About Croatia
Croatia is the beautiful, boomerang shaped country
with the thousand islands, magnificent natural
treasures, rich culture and traditions, located
in southern Europe.
Every nation loves their country and calls it
the most beautiful. Croatians, however, actually
call their state "Our Beautiful" ("Lijepa
naša"), which is also the title of the
national anthem.
Croatia has created a unique spirit, and today
is a full participant in European culture and
science.
Croatians are known to be a hospitable nation,
it's sea deep blue and clean, the prices are fair,
the villages picturesque, which all adds up to
a very pleasant holiday destination. The unforgettable
national parks, many sunny days, the fine local
foods and drinks in combination with the parties,
make it worthwhile to visit Croatia for a holiday.
Croatia is a modern country with a combination
of a soft continental climate and a Mediterranean
climate.
General information about Croatia
Geographical position:
Croatia is situated more or less
in the heart of Europe. Croatia stretches from
the foot of the Alps in the northwest and Pannonian
Plain in the east, over the mountain range of
Dinara in its central region, to the Adriatic
coast in the south. Croatia has a strange shape,
which comes as a result of five centuries of expansion
by the Ottoman (Turkish) empire towards Central
Europe (although Croatia was never conquered by
the Turks).
Surface area:
Croatia has 56.542 km2, with an additional 31.067
km2 of territorial waters
Population:
Croatia has 4.784.265 inhabitants. Over 90%
of the population is Croat (the majority of whom
are Roman Catholics), but there are also Serbian,
Bosnian, Hungarian and Italian minorities.
Climate:
The Adriatic Coast has a typical Mediterranean
climate with hot dry summers and mild winters.
It is one of the sunniest and warmest coasts in
Europe with an average of 2.600 hours of sunshine
per year and an average summer temperature of
27C.The inland part has a typical continental
climate with warm summers and rainy and snowy
winters.
Number of islands,
islets and reefs: 1.185 of which 67 inhabited;
the largest islands are those of Krk and Cres.
Capital:
Zagreb, the administrative, cultural, academic
and communication centre of Croatia; population:
960.000 inhabitants
Religions:
Predominantly Roman Catholic
Official language
and alphabet: Croatian language and Latin
alphabet.
Political system:
Parliamentary Democracy
 National
holidays:
January 1st - New Year's Day
January 6th - Epiphany
Easter Monday
May 1st - May Day
Corpus Christi - movable observance
June 22nd - Day of the Anti-Fascist Struggle
June 25th - Statehood Day
August 5th - Homeland Gratitude Day
August 15th - Assumption
October 8th - Independence Day
November 1st - All Saints' Day
December 25-26 - Christmas Holidays
Monetary unit:
Croatian Kuna (Kn). Banknotes come in denominations
of 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 500 and 1000 and coins
in Kn 1, 2, 5 & 25 and 10, 20 and 50 lipa
(1 Kuna= 100 lipas). Foreign currencies can be
exchanged in banks, exchange offices, post offices
and most tourist agencies, hotels and camping
grounds. Euro cheques can be exchanged in banks.
Banking hours are 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. from Monday
to Friday. On Saturdays banks are open until 1
p.m. In the larger cities some banks are also
open on Sundays.
Currency: Foreign
currency can be changed in the Banks, Exchange
Offices, Post Offices, Tourist agencies and Hotels,
according to the current exchange rate.
Credit cards:
Most hotels, restaurants and shops accept credit
cards (American Express, Diners Club, Euro card
/ MasterCard and Visa).
Electricity:
220V, 50 Hz
Water:
Tap water is drinkable throughout Croatia
The telephone
code for Croatia: +385
Cellular phone
range: Communication by mobile phones is possible
throughout Croatia.
Time zone:
GMT plus one hour (in summer two hours)
Shopping: Excellent
buys include leather articles, local handmade
lace ware and embroidery, ceramics, herb brandies,
etc. Opening hours: department stores and groceries
are open continuously 7:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. , while
some shops and groceries close for lunch. On Saturdays
most shops are open from 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. In
tourist destinations, in high season, most shops
stay open longer, including Saturdays and Sundays.
