The Balkan country is home to stunning coastlines, beautiful lakes and waterfalls, lush forests, and national parks, overlooked islands, fascinating history, and delicious Croatian cuisine.

This post is basically a combination of sailing the Croatian islands, exploring some of the cities and visiting one of the prettiest national parks. These places could be covered easily within four to five days of your travel itinerary. I hope this post gives you an inspiration to visit Croatia for your next vacation.

What to Expect

Currency: The currency in Croatia is Croatian Kuna. 1 EUR is equivalent to 7,52 Croatian Kuna based on today’s rate. Croatia is set to adopt the Euro by 2023, so keep that in mind and check for it before planning your future trip. Also, some places accept Euros in cash for the purchase or stay but they mostly return the remaining amount in Kuna, very few times I have found then giving back Euros in change.

Credit cards and ATMs: ATMs are reliable and mostly found everywhere in the city or small towns. Credit cards are also acceptable in most of the restaurants or shops. But do remember if you withdraw cash from your foreign cards then the conversion rate and processing fee will be charged which could be quite expensive.

Language: The main language spoken is Croatian, but English is also very widely spoken, and you should not have any difficulty communicating in English. Also, depending on the region you are in you could also find many locals speaking German and Italian.

Transport: In the cities you can use the public transportation. It is frequent and easy to use. It is made up primarily of buses and trams. You can take the ticket from the driver inside the tram or bus, or you can also get it from Tisak kiosks. You can take day ticket, weekly ticket or single fare tickets. In Zagreb, I used the tram and the ticket for 6 Kunas could be used as many times as you need but do not forget to validate the ticket once you board the tram. In Rijeka, you can use the city(1st zone) and suburban(2nd, 3rd and 4th zone) bus lines. The daily ticket for the 1st zone was 24.00 HRK. Also, one more useful information is that either you can take cabs from Rijeka airport to the city centre or you can take the shuttle. Shuttle service is available for specific times and costs 60 Kunas. Now, you can also use taxis to travel if you prefer. It will be expensive but it is also an option, like you can use taxis to travel to Krk from Rijeka. To travel across different cities you can use buses or train. For buses, you can book the tickets online with the providers like Flixbus or Arriva. You can also book the tickets from the counters or main stations. You can also get it directly from the drivers if the seats are available.

Safety: Croatia was my first country for my solo trip. I had some apprehensions before the travel, but after visiting the place solo myself, talking to the locals out there, travelling from one city to another in the country I could say that it is one of the safest European countries. But, said that I would always recommend staying alert about your surroundings when you travel alone.

Best Time to Visit

I believe the best time to visit generally depends on what kind of travel you want to have, what do you want to experience. Generally, it is believed that summer months are best to visit Croatia and July – August are undoubtedly the peak months with huge crowds, but like I said some people might want to visit during the falls for mellow sightseeing or they might want to visit during the winters to see the frozen waterfalls. Also, do keep in mind that much of the Adriatic coast and the islands close down during the off-peak months. Personally, I loved Croatia during the end of May. I feel the months of May and June are lovely, as its early summer, weather is pleasant, the countryside and the national parks are in full bloom, ferries start heading out to the islands, accommodations are comparatively lower and lesser crowd.

Places I visited in my last Croatian trip

1. Rijeka: Literally, meaning ‘River’ in Croatian is one of Croatia’s largest cities in the Kvarner Bay, a northern inlet of the Adriatic Sea in Croatia. It is a major Croatian port with industrial, commercial, and cultural center of western Croatia, with a turbulent history. Being on the country’s Adriatic coast, this place is home to some amazing beaches and a good stopover to explore the nearby Kvarner region.

2. Krk: It is one of the largest islands in Croatia in the Adriatic Sea, situated in the Kvarner Bay. It is well connected by road and can be easily reached from Rijeka. This is an attractive summer destination with charming old towns, beautiful beaches, local culture and many other island attractions. This is also called as the Golden Island and locals believe that the island is connected to the number Seven. Some interesting conversations with the local like the Croatian people have inhabited the place from seventh century and it was attacked by pirates seven times, the seventh Frankopan count was the last count of Krk, and today the island of Krk has seven centers made me realize why they think seven as the lucky number.

3. Zagreb: This is the capital and largest city of Croatia. This city in Central Croatia is vibrant with its art and culture, medieval old city architecture and cobbled streets, interesting museums, and good food. Zagreb is about strolling in the Upper town and Lower town, having a look at the walls which have been transformed to paintings by the local artists, feeling the bustling city with its flower, vegetable or fruit markets or the café culture or the musical streets.

4. Plitvice National Park: The Plitvice Lakes is the largest and oldest national park in the Republic of Croatia. This is one place that is as beautiful as the photos make it seem and should be on your list if visiting Croatia. It is known for a chain of 16 terraced lakes, joined by waterfalls, that extend into a limestone canyon. The scenery and landscape are stunning, and every corner is as exceptional as the other. This is in Plitvicka jezera and is well connected from other cities in Croatia.