Survival guide

Croatia


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In Croatia, where the Mediterranean, the mountains and the Pannonian plains come together in a unique harmony of natural beauty, within just a little more than a hundred kilometers, you can come across excitingly different landscapes. It’s of little wonder that it is often regarded as one of the most beautiful countries in Europe. And if you’ll be good enough, you’ll get a chance to discover our secret… To discover ‘the Mediterranean as it once was’… ;)

Surface:

The mainland covers 56,542 km2, and the surface of the territorial sea is 31,067 km2.

Population:

4,437,460 inhabitants; composition of population: the majority of the population are Croats; national minorities are Serbs, Slovenes, Hungarians, Bosnians, Italians, Czechs and others. Majority of the population are Catholics.

System of government:

Croatia is a multi-party parliamentary republic.

Capital:

Zagreb (779,145 inhabitants), the economic, traffic, cultural and academic center of the country.

Coastline:

The coastline is 5,835 km long, of which 4,058 km comprise a coastline of islands, solitary rocks and reefs. We have 1,185 islands, solitary rocks and reefs. The largest islands are Krk and Cres; there are 50 inhabited islands.

Highest peak:

Dinara: 1,831 m above sea level.

Climate:

There are two climate zones; a temperate continental climate, locally also a mountainous climate, prevails in the interior, whereas a pleasant Mediterranean climate prevails along the Adriatic coast, with an overwhelming number of sunny days, dry and hot summers, mild and humid winters; average temperature in the inland: January 0 to 2°C, August 19 to 23°C; average temperature at the seaside: January 6 to 11°C, August 21 to 27 °C; the temperature is about 12°C in winter, and 25°C in summer.

Currency:

Croatian currency is kuna (1 kuna is subdivided to 100 lipa). Foreign currency can be exchanged in banks, exchange offices, post offices, travel agencies, hotels, camps, marinas; checks can be cashed in banks.

1 Euro equals 7.3 kuna

Zagreb

Zagreb is a big Croatian tourist center, not only in terms of transit from West and Central Europe to the Adriatic Sea but also as a tourist destination. The city with a tradition of almost one thousand years celebrated in 1994 its 900th birthday. Zagreb is not only rich in cultural and historical monuments, museums and galleries; it also has a variety of modern shops, and offers good quality of diversified restaurants as well as sports and recreation facilities. It is a big center of congress tourism, economic and business events and trade fairs not only in Croatia but also in this part of Europe. Being an important junction point, it has road, air, railway and bus connections with European metropolises and all bigger cities and tourist resorts in Croatia.

Zagreb has a rich civil and cultural heritage, dating from the prehistoric period (Veternica Cave, Palaeolithic) and archaeological finds of the Roman culture (Šćitarjevo) up to the present. The historical part of the town, the Upper Town and Kaptol are a unique urban core even in European terms, and thus represent the target of sightseeing tours. The old town, its streets and squares can be reached on foot, starting from Ban Josip Jelačić Square, the central part and the heart of Zagreb, or by a funicular in the nearby Tomićeva Street. The old core of the town includes many famous buildings, churches, museums and institutions as well as pleasant restaurants and coffee bars.

How to get to Zagreb

You should send us your arrival info (date, time & place), and there will be an organiser waiting for you. Meeting place for those coming by plane or bus is the Main Bus Terminal, and for those going by train, the Main Train Station. Those of you coming by car or hitch-hiking, contact us for special instructions. :)

By plane

Croatia Airlines is national airport company has regular flights to: Amsterdam, Brussels, Frankfurt, London, Munich, Paris, Prague, Rome, Sarajevo, Skopje, Tel Aviv, Vienna and Zurich. Other airlines that fly in Croatia are:

Adria Airways, Aeroflot, Air France, Alitalia, Austrian Airlines, British Airways, Air Canada, CSA, Klm - Northwest, Lufthansa, LOT, Malaysian Airlines, Malev, Turkish Airlines

You’ll probably be more interested in low-cost companies, right? ;)

For those who fly directly to Zagreb, you have Wizzair, Germanwings, Easyjet (flies to Rijeka and Split), Ryanair (to Pula).

We also recommend you to look for flights that go to our neighbouring countries, you’ll find a much better choice there, and the connection to Zagreb is quite good. So, be sure to check also Ljubljana, Budapest, Graz, Trieste, Venice…

Zagreb’s airport (Pleso) is located outside of the city. There are regular public transport buses that go from the airport to the main bus terminal in Zagreb. Bus station Zagreb Airport - Main Bus Terminal Zagreb is located immediately at the International Arrivals Exit. The ride takes about 25 minutes and the price is 30 kn (about 4 €).

Please be aware that many airports and airline companies recently introduced new rule that it is prohibited to bring more that 1dl of drink in hand luggage! How ever, you’re still free to pack liters of alcohol in rest of the luggage. The rules might have changed from the time we wrote this survival guide, so check the latest regulations.

By train

The rail network connects all major Croatian cities, except Dubrovnik. There are direct lines to Slovenia, Hungary, Italy, Greece, Austria, Switzerland, Germany, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Serbia and Montenegro. There are indirect lines to almost all other European countries.

Eurocity and Intercity:

Be sure to get off at the Main train station (Croatian: Glavni kolodvor)!

We recommend the site www.bahn.de for the timetable information (the Croatian web page is not that good).

By bus

There are regular international coach services connecting Croatia with all neighboring countries, as well as Switzerland, France, Germany and Slovakia.

Bus service between major cities (intercity lines) is quite frequent, as well as regional services. The most frequent bus terminal in Croatia is Bus Terminal Zagreb (in Croatian “Autobusni kolodvor Zagreb”).

Prices

7.3 HRK = 1 EUR

If you would like to know how much money to bring, here are some everyday prices:

Public transport

During your stay in Zagreb, you’ll be using the public tramway transportation ZET. Most of the activities is going to be held in city center area, which is first zone that is free of charges.

What to bring?

Croatian language

Little dictionary of Croatian language

Although most young people in Croatia speak English, we’ll give you some useful phrases you can use in Croatia (maybe to surprise some Croatian girl/boy :)).

Croatian pronunciation is completely phonetic, which means that every letter is pronounces the way is written. Croatian language has 8 letters that are not used in English alphabet.

Tips for pronunciation of unknown letters:

Useful resources

Contacts

Main organizer:

Iva Anić mobile: +385 91 790 11 73
mail: iva.anic@best.eu.org

President of the Republic of Croatia

Stjepan Mesić phone: +385 1 4565 191
mail: office@president.hr

Some important phone numbers in Croatia (hopefully you’ll not need them):