PM, including Saturdays. Shops and department stores work from
8AM to 8PM without breaks.
Time zone:
Croatia is one hour ahead of Greenwich mean time
(GMT), 6 hours ahead of New York and Montreal, 9 hours ahead of Los Angeles,
4 hours ahead of Sao Paulo, 2 hours behind Moscow, and 8 hours behind
Tokyo. Daylight saving time is observed from late March to late September,
during which time the clocks are advanced one hour.
Current time:
Electricity:
Electrical current is 220 volts AC, 50 Hz. Most
plugs have two round pins. Visitors from abroad who wish to operate personal
small electronic items, should bring a plug adapter and a transformer.
Important Phone Numbers:
International telephone access code for Croatia
is +385. The area codes for the largest cities and their surroundings
areas are as follows: Zagreb 01, Split 021, Rijeka 051, Osijek 034. Omit
the 0 when dialing from abroad. To place an outgoing international call
from Croatia, dial 00 plus the relevant country code and number.
| Police |
92 |
| fire-brigade |
93 |
| ambulance |
94 |
| road assistance |
987 |
| general information |
981 |
Automobile travel:
Minimum driving age is 18.
Documents: International driving license. Third party insurance is
obligatory. The wearing of seatbelts is compulsory
Motorcycles: The wearing of crash helmets is compulsory for rider
and passenger. Dipped headlights must be used at all times.
Traffic regulations are similar to those in force in other European
countries (right-hand traffic!!! ). For driving in Croatia during the
winter months, especially in the Gorski Kotar region, winter tires are
essential and in extreme cases snow chains have to be used.
Speed limits: On overland roads 100 km/h, on motorways 130 km/h and
in built-up areas 50 km/h unless otherwise stipulated.
Drunken driving (permissible alcohol limit 0.5 promiles) is punishable
and can lead to confiscation of driving license and severe fines.
Petrol pumps: open from 7 am to 7 or 8 pm every day; in the summer
season till 10 pm; on-duty petrol pumps in bigger cities and on main
international roads are open non-stop; all pumps sell Eurosuper 95,
Super 98, Normal and Eurodiesel
Taxi service: in all cities and tourist places
Car rentals: in all bigger cities, tourist centers and airports
Toll is payable on a number of highways and road tunnels. Prices for
personal vehicles are as follows:
| Zagreb
- Karlovac |
15 kn |
| Karlovac
- Vukova Gorica |
8 kn |
| Tunnel
Ucka |
20 kn |
| Bridge
to Krk |
10 kn |
| Lepenica
- Rijeka |
12 kn |
| Zagreb
- Slavonski Brod |
45 kn |
| Zagreb
- Krapina |
10 kn |
| Gorićan
- Varaždin |
10 kn |
| Sv. Helena
- Zagreb |
10 kn |
| Zagreb
- Jastrebarsko |
7 kn |
Accomodation:
The hotel accomodation in Croatia is classified
as L (de luxe), A, B, C and D category. There are also tourist apartments,
pensions, camps, hostels and private houses and rooms. Prices are dependent
on the category and time of the year (out-of-season prices are more affordable).
Croatian
Tourism Index
Health services:
Foreign tourists do not have to pay for medical
services if there is a signed health insurance convention between Croatia
and their country of origin. Health care costs for tourists from a country
that does not have a signed convention with Croatia are paid directly
by the user in accordance with listed prices.
Hospitals are in all of the larger cities and
clinics in the smaller towns. Pharmacies are open from 8 am to 7 pm weekdays,
till 2 pm Saturdays; in larger cities on-duty pharmacies are open 24 hours
Road distance between
Zagreb and some important European towns:
| Budapest |
362 km |
| Vienna |
399 km |
| Rome |
957 km |
| Berlin |
1,111 km |
| Amsterdam |
1,402 km |
| Paris |
1,458 km |
| London |
1,593 km |
| Athens |
1,600 km |
| Madrid |
2,324 km |
| Munich |
436 km |
| Zurich |
604 km |
Intensive building of new motorways and semi motorways on main traffic
directions in Croatia will result not only in reducing of distances but
also, more important, in essential reducing of the traveling time.
Bus Travel:
Bus lines connect all parts of the country. Regular
international bus lines connect Croatia with all neighbouring countries
and with Austria, France, Italy, Germany and Slovakia.
Airports:
Zagreb and Split (primary)
Dubrovnik, Zadar, Rijeka (Krk), Pula and Osijek (secondary)
Brac, Losinj, Vrsar and Zagreb-Lucko (tertiary)
Over 70 non-categorised runways (sports airports, runways for agricultural
aviation, landing pads for the needs of tourism and the like)
Regular airlines are maintained by only one Croatian carrier - Croatia
Airlines (4 airplanes of the type Boeing 737-200, Advanced 3 planes
ATR 42-300, one Airbus A320 and 2 Air Bus A319)
Railway Travel:
The railway connects all major Croatian cities
except Dubrovnik. Croatia has direct railway links with Slovenia, Hungary,
Italy, Austria, Switzerland, Slovakia, France, Germany, Bosnia and Herzegovina
and Yugoslavia, and indirect links with almost all other European countries.
Eurocity and Intercity:
- IC "Mimara": Leipzig - Munich - Salzburg - Ljubljana -
Zagreb
- IC "Kras": Trieste - Ljubljana - Zagreb
- IC "Croatia": Vienna - Maribor - Zagreb
- IC "Kvarner": Budapest - Zagreb - Rijeka
- IC "Drava": Budapest - Cakovec - Ljubljana - Venice
Croatian Railways
Main sea ports:
Rijeka, Split, Zadar, Sibenik, Ploce, Pula, Dubrovnik
(total of about 18,000 m of operative wharfs with the pertaining surface
of about 700 ha).
Croatia has the total of 156 passengers liners
with the capacity of 20,800 passengers and 216 cargo carriers of 122,272
km3 capacity.
Main river ports:
Sisak and Slavonski Brod (the Sava river - from 945 km, 562 km
in Croatia)
Osijek (the Drava river - from 707 km, 505 in Croatia)
Vukovar (the Danube - from 2,857 km, 20 km in Croatia)
Metkovic (the Neretva river - from 210 km, 20 km in Croatia)
The total length of inland waterways is 936 km.
News:
The Croatian Information Center brings the daily news in English and Croatian. The latest news
in English and Croatian are also available on the Web.
Croatian Information Center
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