Duty-free shops are located at the airports.
Working hours:
Shops and department stores are open between 8
a.m. and 8 p.m., and on Saturdays from 8 a.m.
to 2 p.m. or 3 p.m. A smaller number of stores
close between noon and 4 p.m. Many stores are
open on Sundays too, especially in the summer,
and a smaller number in the larger cities are
open 24 hours a day. Public services and companies
usually work from 8,30 a.m. to 4,30 p.m. from
Monday to Friday.
Tax return
for foreign citizens: Tourists making purchases
in Croatia (apart from petroleum derivatives),
which exceed 500 Kuna per bill, may reclaim VAT
('PDV'). When purchasing, ask the salesperson
for form PDV-P, which they should then fill out
and stamp. On leaving Croatia the receipt has
to be verified by the Croatian Customs Service.
A PDV refund in Kuna can be obtained within six
months either at the same shop where the goods
were purchased (in this case the tax is refunded
immediately), or by posting the verified receipt
back to the shop together with the account number
into which the refund should be paid. In this
case the refund is dealt with within 15 days of
receipt of the claim.
Pets can
enter the country if they have a vaccination record
and veterinary certificate. The record must not
be older than one year.
Medical services:
Medical care for foreigners can be provided at
hospitals and clinics in all major cities in Croatia.
Croatia is a member of Europe Assistance medical
services system. Foreign tourists do not pay for
emergency health services if Croatia and the tourist's
country of origin have a health care agreement.
If not, the tourist must pay for health care costs
immediately. Hospitals and clinics are located
in all major centres, while doctor's offices and
pharmacies can be found in smaller tourist destinations.
Postal services:
Post offices are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. non-stop.
Saturdays from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. For international
calls, besides using hotel and post office services,
phone cards (for sale in all post offices) are
used in all public phone booths. Postage stamps
are sold at post offices, hotel receptions and
newspaper and tobacco stands. TNT and DHL air-express
carrier's services are also available.
Culture: In
Croatia is 4 opera houses, 29 theatres, 151 museums
and galleries and 147 cinemas. The theatres are
generally closed at summer, although a number
of them hold series of summer performances both
in Zagreb and on the coast.
Cultural and
historical monuments: There are numerous cultural
and historical monuments of great significance
in Croatia, such as the ancient amphitheatre in
Pula, the palace of the Emperor Diocletian in
Split (a UNESCO world heritage site), the Romanesque
cities of Krk, Rab, Pag, Korcula and Trogir, elegant
Dubrovnik, a 13th century city with excellently
preserved Renaissance towers and walls, which
is also under UNESCO protection, one of Europe's
first public theatres in Hvar, the basilica of
Euphrasy's' in Porec, the pre Romanesque church
of St. Donat in Zadar, Šibenik cathedral,
and many others.
Major cultural
events
Zagreb Summer Festival (1 Jul - 15 August)
International Folk Dance Festival, Zagreb (19
- 23 July)
International Children's Festival in Šibenik
(24 June 8 July)
Dubrovnik Summer Festival (10 July - 25 August)
Ðakovo Embroidery (30 June to 2 July)
Split summer (July, August)
Music Evenings in St. Donat, Zadar (4 July - 6
August)
Music Evenings in Osor (8 July - 26 August)
Sinjska Alka (6 August)
Istrian Cultural Summer (during the season)
Vinkovci Autumn (22 - 24 September)
Varaždin Baroque Evenings (24 September -
8 October)
Entertainment:
Most better quality hotels have nightclubs and
the major tourist resorts have discos. There are
dancing evenings on the terraces during the summer
time, along with other entertainment and cultural
events.
Gambling casinos:
There are 15 casinos in Croatia, 6 of them
in Zagreb and other in the following towns: Buje,
Novigrad, Porec, Umag, Opatija, Cavtat, Split,
Hvar, Makarska
Souvenirs:
Folk and artistic ceramics and numerous homemade
souvenirs.
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